Insurance Cover for apartment leak?

[LynnHendo]

Hi,I hope someone can advise me or point me in the right direction with the below query:

I own and rent out an apartment and last June 2008 a leak was discovered in the kitchen ceiling. Since then the following has happened:

Leak discovered in June and has gradually got worse - it was leaking through the ceiling intermittently making it difficult to assess. Each apartment is a mirror image and directly above where the leak is coming from would be the upstairs apartments washing machine & beside that the sink.

A plumber organised by the Property Management Company came to assess leak & made very large hole in the ceiling - his report was a 3 liner that so I've been told makes no sense whatsoever.

My letting agent acquired a plumber of their own and he came in and assessed it saying it was most likely a leak from upstairs.

I contacted the developer and they sent the plumber that worked on the development to assess it . He also gained access to the upstairs apartment and said that there was no damage/leakage on the piping (washing machine & sink) up there - basically saying developer was not liable.

Tenants moved out in December due to leak

I sought advice from a solicitor who got a forensic engineer in to look at it - he was unsure of where it was coming from.

I called South Dublin County Council to get a number for someone that could test the water. They gave me the number for their contact who came out and took a sample of the the water leaking through my ceiling.
The test came back saying that it is mains water.

Since Jan there has been no water coming through the ceiling but now there is a stain along the side wall (below the hole in the ceiling) and the wall is bulging slightly. Seems like it is travelling down behind the wall now?!!

I am wondering what I should do from here. I really want to get it fixed but as I don't know where the leak is coming from and it has to be found, I don't know how much authority I have to go routing to find it?? Throughout this whole mess, the property management company have been an absolute nightmare and will not help me in any shape or form. My solicitor has advised me to get the details of the property management's insurance company which I can do but I would really like to know what/if sort of claim/action I can take.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Jimbobp]

I would report it to the management companies insurance company asap and then deal with the insurance company from there on. You could also employ your own assessor to handle the claim on your behalf (they will help phrase the claim and give you the best chance of getting a claim through), the policy should hopefully have cover for trace & access of leakage. The assessor might also be able to put through a claim for loss of rent etc.