Apartment & Condo
Water Damage
Condo or apartment water damage usually involves the unit owner or tenant, the association or owner, and more than one insurance policy. Stop the source, notify management, and photograph every affected unit before cleanup. Who repairs and who pays depends on the governing documents and each policy. Call or text CFDR at 321-420-7274 for a restoration company that documents unit by unit. Outside these counties, call about large commercial, multi-unit or whole-home losses.
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Why are multi-unit water losses complicated?
A multi-unit loss has more moving parts than a single-family job: several policies, several residents and shared building systems.
- Unit-to-unit water migrationLeaks travel through slab, walls and shared plumbing, so one source can affect several units
- Tenant and owner disputesWithout per-unit photos and readings, owners, tenants and carriers can disagree about what happened where
- Multiple insurance policiesEach unit may carry its own policy in addition to the building's master policy
- Access to occupied unitsOccupied buildings need notice to residents and agreed times for entry and equipment
- Association approvalSome repairs need board authorization under the governing documents before work begins
- Common area floodingLobbies, stairwells and laundry rooms need separate scoping and a plan for egress
What should you do first when water spreads between units?
- 01STEPStop the source
Find the origin unit or line and shut the water off at the unit, the riser or the main. Ask the plumber for the failed part.
- 02STEPPhotograph every unit
Photograph and video each affected unit and common area before cleanup, with the unit number in the shot.
- 03STEPNotify management and residents
Tell the association or owner, residents and the relevant insurers. Ask whose policy responds first.
- 04STEPAsk for a unit-by-unit scope
Ask the matched company for moisture readings, a scope and a price for each affected unit and each common area.
- 05STEPDry and monitor
Extraction and drying equipment should be placed per unit, with moisture readings taken until the materials are dry.
- 06STEPCloseout paperwork
Ask what the company provides at the end, such as final moisture readings and photos for each unit, before you authorize work.
Ask the matched company for its arrival time before you agree to anything. The matched company contracts with the owner or association directly; read the work authorization before you sign, because unpaid contractors can claim a lien (s. 713.015). EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. Florida requires a licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA) to assess, and a licensed Mold Remediator (MRSR) to remove, mold growth larger than 10 square feet; the company that assesses a home generally may not remediate it within 12 months (ss. 468.8411, 468.8419).
Common questions.
Who is responsible for water damage in a condo or apartment: the unit owner, the association or the landlord?+
It depends on where the water came from, the governing documents (declaration, bylaws or lease) and each policy. The association or owner usually insures the building and common areas, and unit owners and tenants insure their own contents and often their interiors. Your insurer and the governing documents decide who repairs and who pays; the restoration company does not.
How should water damage across multiple units be documented?+
Photograph and video each unit and common area before cleanup, with the unit number in the shot, and keep the failed part. Ask the matched company for moisture readings, a scope and photos for each unit, so each policy has its own paperwork.
Does each tenant's insurance cover this, or does the building policy?+
It depends on the source and the policies involved. The building's policy and each resident's own policy may both apply, and each insurer decides coverage on its own claim. Ask each insurer, in writing, what it needs from the restoration company.
Can the work be scheduled around residents?+
Ask the matched company. Scheduling equipment placement, demolition and repairs around occupied units is something to agree on in writing before work starts, and CFDR does not promise any schedule.
What happens to flooded common areas like lobbies, hallways and laundry rooms?+
Common areas are normally scoped and documented separately from the units, because the association or owner is usually the policyholder. Ask the company for a separate scope and price for each area.
How fast can a restoration company get to a multi-unit water event?+
Ask the matched company for its arrival time before you agree to anything. For large multi-unit losses, call and say how many units are affected.
Can a restoration company give me paperwork for the insurance claim?+
Your matched company documents the loss for your claim and writes a line-item Xactimate estimate. Coverage and settlement decisions stay between you and your insurer. Ask what documentation it provides at the end of the job, such as moisture readings and photos for each unit, before you authorize work.
Related guides.
- →Property Managers
A first-hour checklist for water in several units, and what to ask the matched company.
- →Condo Water Damage
Condo-specific questions: the association, unit owners and who pays.
- →Upstairs Neighbor
Water from the unit above: what to do, and who is responsible.
- →Commercial Restoration
Offices, retail and larger multi-unit losses.
- →Condo Board: First 48 Hours
Who repairs what under ch. 718, and a checklist for the board or manager.
Who is CFDR?
Private Orlando restoration referral service, not FEMA. Call or text 321-420-7274 24/7 and Ryan Solberg matches you with a local restoration company. You pay CFDR nothing, and CFDR does not bill your insurer.
Where does CFDR match companies?
CFDR matches homes and businesses within about 90 minutes' drive of downtown Orlando: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia, Polk, Brevard, Sumter and Marion counties. That covers Orlando, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Sanford, Winter Park, Apopka, Clermont, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Daytona Beach, DeLand, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Leesburg, The Villages and Ocala. Tampa and Brandon are edge areas: Ryan matches them when a network company covers the address. Outside these counties, call about large commercial, multi-unit or whole-home losses.
- Orange County
- Seminole County
- Osceola County
- Lake County
- Volusia County
- Polk County
- Brevard County
- Sumter County
- Marion County