How to report the water damage to your landlord

The water damage in the apartment building

• Water damage can have many causes. Pipes can burst, a neighbor leaves the washing machine unattended or the basement overflows due to a blocked pump.
• As soon as you notice the water damage, pick up the phone immediately and notify the landlord. In doing so, explain to him as precisely as possible what you have discovered.
• In case you fear that more and more water runs into the masonry, the ceiling or the basement, take immediate action by turning off the main water tap until the landlord arrives.
• The landlord should also act immediately to avoid consequential damage. If you notice water on the ceiling, it is quite possible that your neighbor is above you is not at home at all, so that initially only the landlord can gain access to the apartment and allowed.
• Only if you can neither reach the neighbors nor the landlord at short notice and there is a risk that the Water damage spreads without quick action, call the locksmith or, depending on the need, that Fire Department. This may be necessary, for example, if the basement threatens to overflow due to a burst pipe.
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Water damage from neighbors - what to do?

Water damage can occur very quickly. As soon as a pipe breaks, it seeps ...

• If you have initiated measures yourself and have not yet reached the landlord, inform him as soon as possible. You are also legally obliged to do so in accordance with Section 536c of the German Civil Code (BGB).
• When the damage has been repaired, you should contact the landlord and the affected neighbor, if involved Get to the bottom of the cause of the damage in order to find out who replaced you or the locksmith's bill receive.

Report consequential damage to the landlord

• Water damage can quickly lead to consequential damage such as mold and must therefore be eliminated as soon as possible. Even if you don't notice the mold right away, it can still settle in the wall and only grows over time.
• You should therefore ask your landlord in writing to repair the damage as soon as you notice the first stains.
• Give him a reasonable period of time to deal with the matter and announce that after the deadline you will receive the rent will reduce according to the impairment.
• Only if the landlord has not even reported after the deadline or refuses to accept the damage remove, you can repair the damage yourself as an alternative and can in turn send the invoice to your landlord assert.