HOA refuses to fix a roof leaking which is causing leaking in my bedroom

[littleJoe]

What is the name of your state? MA

I have a 2-bedroom condo which is at the top floor in a 3-floor building. Since the summer, one bedroom ceiling area (size of 1x3 feet) has slow water dripping from time to time. There is no pipe between the ceiling and the roof. I contacted with the HOA a few times. The 1st time, they told me there was a nail hole in the roof, and they told me they fixed it. A few weeks later, water dripping from the same ceiling area is seen again, HOA checked again and told me they cannot do anything as this was a concensed water because of too much moisture from the bedroom and asked me to use a dehumidifier.

This HOA's explanation is really not making sense as water dripping is always from the same very small area. Roof leaking is the most likely cause. Before I seek attorney, is there any method I can let HOA fix this issue? Any suggestions are appreciated.

L. J.

 

[adjusterjack]

Since the summer, one bedroom ceiling area (size of 1x3 feet) has slow water dripping from time to time.

From time to time? What does that mean? Do the dates of the drip correspond with rain? Is it raining now? Is it dripping now?

Is it a flat roof or a pitched roof?

This HOA's explanation is really not making sense as water dripping is always from the same very small area.

What kind of dripping? Small drops that form on the ceiling or drops that fall so that you have to put a pot under it to avoid damage to the floowing?

Again, do leaks correspond with rainfall or not? Have you kept a dated record of the starting and stopping of the leak and any rainfall that has occurred? If not, I suggest you start keeping a written record.

This HOA's explanation is really not making sense as water dripping is always from the same very small area. Roof leaking is the most likely cause.

Maybe.

. Before I seek attorney, is there any method I can let HOA fix this issue?

There's no way that you will get the HOA to fix anything unless you provide evidence of the cause of the leak. That means you need to get a roofing expert up there to inspect and photograph the condition of the roof. Have him take a hose up there and run water at the corner of where you see water on the ceiling.

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state? MA

I have a 2-bedroom condo which is at the top floor in a 3-floor building. Since the summer, one bedroom ceiling area (size of 1x3 feet) has slow water dripping from time to time. There is no pipe between the ceiling and the roof. I contacted with the HOA a few times. The 1st time, they told me there was a nail hole in the roof, and they told me they fixed it. A few weeks later, water dripping from the same ceiling area is seen again, HOA checked again and told me they cannot do anything as this was a concensed water because of too much moisture from the bedroom and asked me to use a dehumidifier.

This HOA's explanation is really not making sense as water dripping is always from the same very small area. Roof leaking is the most likely cause. Before I seek attorney, is there any method I can let HOA fix this issue? Any suggestions are appreciated.

L. J.

Who is responsible for the attic space (the space between ceiling and roof), you or the HOA?

I agree that the water leak more likely than not is coming from a defect in or damage to the roof. Condensation on a bedroom ceiling does not sound plausible to me. It is not necessarily the case that the leak is created by a hole in the roof directly above the ceiling drip, however. An inspection of the attic rather than an inspection of the roof can often be the best way to locate the way water is entering and the path the water is taking that settles it in the 1x3 section of your ceiling.

 

[adjusterjack]

An inspection of the attic rather than an inspection of the roof can often be the best way to locate the way water is entering and the path the water is taking that settles it in the 1x3 section of your ceiling.

That's true for a pitched (sloping) roof with an attic.

A flat roof requires a roof top inspection to determine where the roof is compromised.

Hence my question: flat or pitched?

 

[quincy]

That's true for a pitched (sloping) roof with an attic.

A flat roof requires a roof top inspection to determine where the roof is compromised.

Hence my question: flat or pitched?

Yours was indeed a good question.

 

[STEPHAN]

In a similar situation where the HOA did not believe the roof was leaking, my son put a kiddie pool in the attic to capture the water and show it. Just for one rainy day.