My neighbor’s bathroom leaks and damages my wall. How do I get this fixed permanently?
If you live in a co-op or condo, your board is legally obligated to find a permanent fix for this issue, our experts say, and for renters, landlords must resolve with the problem.
“Unless the damage was caused by an event that is covered by multiperil insurance, the obligation of the co-op or condo is to repair the wall, but not necessarily the wall finishes,” says Steve Wagner, partner at the Manhattan law firm Wagner, Berkow & Brandt (a Brick sponsor). “The rule is that it is the responsibility of the co-op or condo to permanently fix the wall. Unfortunately, it sometimes is difficult to get your board or managing agent to step up and make a permanent repair.”
You’ll have to do some work to motivate your building management to take action. Creating a paper trail is key: Get all the details about this ongoing issue in writing and send letters to the board and managing agent.