Communal living is common in Singapore and sharing the use of common space and facilities are part of the ordinary lifestyle in Singapore. However, what can you do when something out of the ordinary happen that can negatively affect your lifestyle?
Particularly, what can you do when there is inter-floor leakage that affects your livelihood.
What to do if my house ceiling is leaking?
Speak to your neighbour first to find out the source of the leakage. Check with your whether they did any constructions or refurbishment to their flat recently or if they purchase a new furniture that may potentially affect the water flow of the building (such as water filter or a washing machine). It may also be caused by a water pipe breakage due to wear and tear of the building.
Try your best to resolve the matter amicably with them. They are your neighbour and it is to your best interest to remain a friendly relationship with them.
What if they do not want to cooperate with me to resolve the water ingress?
If you are living in a HDB property, speak to the HDB Officer or report to the Town Council. The HDB Officer and the Town Council will guide you in attempting to resolve the matter for you.
If you are living in a private non-landed property, speak to the Management Corporation or the Condominium Manager. They will be able to assist you further.
However, if your matter continue to persist, you may wish to seek for legal assistance to resolve your matter.
Who is responsible for water leakage?
For HDB flats, the cost of appointing a surveyor and the cost of repairs are usually shared 50-50 between the upper and the lower floor. Both the upper floor and the lower floor are usually expected to agree to jointly engage a contractor for the repairs and to assist each other to resolve the water leakage. HDB usually has a Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme to assist with the repair cost. Seek your local Grassroots Advisers to help you further.
For a private non-landed estate, it is presumed that the upper floor will be liable for the leakage unless there are evidence to the contrary. Both the upper floor and the lower floor are expected to jointly carry out the investigation to determine the cause of the leak.
What if I stayed at the top most floor?
For HDB flats, the roof of the block is part of the common property maintained by the Town Council. You should contact the Town Council to repair the common area to resolve the water leakage.
For a private non-landed estate, the roof of the block is part of the common property maintained by the Management Corporation. You should contact the Management Corporation to determine the cause of the leak.
How can we help?
Sharing the cost of a survey report, agreeing on a contractor and agreeing on sharing the cost of repair can be a difficult to be discussed between neighbour. We can assist in writing to attempt a resolution between neighbours.
If the problem continues to persist and the neighbour continue to refuse to resolve the matter, we can assist you to make the necessary application to the authorities to resolve the matter for you.
