In many cases, the roof leaks after a heavy snowfall, spring thaw or heavy rain. It also happens due to dishonest work or poor-quality material. Over time, it loses its properties and wears out, but even if the roof is in excellent condition, water tends to seep through the waterproofing layers and completely invisible cracks, and then enter the dwelling.
What to do if the roof in the house is leaking, you can learn from this article. To do this, it is necessary to consider all possible options and choose the most optimal solution to the problem.
First of all, find where the roof is leaking. First, explore the attic space and carefully inspect the surface of the roofing "carpet". Roof leaks can occur much higher than the area where moisture has entered the attic, so water can seep into the home in a completely different place from the leak.
After discovering the source of a leaking roof, the homeowner should consider repairing it, and the material the roof is made of will be of great importance.
Leaks, in addition to all kinds of precipitation, come from microcracks in rolled materials or from condensate accumulated under the roofing "carpet". And all this does not depend on whether it is an old house or a new building. The common cause of leakage is that the tightness of the roof covering is broken.
Causes of flat roof leaks:
Causes of a pitched roof leak:
What to do if the roof is leaking in an apartment building? It is impossible to repair the current roof on your own, this should be done by special services. To understand where to file a complaint in this case, you need to know the address of the management company that is responsible for the condition of your house, and first of all, take pictures of the leaks in the apartment and areas with roof leaks, or make a video with the date and time. First, contact the housing department service dispatcher, preferably with a written application. But if this is not possible, then call by phone. Be sure to try to find out the full name of the person and his position, and the number under which your complaint will be registered.
If the roof leaks on the balcony of the last floor, you can count on help from the housing department by submitting an application there. On the lower floors, you will have to repair the balcony roof yourself.
To eliminate the leak, a commission should be created within two weeks, which will come to the apartment. She must draw up an inspection report, in which an important item should be the cost of repairs and the amount of damage caused. Make sure you have witnesses present.
When inspecting the dwelling, the commission must establish the problematic place where the leak comes from. This should be sorted out by workers who inspect the outside of the roofing part and the room from the inside. They draw up an appropriate act, which is signed by the commission and witnesses. If a “bad zone” is found, the representatives of the housing department must make a decision to eliminate the problem.
If there is no action on the part of the housing department to solve the problem, the owner of the apartment has the right to apply to the court. Be sure to indicate the reason for the appeal, the magnitude and type of the accident, the amount of damage caused. Management companies do not like such proceedings, so they will quickly begin to fulfill their direct obligations. After all, if water enters the room, it will create a threat not only to health, but can also provoke an emergency.
Often, owners of private houses over time are faced with a leak on the roof. This is not affected by either the material of the roof or the quality of the work. Leakage can be prevented only by timely maintenance and overhaul, as well as periodic inspection of the roof.
A leak can become quite unexpected and repair work can be difficult. For example, if the roof leaks during a rain that lasts for several days, or if the snow starts to melt at that time.
As a result, you have to save yourself with basins, other containers and vessels. At the same time, a quick repair of the current roof will not be an effective solution, since the next precipitation will again lead to leakage.
To solve the problem, you need to understand why the roof is leaking. With the correct definition of the reasons, you can even try to cope on your own, without resorting to the cost of professional services. The roof may leak due to:
After finding out the reasons, you can begin to eliminate them, on your own or with the help of professionals. Let's figure out what to do if the roof is leaking.
Let's try to understand how to fix a roof leak. Regardless of the reasons, they will have to be eliminated with the help of repairs. Under favorable weather conditions, major repairs can be carried out. However, as a rule, it is necessary to eliminate the leak quickly, for this current repairs are carried out. For these purposes, you need to inspect the roof and find the place of the leak.
If you can not determine it visually, then this can lead to additional problems. Examine the leak carefully and find the area that was damaged. After that, depending on its location and on the type of roof, you can get to work.
If the roofing material is a metal tile, then you will have to remove its damaged element with a nail puller or other tool.
When doing this, be careful not to damage other metal sheets. Then, instead of the damaged sheet, a new one should be put. Similarly, roof tiles made of other materials are repaired.
If a roof leak has formed at the butt joints, then the resulting gap will have to be repaired with something. As a rule, this place is located between the roof and the chimney. The resulting gap should be sealed with galvanized iron, or an element on a bitumen basis.
The process of eliminating a leak will contain several stages.
In conclusion, the roof is restored with the same material of which its undamaged part consists.
If the roof is leaking due to damage to the ridge, for example, if this piece of wood begins to rot, then this part will have to be replaced. In addition, of course, you will have to replace other parts that have been damaged.
To do this, damaged roof parts must be dismantled. For example, pull out the boards, which will require the extraction of nails from them. The next stage is cleaning from humus, rust, etc. After the place is cleared, you can install new elements.
It should be noted that after independently carrying out such repairs, it will be necessary to periodically check these places for leaks and, if necessary, repeat all the described manipulations, or call specialists or carry out a major overhaul of the roof.
Almost all year round, residents of the upper floors of apartment buildings face the unpleasant problem of a leaking roof. Wet spots on the ceilings, stains and streaks on the walls are not uncommon guests during the period of active snow melting, winter thaws and summer showers.
If in a private house this problem is solved on its own, then residents of multi-storey buildings are used to relying on public utilities, and it is sometimes very difficult to get the necessary actions from them. Today we will figure out why the roof is leaking in an apartment building and what needs to be done in this case.
In this article
Any high-rise buildings are subject to the problems of a “thin” roof: the roof can leak in an old house and in a new building. The main cause of the leak is the loss of tightness of the roof, which can occur under various circumstances:
If you are regularly worried about leaks and wet circles on the ceiling, then it makes sense to find out exactly where the leak is? Most likely, it is not located strictly above your ceiling, but at a considerable distance from it. Water, penetrating through this hole, flows over the filling of the roofing cake and exits a few meters from the beginning of its path.
As a rule, the most likely places for leaks are various junctions of the roof to pipes, ventilation shafts. These areas of the roof require special attention. If the roofing at these points does not arouse suspicion, then you should either move up the slope to the ridge if the house is equipped with a pitched roof, or inspect a sufficiently large area of \u200b\u200ba flat roof for a possible gap in the roof.
Unfortunately, when a roof leaks in an apartment building, its residents are often deprived of the opportunity to get into the attic and the roof itself, since these sections of the house are closed from visits by unauthorized persons. In this case, you need to contact the utilities.
So, where to go if the roof in an apartment building is leaking? Your appeal should be directed to the division of the public utility that is responsible for the operation of this multi-apartment residential building. There are two possible scenarios here:
A well-written written appeal to the housing department is one of the guarantees of a quick and high-quality solution to the problem. Consider the basic rules for writing this application:
After accepting the appeal, the housing department or the management company must give a written response within 10-14 days and form a commission to inspect the roof of the house, which will decide on the need and amount of repair work.
So, we found out where to go if the roof is leaking in an apartment building and what to do in this case. However, the problem of the current roof will not be solved by writing appeals and complaints. Much more important, having received the commission's decision on the necessary amount of repair work, to monitor their implementation.
We recommend, for these purposes, to create a special commission of the residents of the house, which may include a senior in the house and residents of the upper floors, who are most interested in high-quality patching of the roof. The status of this commission must be registered at a meeting of apartment owners in the building and communicated to public utilities with a requirement to allow members of the commission to control the quality and progress of repair work.
The commission must familiarize itself with the repair work plan, estimates, monitor the progress of the purchase of the necessary building materials and the work itself. Otherwise, a situation may occur in which the repair of the roof occurred only on paper, but in reality the roof continues to resemble a colander and let water into the apartments of the residents.
The creation of a special commission of the residents of the house and familiarization with the entire course of repair work is very important precisely in the case of unscrupulous public utilities. If, as a result of the appeal, the necessary work was not performed or performed at an inadequate level and the house continues to get wet under a leaky roof, the tenants will have to go to court. Any litigation is a work with documents. That is why it is important to record in writing all the events that occur and then state them in the statement of claim.
A roof leak in an apartment building is an event that should mobilize all residents and public utilities to fight unnecessary moisture in apartments. After all, a thin roof is not only wet walls, ceilings and floors, it is a threat to the whole house and its integrity.
With the onset of rainy autumn days in many cities and towns of our country, as a rule, the problem in housing and communal services is aggravated - leaking roofs.
Although the roof of an apartment building is part of the common property of the owners of this house, its current repairs must be carried out by a maintenance management company (MC) at the expense of payments made by residents. In receipts for rent there is such a line of expenses: "Fee for the maintenance and repair of housing." We are talking about current repairs, that is, patching up minor damage, and not about major repairs.
After the leak is fixed, it's time to think about a full repair. To do this, it is necessary to determine the financing of expensive work.
First of all, it can be the funds of the owners, which they have accumulated under the item “current repairs”. You need to meet with representatives of the Management Company, determine the approximate cost of the upcoming repairs and find out if the budget of the house allows you to allocate such an amount. If there is enough money, then the residents should hold a general meeting of owners and, at the voting, instruct their Management Company to repair the roof at the expense of current repairs.
More than 2/3 of all apartment owners must vote “FOR” (voting results are calculated according to the area of apartments). It is important to remember that without the decision of the general meeting of owners, the Management Company simply does not have the right to spend this money even on the necessary work.
If there is not enough money, then you can offer the Management Company to carry out the necessary repairs at the expense of future payments, or introduce an additional payment for the owners. Such a decision must also be recorded by the decision of the general meeting of owners.
For residents of those houses where capital repairs have not been done even once in decades, in accordance with Article 16 of the Law “On Privatization”, the municipality was obliged to put the housing in order before transferring it to the ownership of citizens. If the local authorities have not fulfilled their obligations, then it is possible to seek major repairs at the expense of budgetary funds in court. True, in this case, the process may drag on for several years - local administrations do not have enough funds to comply with all court decisions.
Expert advice: “The management company is obliged to maintain the house in accordance with the law. Therefore, if they explain to you that the apartment will be flooded until the residents collect money for major repairs, then this, to put it mildly, is slyness. A roof leak is an emergency situation, and the Criminal Code is OBLIGED to eliminate the causes of the accident within a day!”
Knowing your rights and how to act, you will definitely achieve your goal with a little patience and perseverance in this process.
Good luck!
Such a nuisance as a roof leak is well known not only to residents of old buildings, but also to residents of new houses. Especially this problem becomes relevant in the off-season (the time of rains, thaws, melted snow and other weather surprises). How should citizens of high-rise buildings act if their roof is leaking in order to quickly resolve the issue of repair?
The main problems with the tightness of the roofing directly depend on the complexity of the structure. In the buildings under consideration, objects with a flat roll coating are often found - they are easy to fix, but the options with slopes are professionally configured and need an equally experienced approach. Therefore, if it flows from the roof into the apartment, you should start by identifying the source of the defects. They may be:
Mechanical damage. Careless work of utilities or maintenance personnel can violate the integrity of roofing materials. The most common reason is the installation of engineering networks, because for their installation it is necessary to create additional holes on the roof and carry out certain construction work. And unforeseen violations of technology or an unprofessional approach to implementation can cause leaks in the future.
Any roof leaks have a periodic or permanent nature of occurrence, but both options entail damage to the property of tenants. Often there are unremovable stains on the walls (in places where the slopes come into contact with flat vertical surfaces, in valleys or on skates), with high humidity, a fungus forms, moisture can enter the electrical panel and de-energize the entire staircase.
Errors during installation or repair run the risk of material damage, primarily for the inhabitants of the upper floors, since they live as close as possible to the problem area. But a faulty roof covering is a common issue that concerns all residents of a multi-storey building, and it is worth solving it collectively.
Now the state is actively engaged in the liquidation of the old ZhEKs. But the changes do not always meet expectations: the management companies that have replaced the previous staff are unconsciously copying the former features of the Housing Office: the desire to get maximum profit with a minimum of effort. Therefore, most management companies perceive tenants as another problem, and not as equal partners.
When a roof leaked in an apartment building, where to go - this issue becomes the most important for the victims of circumstances. So, when large leaks appear in the roof, you will have to tune in to collect the necessary papers and evidence, as well as a long struggle with officials to protect your rights. To achieve a positive reaction, you should adhere to the following plan:
The initial stage is the most important, so it should be approached with all responsibility. There are several ways to confirm the fact of an existing problem:
Reference! If within 3 days the service organization did not respond to the call of citizens and did not send its own commission, then you need to take clear pictures of the leak site yourself and record a video where the damage from the leak from the roof will be visible.
When studying recommendations on what to do if the roof leaks, it is worth considering the main condition: indicate in the act the full data of witnesses. But with this scenario, there may be problems with assessing the damage. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, only a special appraisal company has the right to do it - only the conclusions of specialists are taken into account by the court. During the visit, professionals carefully inspect the roof and draw up an act of roof leakage:
Important! In large cities, there are public organizations that specialize in protecting consumer rights. In case of disputes, they are advised to contact them (services are provided free of charge). At the same time, they help the affected residents of multi-storey buildings to defend their opinion in the conflict.
It is better to issue the application itself in 2 copies and both must be registered with the public utility. When applying officially, you should have a passport (or other similar document confirming your identity), a photocopy of the first pages and papers confirming the right to live in a flooded room (registration permit, lease agreement). The body of the document contains:
Attention! It is desirable to have as many visual photo and video materials as possible with the date indicated.
An example of a standard application can be seen below:
Personally, they will not fix the problem, but will only study the causes and consequences of a leak on the roof and try to assess the extent of the damage.
After their visit, it is worth waiting 3 days: if there is no reaction, you need to proceed to the stage of writing complaints to all higher organizations (ending with local governments). Such appeals can drag on for several months, so you should not count on a quick effect. When thinking about where to complain if the roof is leaking in an apartment building, it is important to consider that in this case everything depends on perseverance: an endless stream of statements will certainly force the housing office to pay attention to a building with a problematic roof.
If previous attempts did not help or deliberately delay the process of repair and compensation, then it is worth starting to prepare a package of papers for the court. According to statistics, no more than 5% of victims of roof leaks turn to law enforcement agencies to protect their rights. Usually, claims for damages are filed with the HOA or housing cooperative: they are obliged to monitor the technical condition of the buildings entrusted to them.
Reference! Often, the long-awaited reaction comes immediately after receiving notification that the tenants have applied to the court. But even after the measures taken, there is no need to withdraw the appeal, otherwise the company will again begin to delay the solution of the problem, realizing that they will not face a fine.
Important! In such a case, it is worth insisting on the requirement of an official statement of their visit, and drawing up an act with the support of 2 or more neighbors (in the role of witnesses).
Sometimes management companies refuse to register duplicate applications without comment. In this case, you will not be able to prove anything. Therefore, it is necessary to film the fact of refusal on the phone and involve witnesses at this stage.
Remember that large companies hire experienced lawyers with strong connections to judges to protect their rights. Against the background of such defendants, it can be very difficult for ordinary tenants to defend their innocence. In addition, any discrepancy or difference between the requested documents and the standard requirements may be a valid reason for the refusal of the claim.
Do not forget to include the names and positions of all employees with whom you had direct contact at any stage of the discussion of the roof problem.
You should not expect that the court will instantly satisfy all the requirements - you will have to make a lot of efforts so that the request is decided in favor of the residents of the high-rise building.
Important! When it comes to compensation for the personal property of a citizen (in a personal or rented apartment), the compensation occurs regardless of whether the apartment is privatized or not.
But it will be much easier to prove the amount of financial support with the help of checks that the owner of the premises kept for the purchase of various household goods or building materials for repairs.
The roof is leaking in an apartment building, where to go? Thinking about this issue, you should understand that for the entire time your applications are being considered, the problem of leakage will remain unchanged. And it is the inhabitants of the house who must eliminate its consequences on their own. As soon as the inspection and collection of facts is over, you can start repairing yourself. So you insure yourself against an ever-increasing amount of damage. The problem must be eliminated as quickly as possible in any case, and only then to defend financial compensation from the state.
Since the roof and the attic are included in the list of property of the owners of the house, on the basis of this nuance, many management companies are trying to refuse to carry out repair work.
Such actions are semi-legal, since they have the right not to carry out major repairs, but the current or even emergency ones are required in any case. And in the receipts for payment for the services of the management company, there is a separate line for the cost of housing maintenance, which simultaneously includes the current repair of the roof:
But the problem with the roof often does not end with elementary repairs, and after fixing the leaks, you have to think about performing a full reconstruction of the roof. The issue of financing such work remains open. Therefore, residents of multi-storey buildings can take note of the following tips:
If we focus on Article No. 16 of the Law “On the Privatization of the Housing Stock in the Russian Federation”, then the municipality is obliged to ensure the overhaul of houses whose depreciation period expires during privatization.
Most of these buildings were not repaired at all before privatization, and sooner or later they will have to face the problem of roofing.
Attention! It is the lack of finances on the accounts of ZhEKs that is the main reason for ignoring complaints from residents even after mandatory utility bills were paid on time and in full.
Legislation allows you to sue local municipal institutions and demand monetary compensation from them for the fact of non-compliance with their obligations. Now for Russians, cases when such lawsuits were decided in favor of ordinary citizens are still a wonder, since such a practice is rare in our country. Sometimes even single court orders in favor of the tenants are not implemented, and the authorities always refuse the duties assigned to them, justifying themselves by the lack of free funds.
As for the fixed deadlines for fixing leaks, the situation is also no better: the management company must completely eliminate the problem within a day, but in reality it rarely fits into the framework. Its officials claim that they have the right to start repairs only after collecting additional money from the residents, but this is a hoax. It is worth actively fighting for your legal rights in order to make the bureaucracy mechanism function in your interests - this is the only way to get a proper reaction from the state and not solve the problem with the roof solely at your own expense.
What to do when the management company is inactive for a long time and when it is worth contacting the prosecutor's office is discussed in this video:
Since flat-coated structures often leak, residents often have to repair them. Compared with the pitched counterpart, the repair algorithm is not very difficult to implement.
Of course, you do not need to continue to send requests from the managing organization with a request to carry out a full-fledged repair (including a major one with a full replacement of roofing materials). But it is more reliable to start repairs so that the amount of damage does not increase, and at the same time fight for your rights in the authorities.
The composition, which displaces any liquid, is specially created for such a prompt repair of the roof, because it can be used in any weather, even after a downpour.
When the roof leaks in an apartment building, what should the residents of the problem building do as soon as possible. It is better to focus on those repair versions that do not require deep knowledge of theory, practical experience and expensive construction tools. For example, you can use the following step-by-step plan:
Keep in mind that sometimes it is quite difficult for an inexperienced person to find them right away, especially when it comes to old buildings. As a rule, repairs in such buildings were carried out without proper dismantling of waterproofing, and during operation, the cake can increase to almost 10 layers. And it's not easy to figure out which one is damaged: the leak point can be far from the usual place where water or snow usually accumulates, or the junction points to the complex structures of neighboring architecture.
Important! Now there are special devices for finding the source of leaks (like the TROTEC PD 200 model leak detector), but this service is not cheap.
It is necessary to prepare the area - remove any debris from the roof (including vegetation and dirt). There is no need to get rid of water, since it will be removed on its own during the repair process thanks to a special ingredient that is part of the finished mixture.
Attention! It is forbidden to use metal brushes in the cleaning process, so as not to damage the top layer before a new coating.
If the roof of a multi-storey building is to be repaired in the winter, then the solution should be preheated (per day) and left at room temperature. On the eve of the start of work, you also need to carefully read the instructions from the manufacturer. The composition itself must be mixed with a mixing nozzle at moderate speed, and the mixture must be mixed with a mixer or a drill before application.
Important! A running agitator should not be turned on at fast speeds: this can cause a lot of air bubbles. If the roof runs, then such a mass will be difficult to use.
Acceptable material thickness should fluctuate within 2 mm.
With a flat metal spatula, it is required to carefully and evenly distribute a viscous composition over the repaired surface. Try not to leave gaps and keep approximately equal thickness of the solution. In the future, the mixture will even out on its own and thickenings may form in some places, then you will have to wait for the material to completely solidify a little longer than planned.
If necessary, you can add the prepared mastic as needed and distribute it similarly with a spatula.
It is not worth pressing the tool too hard: due to the weak strength of the roll materials, there is a risk of cracks and other types of damage. Therefore, it is more efficient to add another portion of the mixture in order to achieve 100% tightness.
In this way, residents of high-rise buildings can carry out urgent roof repairs on their own in order to improve the current state of the damaged roof and reduce the amount of damage caused by unplanned flooding. Finally, solve the question “what to do if the roof is leaking in an apartment building?” The video below will help.
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