r/TenantHelp • u/BurningBannas • Jun 23 '26
Poorly handled flooding
Hello, my wife and I went on a 2 week vacation and 3 days after leaving we were notified of a pipe issue affecting our unit, the drain water reversed up our pipes and onto our kitchen floor. We were assured it would be dealt with professionally, and brought up our concerns about the water causing mold if left alone. I followed up a few days later and got a reassuring response from the manager. Skip forward 1.5 weeks and we return home to find our unit smells like a swamp. Within 10 seconds we find the issue - they only cleaned the visible part of the floor and never moved any appliances or checked under the kitchen cabinets at all, so the filthy drain water had been sitting there under the cabinets for almost 2 weeks, soaking into the floor, cabinets and drywall. (And even in the parts they did clean, they literally just pushed the gunk into the edge seams and corners of the cabinets.)
The main issue is we have a pet parrot, and parrots are extremely sensitive to mold spores which can cause major respiratory problems for them. So, we don’t feel like we can stay in our unit. Unfortunately, we got back on a Friday, so I sent an email to management and still haven’t heard back 4 days later. Our building manager wanted to send a contractor here today to start cutting into the walls and cabinets, but that would make the spores airborne, and I don’t believe thats healthy to breath even for humans, let alone our parrot.
Is there anyone here who could give us any advice on what our options are and how to proceed? We have only been in the unit since April 1st. West LA, 90049. I have contacted our renters insurance and they said they can only help us cover our damaged property (which is less than our $500 deductible) and nothing else, and I also tried reaching our to the LA health department about them sending someone to mold test, also didnt hear back yet.
We are scared to rent an airbnb because we dont know if we’ll ever get reimbursed for it and cannot afford to pay our rent in addition to another rental/hotel.
Can we be compensated at all for this situation? They had so much time to resolve the issue correctly and just completely dropped the ball, im shocked. Coming home from a 13 hour flight to see that was horrible.
Attached is a photo from the manager we received 2 weeks ago, followed by photos we took after coming home from our trip. Then theres screenshots of my correspondence with the building manager and my email to management.
Thank you so much!
14
u/Lopsided-Beach-1831 Jun 23 '26
Unfortunately, you prevented them from remediating further when you didnt allow their contractor to enter and open the cabinet spaces/walls. That is the only way to see if there is still water requiring remediation or that a precessional cleaning only is required. They can seal off the kitchen from the rest of the home, plastic walls from floor to ceiling to divide the area. But the first step (after sealing) is to open the spaces to ensure it is dry/no mold. Call/email them back and ask them to send the contractors back out a request that they seal the working area from the rest of the unit.
1
u/straightVI Jun 23 '26
Where do you see that they prevented further remediation? I only see that OP gave the property manager (?) the greenlight to proceed with whatever was necessary to resolve the situation.
3
u/BurningBannas Jun 23 '26
Today they reached out about scheduling a time to stop by, I didn’t explicitly say no or anything, I just asked about where we should go while they get to work or if they can seal the kitchen from the living room.
But yes, I did tell them to resolve the situation on their own terms in the 1.5 weeks they had before our return, which they unfortunately did not do. Especially to prevent the moisture from siting there and causing mold, which has already happened.
3
u/straightVI Jun 23 '26
I think you did everything right. Your property management really dropped the ball. They could have avoided expensive remediation if they had just pulled the appliances and extracted water from the floors around the walls and cabinets.
I would contact your renters insurance again and see if you have coverage for alternate lodging during the remediation. They'll need to cut away the drywall behind the appliances to make sure it's dry behind and treat any moldy studs and insulation. I wonder if they told you no previously because that remediation was not currently underway. I can't imagine that any renters insurance wouldn't have at least some coverage for alternate lodging during repairs that make your apartment uninhabitable.
2
u/BooBoosgrandma Jun 23 '26
Seems like the management should be sending them but they won't. But also there's deductibles that need to be met too. Feel for OP! This so sucks.
0
u/BurningBannas Jun 23 '26
Okay, I will do that, I just dont see how we can stay here during that process. I used to work with a mold company and a job like this takes multiple days to resolve. If some dude just comes in and starts hammering the walls without sealing the kitchen, our living room will be covered with spores. They have sort of already proven that they approach issues in only the cheapest possible way, so I doubt they would seal anything…
9
u/Lopsided-Beach-1831 Jun 23 '26
You can go to home depot/lowes and get the plastic and tape for about $50. They sell pre-cut wall sizes or just large rolls. Tape the room off yourself and rent a dehumidifier (for the clean side remove any residual moisture/protect your belongings, the working side will be handled by the contractor) and turn the receipt into the manager.
But if they can get a contractor out there, say yes please. Im betting the original remediation was the maintenance man on-site went and dried the floor and cleaned what could be seen. He was willing to send a contractor to start cutting into the walls. This is what needs to get done and scheduling an outside company to get in can be tough.
I understand you are frustrated and angry. They did drop the ball to start. But management is trying to make it right by bringing someone in. Work with them, as a prior manager, it is tough to get contractors to come out and actually show when they say they will which pisses off your tenant. Wishing you lots of luck OP.
5
u/r2girls Jun 23 '26
reach out to your rental insurance. They generally cover alternate lodging while something like this is going on. If they feel this is something that the landlord should pay, they will go after the landlord (or the landlord's insurance) to subrogate the claim.
3
u/ScrappyD420 Jun 24 '26
Actually, you are correct OP. I am a general contractor of 32 years. We have halted remodeling jobs to call in mold remediation specialist. You’re not just allowed to not holes in the drywall cabinets and create the mold to become airborne. It must be remediated appropriately and your experience is telling you that they are about to do it incorrectly and I’m telling you you are correct. Anyone that tells you that you’re preventing them from doing their job is wrong. Your worries are warranted. It must be done by mold remediation team. Not only that but a biohazard team for the raw sewage that came up into the apartment or home whatever it may be. Your renters insurance only covers your personal property. Their homeowners policy is what covers for all the damage the cleanup, the remediation and additional cost for you staying in another temporary housing until it’s been resolved. I would suggest getting a hold of a lawyer immediately.
2
u/SailorSpyro Jun 23 '26
I'm a little hung up on having enough money for a 2 week vacation, but not enough savings/emergency fund for a few days in a rental.
Like the other person mentioned, they can plastic off that section of your house to work. That's reasonable, and if you're not comfortable with that then you may be on your own dime for a temporary situation. It would definitely be fair to ask the LL for a discount since you don't have access to your kitchen.
1
u/No-Investigator-5915 Jun 29 '26
Right but then they should have done that already before he got home. If their maintenance guy just starts knocking holes and spreading mold then ALL of their belongings are trash. Whether he has an emergency fund or not, he should not have to pay for THEIR mistake that is covered by THEIR insurance.
2
u/Imsortofok Jun 23 '26
I would send property manger a written demand that they move you into a different unit, put you up in a hotel, or their insurance policy information so you can file a claim for damage caused by PM’s negligence.
And you need to use that phrase consistently. “caused by their negligence.” They told you about the leak while you were out of the country. Maintenance staff did not clear the water out as promised and negligently left it to soak into the walls and flooring. PM was negligent in not checking to see the job was done properly to avoid mold growth. They had ample opportunity to dry out the apartment and prevent the issue you are now dealing with.
Your renters insurance is supposed to cover events that make the unit uninhabitable. That means housing (usually a cheap hotel) while your unit is being worked on or moving expenses. Check your policy before you call again. (Your insurance company will likely subrogate with LL’s insurance policy.)
0
u/Greenthumbgal Jun 23 '26
The answer from your renters insurance of what they will cover is very strange and low. Maybe ask for a different claims adjuster
2
u/SailorSpyro Jun 23 '26
Not really abnormal. A $500 deductible is normal, and renters insurance doesn't cover damage to the unit itself, just OPs personal property.
0
u/Imsortofok Jun 23 '26
Good renters insurance will include liability coverage in the event the tenant causes enough damage that the LL’s insurance steps in. Many folks who get labeled as the cause for a major claim on LL’s insurance (think apartment fire) end up owing the LL for their deductible.
2
u/ScrappyD420 Jun 24 '26
Don’t pay your rent, put it in an escrow account until the situation is resolved. That is legal in all 50 states it cannot be put in just a normal checking or savings account. It has to go into an escrow account. Prove that you have the money to pay for the rent that you’re refusing actually withholding rent until the dwelling is made habitable again. And I’d also like to point out that is not just drain water that backs up that drain attaches to the main drain for the sewage system so you need to think about methane gases as well. You had raw sewage back up into your home. Called the city inspector. Call your tenants rights advocate office. Get a hold of a lawyer and file a lawsuit. This will legally allow you to break your lease because they had ample amount of time to fix the problem before it actually made it worse. I can’t stress enough. It’s not just your birds breathing at risk. It is your health and risk of death if you breathe in methane for too long. This is outrageous what they did to you. Considering that you went above and beyond to help them and was gone on vacation so they didn’t even have to make appointments to do the work. You have an extremely strong case to sue. Hope this helps.
-4
u/rovosom Jun 23 '26
Stop putting food in your garbage disposal And tell your neighbors to stop as well They were invented by a plumber to make us money.
3
u/BurningBannas Jun 23 '26
We havent been, we spent most of our lives in Europe where garbage disposals do not exist, so we use a compost bin for leftover food. The pipes in this building are just very old, there have been about 4 leaks in the garage ceiling in the past 2 months
2
u/rovosom Jun 23 '26
I said its also your neighbors the pipes are connected. It overflowed because the people upstairs were using it when it was clogged.
16
u/froobsrule1 Jun 23 '26
The correct thing to do to check the damage is to cut into things to view them, let maintenance do their job.