water heater flooded apartment... no renters insurance

[aleekaat]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Georgia

I came home from vacation to find that my water heater had broke and flooded my entire apartment, ruining everything i owned that touched the ground. My apartment complex refuses to pay damages, saying that if i had renters insurance i would have been covered, and that its not their problem. However, my lease says that if it is negligence on their part that ruins my property they will pay for damages. I did some research and found that the heater is 18 years old (everything i read says the average life span of a water heater is 9-13 years), which is clearly visible on the heater itself. There is rust and corrosion around every nozzle, and you can see where it had leaked prior to the flooding.
Do i have a case?

 

[AGENT35]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Georgia

I came home from vacation to find that my water heater had broke and flooded my entire apartment, ruining everything i owned that touched the ground. My apartment complex refuses to pay damages, saying that if i had renters insurance i would have been covered, and that its not their problem. However, my lease says that if it is negligence on their part that ruins my property they will pay for damages. I did some research and found that the heater is 18 years old (everything i read says the average life span of a water heater is 9-13 years), which is clearly visible on the heater itself. There is rust and corrosion around every nozzle, and you can see where it had leaked prior to the flooding.
Do i have a case?

I would say yes. While I would hope you now pay the 10-20 dollars per month for renter's insurance for your belongings, they do have liability insurance to cover damage done to other people's property.