Can Water Damage in Your Atlanta Apartment Affect Your Neighbors?

3/9/2020 (Permalink)

Water damage in your apartment could reach the apartment below or beside you.

The benefit may be the same as the drawback for apartments: in a confined place, you're tied to your neighbors.

Apartments are convenient for many reasons, like cost, location, and in-building facilities. One factor that can be a benefit or a drawback is the relationship between neighbors of an apartment building. One apartment's water damage can quickly become water damage for surrounding neighbors. 

If you've experienced water damage of any kind in your apartment, for example:

•  A burst pipe
• Overflowed toilet
• Cracks in bath causing flooding
• Large spills
• Dysfunctional appliances

It is very possible that the water damage in your apartment could reach the apartment below or beside you. Being that water is heavy in large quantities, can break through any material when built up, and flows through all kinds of materials laterally, this is why it's more than likely that the damage will reach another neighbor. There is no need to feel bad; it's a prevalent issue, and the physical properties of water cause it to spread quickly through floors. 

So, as an apartment renter, what can you do?

• Contact Your Property Manager
• Recommend SERVPRO as Your Water Restoration Specialist
• Alert Neighbors to Check for Water Damage

It is the property manager's responsibility to repair the damage for both you and your neighbor. When SERVPRO arrives at the scene, they'll finish the rest of the restoration process, which is a five-step process.

• Contact (This is what you and your property manager did in calling SERVPRO)
• Assessment (SERVPRO reviews the damage and creates a plan)
• Drying (Using their equipment, the drying process begins)
• Salvage (Any water-damaged material that isn't ruined can now be restored)
• Restoration (Ensuring the quality of every damaged material)