Neighbors water flooded my apartment. She is taking too long to settle this. - Page 3

Well as promised a carpenter came today- sent by MY insurance…….that is all well and good , but my neighbor who lives there permanently and helps me look after our place says the ceiling and 2 mattresses need to be replaced/ fixed….. He has pictures and is a great help…. Yes , well see what happens next!

You need to keep pushing your insurance, your contract is with them. Your administration/president should be informed but unless this affects communal areas they can't do much.

We were once in a similar position but from the opposite perspective. We had a slight leak from one of our shower traps into our neighbours apartment below. The neighbour rarely visited the property and we were unaware of the leak, so it went undiscovered for some time. When the neighbour eventually visited there was considerable damage to the ceiling and walls and the place was moldy and stank of damp. I immediately repaired the leak and contacted my insurance. They told me that they wouldn't do anything until contacted by my neighbours insurance. Unfortunately my neighbour had no insurance and ended up paying for the repairs himself. I did feel bad about this and initialy considered paying something towards the damage but figured that it was his fault for having no insurance and he could sue me/my insurer to recoup his costs.

HTH

Take pictures of everything …I needed a new ceiling, new sink, mirror, water had run into the hall, the bedroom (and that wall got damaged but they refused to pay out for repair) and because we were overseas it went unnoticed for ages.  The insurance said they would pay out €60 😂 .   After trips back and forth from Sydney to watch progress , about 8 months later it finally got done…I ended up having the whole bathroom done which hadn’t been on the schedule of renovations ..and forking out money that should have gone elsewhere in the makeover budget. 

The braided flexi pipes that connect to the taps WILL fail at some time. Always turn off your water at the meter and just open one tap a little to release the residual pressure in the system, when leaving your property empty. Even if just overnight. 

Today's update 😁

This morning water was still coming down, which according to the plumber should not be the case if top floor turned theirs off. Question is - did they in the end?

On to "el presidente". Talking to the top floor it turns out they did not turn the water off.

If they had done we would have known for sure if they were responsible. The good thing is that right now it is in "el presidente's" interest that the neighbour turn off his water, because community of course prefer to put responsibility on one owner, thus I trust "el presidente" will follow up. 

It was "el presidente" who told me that if the problem could not be pinned to an owners pipes, it was a community problem, by the way. Which I found very good.

My problem is that as long as the water is still coming down there is little else for me to do, than to mop my floor, and be grateful for tiles.

And, of course, keep updating "el presidente". After all it is his responsibility to see that the problem is solved.

On the more personal side, I've discovered that my ability to understand and speak Spanish decrease when I feel stressed, and Spanish conversations can be stressful. It feels like the Spaniards speak faster and faster and literally at the same time, until it is all just  musical sounds.  No wonder the Spaniards get frustrated by us, thus this is their way.  Several people together, everyone speaking simultaneously. That is why I am still happy to use translators for planned meetings.  I don't appreciate feeling like an idiot, with only myself to blame 😄 Can't plan this kind of thing though, so stuck with being the idiot. Foreigners! 😄 Even complaining about how locals speak.  😄

Anyway, have a good evening y'all 💟

Tomorrow is another exiting day.

Is your insurance company anything to do with Sabadell? Similar situation with our neighbours who were flooded out. Sabadell didn't want to know and left then to contact the people's insurance company who had caused the flood. 

4th day with plaster in my hair 😄

I have discovered that in this case about a dozen different people are involved. All working the case. All very pleasant. All reassuring me that this will soon be solved. None of them seem to communicate with the other though, even when they have the same office address,  so some time is spent repeating/ updating people that I logically would assume already knew more than I. It is good that something is happening, but I realize I will actively have to coordinate people to the best of my ability, or chances are it all ends up in a circle. 

How the progress is going. My insurance has delivered a report directly to "el presidente", who in turn have tried to get the top floor to cooperate. This seem to be a challenge. "El presidente" therefore has contacted community insurance, who I spent the better part of this beautiful summer day waiting for. 

Waiting for something that never happens seems to be ok in Spain. Lot's of things I love about Spain, but this, not so much.

According to the insurance plumber who was here; "el presidente" can force shut off the water for the culpable part. Why this is not happening, I don't no. This part, letting damage evolve, when it could easy been avoided, is a part I do not understand, but have seen before. Frustrating that I can do nothing either. Water is literally coming down throughout, so no way to lead it.

I tell myself that I at least is saving money on my electricity bill. 😄 As previously stated, gallows humour is a necessary tool in cases like this.

It is getting damp in here.

I feel for your predicament Bibba!  It probably doesn't help that this has happened during August, when companies are under-resourced because of holiday season.

But I am surprised that the insurance provider of the owner upstairs isn't concerned by their insured party failing to mitigate further damage by shutting off their water - unless the insurers don't know 🤔 

I hope it's sorted soon for you.

Kind regards, 

Kim

Yes, that puzzles me too.  More money out and more agony as well. But I have seen it before. It's one of those things. Insurance companies and banks - different breed in Spain.

And you are right about holiday season. No one in office past 2 p.m. Out of office work seems to still be possible until evening though  Hence waiting for Godot.

Thank goodness you’re not my neighbor. You could’ve offered him some thing, I can’t believe you even repeated that story,  good neighborly conduct is always in your interest.