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Good day folks. I have a water damage liability question for you. I have done some research and have found that normally the landlord is responsible for water damage from plumbing.
When I moved into the home, there was a closet in the finished basement that was more like a display case. While it had the normal closet doors, when it was opened, there were two deep shelves in it. There is a light in the basement ceiling aimed at these shelves to highlight whatever you wanted to display.
I decided to remove the closet doors and store them, as it opened the room up nicely.
I stored one of the closet doors horizontally on a shelf under the stairs, placing it on carpet pads to protect it from the rough shelving.
When I went to re-install the above average quality closet door while moving out, I discovered a slow leak from the outside water spigot had been dripping on it. It appears that the plumbing may have been repaired in the past.
So, am I liable for the cost of the closet door because the damage would not have occurred if I didn't take the doors off and store them there? (Instead the shelving unit would have absorbed the brunt of it along with whatever else was there... mostly my belongings).
I'm friends with the Landlord, so I really just want to be sure our final determination is fair.
Ok, thanks for the input. So even though this was an internal plumbing issue that could have potentially damaged many more of the items in this storage area, and it appears the leak was caused by a poor repair on the water supply line in the past, I would still be liable for anything damaged within the home that was placed in this dedicated storage area. (The landlord had other items stored in this area as well.) Had it not been for the door, the damage may have been worse.
I guess I could understand it had I thrown the door outside in the garage or not taken reasonable measures to protect the door while in storage.
I would still be liable for anything... that was placed in this dedicated storage area.
Placed there by you? Yeah. That's where the right/wrong line is.
Did you ask the LL about dismantling the closet?
Did you tell the LL about the (admittedly modest thing) afterward?
Did you tell the LL that you put the <whatever> into that closet?
Whether the LL chooses to be a jerk about petty value items damaged by their water leak
is a whole other set of discussions. If he's your friend he probably won't be a jerk about it.
Yes, I'm inclined to agree. You modified the original state of the apartment by removing doors, now you have to bring it back to its original state. The doors were only damaged because you messed with them.
If a leak damages any of your belongings... thats what renters insurance is for. A landlord wouldn't be held liable either.
Also,
Quote:
I discovered a slow leak from the outside water spigot had been dripping on it.
Are you certain it wasn't your responsibility to shut off the outside spigot water during winter, to avoid this very problem??? This is what happens when the water is not shut off for winter, pipes freeze and break. Before you make too much noise about this, check your lease/addendum/whatever to make sure you didn't sign on the line to make you responsible for this. If this is the case, you are now liable for the doors, as well as fixing the pipes.
Thanks folks! We took possession of the home in mid January, and the spigots were not turned off at that time. Therefore we never bothered to shut them off in the following winters. (I actually dont think there is a valve available for this without shutting off the kitchen water as well.) The home was built in the mid 50s if that matters...
I think I will check my new house today to ensure we shut them off there.
I dont think they will be jerks, and I don't want to be one either. I see my reasoning was off, and your valuable input has helped me see what is fair... which would be me replacing the door.
The other posters are wrong, in my opinion. The fact that you removed a closet door and stored it is completely immaterial to the situation at hand. As you mentioned, landlords are generally responsible for water damage caused by plumbing. It doesn't sound like you were negligent in your storage of the door and certainly had no reason to believe it could have been damaged there. Conversely, if the door had not been there, the damage would have simply been to the likely more expensive shelving unit.
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