Flooded the neighbors from below
It can happen to anyone: at the most unexpected moment, the phone rings and angry neighbors report that you are drowning them. We figure out how to avoid huge compensation for damages and not completely spoil relations with other tenants

Do you consider yourself an attentive person and think that you will never flood your neighbors due to your oversight? You are greatly mistaken. Even if you regularly check the condition of the pipes in the apartment, handle the equipment carefully and close the stopcocks before leaving, a leak can still happen. The reason for the flooding of neighbors from below can be a breakdown in the common house water supply system, a malfunction of the purchased mixer, and other incidents. And at the moment when you are trying to save your own home, neighbors appear, demanding to pay for the restoration of repairs and furniture. So let’s figure out how to minimize the consequences of flooding and how to assess the damage.

What to do if neighbors are flooded from below

We must say right away that such troubles in apartment buildings are not uncommon. This, of course, does not make it easier, but if you know how to behave in such a situation, act calmly and balanced, then you can get out of the situation with minimal damage to your nerves and wallet.

Hence the conclusion: even if you flooded the neighbors from below, remain calm and reason sensibly. Do not succumb to provocations, do not conflict, be sure to apologize and try to establish contact.

Ready-made kits are available from the manufacturer Neptun. The box contains a ball valve with an electric drive, a control module and sensors. If a leak is detected in the system, the automation blocks the water supply in approximately 20 seconds. After repair, just press the button on the case and normal water supply will be restored. There are solutions for apartments with a geyser. 

Anti-leak systems Neptun
Leak protection systems consist of ball valves with electric actuators. In case of leaks, the sensors transmit a signal to the control module, and the ball valves immediately block the water supply
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First actions

Usually people receive news about the bay of neighbors from below, being either at work or on vacation. Quite often, floods happen at night, because many people prefer to run washing machines and dishwashers at night. In any case, you need to eliminate the cause of the leak as soon as possible, call the emergency service. Neighbors do not always exchange phone numbers, and the residents of the “guilty” apartment learn about the leak only when they return home, when disgruntled neighbors are waiting for them at the doorstep. As a rule, by this time the plumber has already blocked the riser, so the perpetrators of the flood have to remove the water from the floor as soon as possible and start negotiations with the neighbors.

The box contains a ball valve with an electric drive, a control module and sensors. If a leak is detected in the system, the automation blocks the water supply in approximately 20 seconds. After repair, just press the button on the case and normal water supply will be restored. There are solutions for apartments with a geyser.

Step by step guide

Here is the most competent course of action if you flooded the neighbors from below:

1. On your own, try to stop the water or at least reduce its flow (shut off the riser, wipe the floor). Turn off all electrical appliances or turn off the electricity in the apartment on the panel.

2. Call a plumber who can determine exactly who is to blame for this situation. If the leak occurred before the shutoff valves of your apartment, that is, in the common riser, then the management company is to blame, and if the damage to the water supply occurred behind the tap that limits the water supply to the apartment, then you are to blame. And it doesn’t matter if your pipe burst, if the mixer “flew”, or if the washing machine or dishwasher leaked.

3. Call or go down to the neighbors below (if they have not yet come to you themselves). If they are not at home, call the management company. Let her turn off the water in the entire riser.

4. Fix flooding. Take pictures of all the consequences of flooding in the neighbors’ apartment. Then it will help to accurately determine the damage caused to them.

5. Call an employee of the management company who will draw up an act on the flooding of the premises, as well as assess the damage caused.

6. Try to settle everything peacefully. If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, then you will most likely be able to negotiate a refund amount that suits both you and them.

6. If the neighbors do not want to talk to you or have asked for too much, then solve the problem in court. To do this, you need to invite an independent expert to assess the damage.

7. Eliminate such problems in the future – install protection against leaks. Special water sensors will bring a double benefit: they will protect your apartment from leaks, and protect your neighbors from flooding. Such sensors are installed in places where leaks are most likely to occur: under the washing machine, on the floor behind the toilet, under the bathtub and sink. For safety, you can install a sensor in the hallway next to the bathroom. As soon as the sensor is triggered, the system automatically shuts off the water – shut-off valves are installed at the water inlet to the apartment.

How to assess and repair damage

To assess the damage, you can contact the management company to send a special commission to the accident site. Experts will record the damage and determine the culprit of the incident. You can call an independent appraiser, the main thing is that he has a license to conduct an appraisal examination. An important point: if the neighbors below called an appraiser, drew up a document on the damage caused, but you were not invited to this procedure, you can not sign this act or draw up a statement of disagreement and submit it to the management company.

It is not necessary to delay the assessment, but it is also not worth it to conduct it immediately after flooding. The consequences of the flood are fully manifested only after a few days, so the optimal time for the examination is a week after the flood.

This is useful to know

Smart leak protection systems are rapidly gaining market share. Classic kits are capable of performing only a basic set of functions – automatic blocking and restoration of water supply. Series devices Neptun Smart connected to a smart home, read readings and controlled via a smartphone. On them, the user can remotely control the supply or blocking of water in two clicks. A notification about an accident comes to the smartphone, and the device starts to glow and emit a signal. Now there are two sets: wireless professional with stainless taps and extended functionality, as well as wired Bugatti.

Popular questions and answers

Is it possible not to pay?

Even if you flooded the neighbors from below, you can avoid paying for damages. To do this, you must insure your liability as the owner of the apartment, and then the insurance company is obliged to pay for the damage caused by the insured to the victim. You can also try to negotiate with neighbors and resolve the problem peacefully, for example, to eliminate the consequences of the accident on your own – to make repairs.

And if the apartment below is insured?

In this case, the insurance company will pay compensation to the neighbors, and then bill you for the amount of insurance paid. Its amount may vary depending on the terms of the contract. So it makes sense to agree with the neighbors on voluntary compensation for damage, fixing this with a notary. If the victims claim an amount that clearly does not correspond to the damage, it is worth considering how to conduct an independent examination of the damage. You may have to go to court.

What to do if neighbors sue?

If the leak occurred through no fault of yours, collect all the evidence of this: acts, photographs, videos of the apartment, present the testimony of witnesses. If you can prove your innocence, the court will take your side. If the fault for the flood lies with you, the damage will have to be repaired. The basis for this conclusion is Article 210 of the Civil Code.

If the victim insists on going to court and does not want to go to the world, you can try to dissuade him from this decision. Remind him that it is he, as the plaintiff, who will have to pay the state duty, if necessary, pay for the services of a lawyer.

– There were cases when the defendant provided such convincing evidence of his innocence that the court took his side. But even if the court recovers the amount of damage from the defendant, the plaintiff will not be able to receive it at a time. The culprit of the flood will be obliged to pay the money in parts, sometimes it stretches for several months, – says housing lawyer Nikolai Kopylov.

What if the apartment is rented?

According to the Civil Code of the Federation, the owners must monitor the condition of housing, this is their responsibility, therefore, the homeowners will have to be responsible for the bay of neighbors from below, even if tenants live in the apartment.

– The tenant can be held liable in two cases: if the cause of the flooding was the tenant’s direct sabotage, for example, he could have prevented the flood, but did not do it, or if the lease agreement provides for the tenant’s obligation to maintain the engineering systems of the apartment in good condition and repair them, – He speaks Nikolai Kopylov.

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