J.T. from Middlesex County writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Condo roof leak caused mold and extensive repairs paid by unit owner. The association refuses to pay the bill. $75,000.00 and never contacted master insurance but stated in emails that they did during initial assessments by environmental specialists provided by association who stated the need for immediate repairs. What is my next step?
Mister Condo replies:
J.T., you have a few different issues here. If it were me, my next step would be to contact an attorney to find out who I should sue for the $75,000 repair. That is a lot of money to be out of pocket for a roof leak and mold remediation. Of course, there is a procedure and protocol to follow here so don’t expect this to be a necessarily easy battle. Let’s start with the roof leak. Did the association fix the roof leak? That is their duty, regardless of whether insurance covers it or not. The association should have had insurance to fix the roof and made a claim to cover the cost or repair and any damage to any common elements. The association should have hired the contractor to make the repair. Is that what happened? You didn’t pay for the roof repair, did you?
Damage to your unit’s interior should have been covered by your own policy. If you didn’t have a homeowner’s policy in place, you should have and you should definitely have one in place moving forward. If the repairs were made in timely fashion, the mold issue may have been averted as most clean-up efforts would have included a dry-out of the damages area. However, as is often the case with mold, it doesn’t appear until months later. Regardless of how it got there, mold remediation is necessary because it can be toxic and, at the very least, a health hazard. If the mold can be determined to have been caused by the roof leak, the association may be on the hook for that as well. You should talk to an attorney about the mold issue to see who is responsible.
Again, I am not sure as to how you amassed a $75,000 bill for this problem, J.T.. If it was a lack of insurance on your part, this is going to be an expensive lesson on why you should always carry homeowner’s insurance. If it was simple mishandling of the claim by the association, an attorney can best advise you of your next steps. I hope you get the mold remediation taken care of immediately. All the best!