R.A. from Broward County, Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
In a Co-op who is responsible for the pipes behind the walls? Had a leak, fixed it before the association had the time to get to it. Now my renter is complaining about mold. Is the association responsible?
Mister Condo replies:
R.A., the co-op is likely responsible for any mold that resulted because of a leak in a pipe they own. However, your letter states that you had a leak and fixed it before the association had time to get to it. Does that mean it was your pipe? You shouldn’t be repairing any common element because it is not yours to repair. I know this flies in the face of common sense because your quick actions likely saved a lot of damage to your renter’s and even the association’s properties. But now you have a mold issue from a leaky pipe that you repaired. I wouldn’t be surprised if the association refuses to handle the mold remediation since they didn’t handle the repair. Like I said, it flies in the face of common sense but since you repaired the pipe, you may also need to remediate the mold. You can certainly ask the association to handle the mold removal but if they refuse, you really should get it fixed as soon as possible. Mold can be toxic if left untreated and without remediation. Good luck!