Water running from the ceiling that destroys your favorite things is an unpleasant, but not rare phenomenon. The causes of such an accident can be different: the negligence of the neighbors from above, wear of the water supply, heating systems or other unforeseen circumstances.
In this article, we will consider how to act in such situations and how to get compensation for damage caused.
Content:
- Step No. 1: Disconnect the electrical appliances
- Step No. 2: Disassemble in the situation
- Step No. 3: Contact the management company or emergency service
- Step No. 4: Document the documentation
- Step No. 5: Assess the damage and conduct an examination
- Step No. 6: Contact the court
- How to protect from flooding?
Step No. 1: Disconnect the electrical appliances
If you notice that your neighbors are drowning, first turn off all the electrical appliances. This will help to avoid a breakdown of equipment and protect the wiring. React quickly to avoid a short circuit.
In addition to disconnecting electrical appliances, be sure to turn off the electricity in the apartment. If you don’t have a machine gun at home, find a distribution shield (usually it is located in the entrance next to your apartment) and turn off the electricity there.
Step No. 2: Disassemble in the situation
After you turned off the electrical appliances and de -energized the apartment, try to find out the cause of the flooding. Contact your neighbors to find out the situation. If they are at home, explain what happened to them and find out if they need your help in eliminating the problem.
Avoid conflicts with neighbors, especially if they are not to blame for flooding. It is important to focus on eliminating the problem, and not on finding the perpetrators.
Step No. 3: Contact the management company or emergency service
If there are no neighbors at home or they cannot stop the water themselves, contact the management company. You can also contact the emergency service. In many houses on the stand or in the elevator, there is usually information about the contact numbers of emergency services, including emergency.
You can also call:
- Krasnodar Vodokanal LLC-220-28-38
- OJSC “Krasnodarteploenergo”-231-66-66
- OJSC “Krasnodarteploset”-233-67-86; 239-64-16
If your repairs, equipment or other valuable things have suffered from the flood, evaluate the damage and try to agree on compensation. Sometimes neighbors are ready to pay without problems, but there are times when they do not make contact at all.
Step No. 4: Document the documentation
After a few days, it is necessary to call an employee of the management company and draw up an act of flooding. This document describes in detail the causes of flooding, damage and its degree both for the general parts of the house and for your personal belongings.
Attach a photograph or video of the consequences of flooding to the act. This is important if the issue of compensation for damage will be resolved in court. The original act will be stored in the management company. Therefore, just in case, make a copy for yourself.
Step No. 5: Assess the damage and conduct an examination
If the neighbors do not agree to compensation, it is necessary to conduct an independent examination. It will be needed if the case comes to court. During the examination, the amount of damage will be determined. The expert issues a conclusion on the amount of compensation. Neighbors should notify the appointment of an examination, but if they refuse to participate, the procedure will be carried out without their participation.
Carefully follow the examination and pay attention to the details. If you consider it necessary, give recommendations to the expert, for example, to measure and take into account checks to damaged things for a more accurate assessment of damage. Provide photo and video materials with damage characteristics to support your business.
Step No. 6: Contact the court
If the neighbors were not able to peacefully agree, and they continue to refuse compensation, an appeal to the court may be required. To do this, it is necessary to prepare a statement of claim in which it is necessary to indicate all the facts and evidence of the damage, including the act of flooding, photo and video from the scene, as well as other necessary documents.
If the court makes a decision in your favor, but the neighbors still do not pay compensation, you can contact the bailiffs for the writ of execution. The process of receiving payments and their size will determine the bailiff.
How to protect from flooding?
One of the most reliable ways to protect against flooding is to ensure the waterproofing of the ceiling in the bathroom and in the kitchen. There are several methods and materials for this.
- Crysteters. Bitumen, bitumen-polymer and bitumen-teddy. They are distinguished by ease of installation and affordable cost. However, not all of them are suitable for interior due to their environmental characteristics.
- Coloring waterproofing materials similar in terms of the principle of action with coating compositions are also easy to install, are environmentally friendly and universal, but their service life is usually shorter.
- Penetrating compounds are the most reliable for waterproofing. They not only repel water, but also strengthen the structure of the surface and have high durability. This is a special composition that is used to process concrete structures. Typically, the composition of penetrating waterproofing includes sand, cement and other construction additives. Such funds include the Penetron brand.
Additionally, it is recommended to install leaks in your home. They work regardless of water supply systems. Sensors find the presence of water and send notifications to your smartphone, warning about the leak. Some of them work with a smart home system, and automatically turn off the water supply when the leak is detected.
Conclusion
The flooding of the apartment may be an unpleasant event, but with the right approach you can minimize damage and effectively solve the problem. It is important to maintain calm and act promptly and rationally. First of all, take measures to prevent further damage: turn off the electricity and contact your neighbors so that they block the water supply.
It is necessary to keep in touch with the neighbors in order to inform them of what happened and to jointly take measures to eliminate the causes of flooding. If the neighbors do not respond to your appeal or refuse to cooperate, you need to seek help from the management company.
Do not forget to maintain all documents and materials confirming the fact of flooding and damage caused: make photos and videos, draw up acts about the apartment of the apartment, and also call an independent appraiser to assess the damage. This will help you effectively solve issues with moral and material compensation if necessary.
And to avoid such a problem in the future, take care of the waterproofing of the bathroom and kitchen or install stretch ceilings there.
