Every resident of an apartment building wants this building to be durable and in optimal condition. Therefore, if various important parts of it fail, timely repair work is required. Often there are various problems with the foundation, roof or other important elements. If the roof leaks, where to go? You should understand this process to eliminate leaks in a short time.
Consequences of the course
If a roof leaks in an apartment building, then this is a negative point for each tenant, and even for people whose apartments are located on the lower floor. This is due to various reasons:
- the decoration and appearance of furniture located in apartments on the upper floors of the building are destroyed;
- the comfort of living of all citizens is deteriorating;
- fungus appears on walls or other surfaces, and it can spread to other apartments;
- flooding of the attic and even landings;
- residents have various diseases due to increased dampness;
- there is a chance of a roof collapse;
- There is a possibility that moisture will get on the electrical wiring or various devices.
Various measures should be taken as soon as possible when a leak is detected. If correctly and promptly carry out repair work, then all the negative consequences of violating the integrity of the roof are prevented.
Why are roofs leaking?
So, the roof is leaking in the apartment building: what to do? To do this, contact the housing department or the management company, but effective repair is possible only when determining the cause of the leak.
There can be various reasons for this problem. They are presented in the table below.
| Leak Reason | Her features |
| Changes to the sealing system | This reason is found in old houses, and this is due to wear and tear or deterioration in the quality of the materials used in the process of forming the roofing cake. Due to the deterioration of the sealing, moisture is allowed to penetrate directly under the roof |
| The use of substandard materials | Developers often use expired roofing materials to reduce the cost of apartments. They can not provide the proper level of sealing, and also will not last too long. |
| Roof Damage | This can be carried out under mechanical action, when snow or ice is removed from the roof |
| Incorrect styling technology | Often, developers turn to people who are not specialists to perform various tasks, therefore they make serious mistakes in the process of forming a roof structure. This causes leaks. |
| Errors were made during the installation of additional elements | Moisture often penetrates through places where the roofing is connected to parts of the ventilation system, chimneys or other items necessary for installation on the roof |
Regardless of the cause, leaks should be removed promptly. If the roof leaks, where to go? To do this, you must first turn to the Criminal Code or the Housing Office.
If this does not lead to the desired result, then you will have to go to the prosecutor's office or draw up a statement to the court.
What to do if a leak is detected?
If a roof leaks in an apartment building, where to complain? To do this, residents must perform the following steps:
- Initially, you need to call the housing department, which serves a specific apartment building, which will allow you to register a complaint;
- in addition, it is recommended that if a roof leaks in the apartment building, a written statement (in duplicate) to have evidence of notification of the housing department about the problem;
- the application must contain the reason for the appeal, the address of the structure and the full name of the applicant;
- It is advisable to attach photographs to this document as evidence of the problem.
Next, you just need to wait for an answer from this institution.
How to make a statement?
If the roof leaks in the apartment, where to go? First, it is recommended to write a statement to the housing department. It is compiled according to several rules:
- the problem is described in detail, namely the location of the leak;
- indicates whether water flows continuously;
- whether the leak has already caused any damage;
- in the end, it is necessary to write about the need to consider this application by the employees of the Housing Management Department promptly, as well as to take the necessary measures to eliminate the leak;
- it is indicated that an act must be drawn up on the basis of which the damage will be compensated to residents;
- All information should be given clearly, clearly and objectively.
The statement is printed in duplicate. One is given to the employee of the housing department, and on the second he must put a mark on the adoption of the document.
How do communal services react?
Within two weeks after receiving the application, the employees of the housing department should convene a special commission that will solve this problem. A survey will be made, on the basis of which a corresponding act is drawn up. It indicates the date of inspection and its results. The testimonies of the residents must be taken, as well as the damage caused to citizens.
The repair process should be carried out promptly, therefore, already within 14 days, the employees of the housing department should take appropriate measures.
What if there is no reaction to the statement?
If the roof of the house leaks, where to go if there is no answer to the application filed in the housing department? In this case, a complaint is required to be sent to the management of the housing department or the Criminal Code.
It indicates the name of the applicant, his address, as well as the reason for this document. It is written that there is no reaction from an employee of the company to a previously filed application. It is advisable to attach various photographs or other evidence of the applicant’s correctness to this document.
Complaint to the prosecutor
If the employees of the housing department do not want to carry out repair work and the roof still leaks in the apartment building, where should I go? This situation is common enough, so residents should know what actions will affect the employees of this institution.
An appeal to the prosecutor’s office is considered optimal, and a special complaint is drawn up for this. Attached to it are copies of the application and claim sent to the Housing Office. In addition, photographs must be provided confirming that there is indeed a leak on the roof, which has not been fixed for a long time by the employees of the housing department.
On the basis of the documents received, prosecutors begin proceedings in relation to the housing department; therefore, various measures of influence may be applied to this organization, for example, large fines.
Court resolution
If the employees of the housing department do not perform the necessary actions to eliminate the leak, and the roof leaks, where should I go in this case? At the same time as filing a complaint with the prosecutor, filing a statement of claim to the court will be optimal.
For this, the documentation is prepared:
- statement of claim containing the essence of the problem;
- applicant's passport;
- registration certificate for real estate;
- acts issued to the owners of the apartment on the basis of a survey of the roof or living quarters by the public service workers;
- the address of the housing department where the complaints were sent;
- responses received from the institution;
- copies of statements and other documents related to this case;
- photos of leaks.
When applying to the court, it is necessary to indicate in the statement that certain material damage was inflicted on the values of citizens, and medical certificates can also be attached, on the basis of which it becomes clear that increased humidity led to the appearance of various diseases in people.
Litigation often takes a lot of time, so you have to prepare for the fact that liquidation workers by the decision of the court will not soon begin to repair the leak. This may cause the house to be considered emergency and residents to be relocated to other buildings.
Instead of a conclusion
The article answered the question of if the roof is leaking, where to go. To do this, you must first write a statement to the Housing Management Office, and if this does not bring the desired result, then you will have to use other methods of influencing the employees of this institution.
To increase the likelihood of winning a case in court, it is necessary to fix the leak itself on the camera or video camera, as well as the consequences of water entering the attic or other rooms of the house. At the same time, the date when they were taken should be recorded on the video or photographs.
If property was destroyed due to water or high humidity, this is also fixed. Additionally, receipts for payment for repairs or the purchase of new equipment and interior items are saved.
Be sure to keep the act of checking the apartment or attic by a special commission.
However, often when a leak is found on the roof, residents even when contacting the housing department cannot receive services aimed at eliminating such a problem. This leads to the fact that they have to turn to higher authorities and even draw up a lawsuit. In this case, it is important to correctly prepare the necessary documents confirming the presence of leaks and the damage caused.