Hazards of Water Damage in Condos

• Water damage is a serious problem in any type of home and can lead to some of the most costly types of home repair and remediation. The situation can be aggravated in condos where there is less space and there are surrounding rooms that can also suffer from damage due to water leaks. Most water damage results from damaged pipes or pipe valves that are not fixed in time or suddenly fail, which creates several problems for the owner of the condo.

Material Damage

• The most obvious hazard is material damage. Water can soak into the floors and damage carpet and wood alike, compromising the integrity of the floor over time with dry rot. The same thing can happen to walls as well. Drywall soaked with water will probably need to be replaced entirely. Few tile or wood floors can withstand serious water leaks. Even minor leaks can require expensive repairs.

Broken Pipes

• The worst water leaks that cause damage and that home insurance policies may avoid in fine print (depending on whether the damage was the owner's fault or not and who was present at the time) occur when condo pipes freeze with water inside and then crack, spilling water when they thaw. When this occurs, you must replace all the cracked pipes, which often means replacing the entire piping system since leaving only one broken pipe can create additional problems.

Mold

• Mold is one of the primary associated dangers with flooded apartments and condos. Mold needs a porous, moist place to grow, and when apartments suffer from water damage, they create ideal environments for mold. The least harmful types of mold can cause permanent material damage while the more dangerous kinds can actually harm people and must be remediated quickly.

Attribution

• In a condo, there is a chance that the water damage will leak into surrounding areas and further damage other condos in your complex. Depending on the regulations that govern your condo and the source of the water damage, the water may be attributed to you, leaving you open for lawsuits or at least liability for paying for repairs.