Water Damage In Apartment

[wishkah353]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

This morning I woke up to loud rain in my kitchen. There was a huge leak and, to make a long story short, lots of stuff got destroyed including my laptop which is rly the only thing i care about that got damaged.

Yesterday morning there was a crew working on the attic i guess to try to fix a leak because tenants were complaining about water leaks throughout the complex. roughly a month ago I had informed my landlord about a prior leak to the one I had today.

So, the landlord knew about all the leaks and had about a month to fix them. I guess the weather channel called for heavy rain this morning because they were up there "fixing" stuff yesterday but guess they didnt get to the leak in time.

My question is: is there anyone I can suit for damages to replace my laptop? i think my tv is possibly damaged as well along with a book collection.

 

[BL]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

This morning I woke up to loud rain in my kitchen. There was a huge leak and, to make a long story short, lots of stuff got destroyed including my laptop which is rly the only thing i care about that got damaged.

Yesterday morning there was a crew working on the attic i guess to try to fix a leak because tenants were complaining about water leaks throughout the complex. roughly a month ago I had informed my landlord about a prior leak to the one I had today.

So, the landlord knew about all the leaks and had about a month to fix them. I guess the weather channel called for heavy rain this morning because they were up there "fixing" stuff yesterday but guess they didnt get to the leak in time.

My question is: is there anyone I can suit for damages to replace my laptop? i think my tv is possibly damaged as well along with a book collection.

That's what renter's insurance is for .

You yourself had no prior leaks .

 

[wishkah353]

so I'm basically screwed then?

I can't suit the company that went to fix the roof even though the guy who came into my apt. to look at everything said they botched the job by putting a drainage leak or something over my apt. and didn't finish it properly? Or the owner of the building for negligence or anything? A few other tenants and myself have complained about the leaking for a while now.

The great thing about this is that the lease is up in a month... Theres no way I can afford any type of insurance atm or I probably would have it. I just recently had to get rid of cable and my cell phone just to get by. The one thing that I actually need now is busted ( my laptop ) to work on my sites for my clients.

Also, if I had renter's insurance, would they not go after the landlord or anyone first who did any repair jobs to see if they couldn't get them to pay for anything? like with car insurance if someone smashes into you and its their fault, they go after the guilty party first to see if they can get them to pay..

 

[Cvillecpm]

Renter's insurance is what you should have had...if you do not, then you self-insured.

You can write to the contractors and ask for reimbursement; however, don't expect a response

 

[BL]

so I'm basically screwed then?

I can't suit the company that went to fix the roof even though the guy who came into my apt. to look at everything said they botched the job by putting a drainage leak or something over my apt. and didn't finish it properly? Or the owner of the building for negligence or anything? A few other tenants and myself have complained about the leaking for a while now.

The great thing about this is that the lease is up in a month... Theres no way I can afford any type of insurance atm or I probably would have it. I just recently had to get rid of cable and my cell phone just to get by. The one thing that I actually need now is busted ( my laptop ) to work on my sites for my clients.

Also, if I had renter's insurance, would they not go after the landlord or anyone first who did any repair jobs to see if they couldn't get them to pay for anything? like with car insurance if someone smashes into you and its their fault, they go after the guilty party first to see if they can get them to pay..

You gather your proof of request for repairs ,you gather proof of the times and dates of attempted repairs , and proof of negligent repairs ,that cause the water damages to your belongings ( including your laptop ) .

You write the repair Co. ( attach a copy of the time lines of repair attempts and failure of the repairs - the incident that led to the damage ) , and state that you request the reimbursement cost of the laptop , and if you do not receive reimbursement within 10 business days ,you will consider your legal options for reimbursement .

Another avenue is to get a consult with an attorney for a small fee and have them draft the letter on their legal letterhead to send ( keep a copy ).

Then hope for the reimbursement or offer .

 

[ecmst12]

Renters insurance is about $10-$15 per month. Which is a lot less then the cost of a new laptop.