You notice water damage on the ceiling? Whatever your status, tenant or property owner, you must react quickly to limit the damage. After reminding you of the right reflexes, we will provide you with details on how to take charge of the damage.
You walk into your apartment in Geneva and notice water damage on the ceiling. It may be water drops, or a stain that has just formed. First reaction: ensure your safety. To do this, turn off the water and especially the electricity in the apartment, or at least in the room concerned. Indeed, it is better to avoid that water infiltrates the electrical network and up to your ceiling light. Immediately afterwards, inform your upstairs neighbor, who may have caused the damage, so that he can also turn off the water, or even stop his faucet if he has let his bathtub overflow, for example. Once the cause of the damage has been identified and the flooding has stopped, sponge up, and protect your furniture if necessary. Then notify the property owner, and take photos or videos of the water damage to the ceiling and its consequences on the property and your personal objects (picture on the wall, carpet, furniture...). Finally, inform your insurance company of the damage that has just occurred.
Whether the water damage to the ceiling is caused by a broken tile above your apartment in Geneva, or by the leakage of your upstairs neighbor's washing machine, your home is damaged. It will be necessary to redo the plastering and painting of the ceiling, or even the walls, and to change the floor covering in the case of a major damage. But who will pay for this work? Well, that depends on the origin of the problem. If the water damage is caused by a natural event (flooding, flood, hail...), the cantonal building insurance (in most cantons) or the private building insurance (in some cantons, including Geneva) taken out by the property owner will compensate the victims. Please note that the amount of the deductible is governed by the law and will be charged to the landlord. If the damage is caused by a leak in a pipe or other equipment, the owner will take out water damage insurance for private buildings.
If some of your belongings have been damaged, whatever the cause of the loss, it will be with your private household inventory insurance that you will have to seek compensation in order to be reimbursed at the value of new. If the damage is of natural origin, the deductible is legally set at CHF 500. If the leakage is not caused by a climatic event, the insurance company is free to set the amount, which is usually CHF 200. And if you're worried about your home will suffer further disasters of this type, you can find a new, safer rental property with SherlockHomes.
This article cannot be exhaustive and does not engage the responsibility of its author.
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