R.T. from Charlotte County, Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Per declarations, the COA has responsibility for the windows. The only exception is if an owner breaks a window from the inside. One of windows and the entire frame around it developed a severe leak during a wind-driven rain event. The water entered around the frame, traveled down and soaked the inside of the dry wall and the carpet for a distance of 6 feet into the room. It was reported and documented and the CAM acknowledged responsibility to have the window frame and the drywall repaired. Nothing was said about the soaked carpet. The incident occurred over a month ago and the CAM had it inspected and contacted the window service company to quote a repair. Window tech came out and removed an exterior escutcheon and left. Just had another wind-driven rain event and everything is again soaked. Advised CAM who advised me that nothing, after 2 weeks, had been finalized for the repair. For sure, the window and the drywall repair are on the COA but now comes the issue of the carpet which is now soaked for the second time through the inaction of the CAM to affect a timely repair. Question is do I file with my insurance company for the carpet damage and suggest that they subrogate the damages to the COA or what? Thanks!
Mister Condo replies:
R.T., I am sorry that you have had several water intrusion events. You are correct in that you should file a claim with your own insurer for any damage to the interior of your unit. You should also keep on top of the repair with both the Cam and the Board, if necessary. Clearly, the first repair did not work. You might also want to ask about mold remediation. If the wallboard is wet and has been wet for several weeks, it is quite possible that you will have mold growing behind the wall that you won’t see but that could be toxic. Be sure to ask what they are doing to prevent mold as part of this repair saga. It could be months before the mold is a problem for you but it should be remediated as part of the repair, either by the association or by you. Good luck!