When damp appears at home, it is not always easy to know whose fault it is. Moreover, to establish legal liability is a long and complicated process. The person who is damaged has to suffer the inconvenience of having leaks and damp stains, as well as having to face a difficult situation not knowing where to go for assistance and whom to contact for advice. Let us help you solve some aspects.

I HAVE A LEAK: WHAT DO I DO?

The question of the hour: a leak or a damp stain appears on the ceiling and we do not know who is responsible and who must be liable for this: the neighbour, the owner of the house if we are tenants, the homeowner´s insurance company, our own insurance or the community of neighbours? The first thing we must do is to get in touch with the neighbour we think is resposible for the leak in our home. If your neighbour is a tenant, then he/she must contact the owner of the house. An agreement is usually reached as nearly everybody has a home insurance, and then, both insurance companies negotiate and handle the formalities so as to solve the situation.

WHEN AN UNDERSTANDING IS NOT REACHED

Sometimes it is impossible to reach a verbal agreement. What do we do then? The situation worsens if the damp and leak have damaged your furniture and other objects. If this is the case, there is no specific legislation concerning this matter. Therefore, we would have to go to court and hope for the best. The main issue is to have a good lawyer. However, we must n and cons of this serious decision which may lead to an unexpected outcome.

Picture 01: Mark Moz

Picture 02: Scott Hugues