Hurricane Sandy trashed us - what do we fix first? Pls help.

[Anonymous]

We live on the top two floors of a condo. We are responsible for damage inside our unit and the HOA is responsible for the outside. We learned last night (thanks to Sandy) that our roof is in desperate need of replacement. We had water pouring through the drywall in our ceiling and coming out of the seams in our glass patio door. We had similar damage to the ceiling over our bay window after the derecho, which the HOA supposedly fixed. After Sandy though, the fixed area leaked 10 times worse than it did in the derecho and I think the fix was just a crappy patch. The HOA is planning on replacing the rooftop deck roof, but not for two years.

So, I don't know if the condo board will decide to just go ahead with roof replacement or if they'll try to patch us up again just to get us through the next two years. I do know that we definitely need to replace that glass door and the floors around it, which sustained heavy water damage. The glass door opens onto the roof that caused all the leaking. (We live in a two story condo and the roof problems are from a flat, rooftop deck area. The glass doors open to the deck.) I just don't know if it's worth it to do these things before the roof is fixed. If there are leaks in the roof, won't replacing the glass doors just make them worse? OTOH, the leaks in the glass doors caused all the damage to the wood floors near them and we can't fix the floors until those get fixed.

Also, has anyone ever used their homeowners insurance? Any advice there?

This was our first hurricane so I really am out of my depth here. TIA.

[Anonymous]

If you have the right clause, the insurance should cover the floors and the drywall. The glass door is less likely, unless it shattered.

The best thing to do is to call your insurance and get an assessment.

You could talk to your HOA about getting the roof fixed now. They should have some insurance for that. You could threaten to sue, although ultimately it comes out of your pocket since they'll probably have to call a special assessment, unless you have great financials.

[Anonymous]

Please do not panic.
You own the unit from paint on the walls to the other paint. You do not own the roof. It is not your roof. Hoa must get you a new roof. A short term fix will be more expensive in the long run. Your condo hoa or whoever who is in charge has the flood and wind and fire insurance.
Just be smooth and stay cool

[Anonymous]

I agree w the other posters. Your HOA is obligated to repair the roof. If your roof is leaking, they simply need to fix it. If not, sue the HOA, and, stop paying your monthly dues - keep those monies in escrow, via an attorney. Ya gotta have a roof, plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the insight. We know we need to replace the glass door and we're more than willing to do that on our dime. Since it abuts the rooftop deck though, won't it open the seams on the rooftop deck and potentially expose us to additional water damage? Wouldn't it make sense to replace the roof and glass door at the same time? However, if the HOA waits two years for that then we're back to taking on water every time there's a big storm.

We aren't interested in suing and I don't think we'll need too. We have a very thoughtful HOA board that thinks long-term. I am confident they will do what's best for the association, I just think our particular needs might need to be addressed before the community can move on the permanent solution. In which case, we really need to make thoughtful temporary choices. We have a special assessment for the roof replacement already in place, I just don't know if we have enough saved yet since the roof replacement target is still two years out.

[Anonymous]

If you have damage b/c of something they were suppose to maintain, you might have the ability to ask them to fix it.

In my condo a few years ago, a resident had the condo replace hardwood floors damaged from a leaking roof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
We aren't interested in suing and I don't think we'll need too. We have a very thoughtful HOA board that thinks long-term. I am confident they will do what's best for the association, I just think our particular needs might need to be addressed before the community can move on the permanent solution. In which case, we really need to make thoughtful temporary choices. We have a special assessment for the roof replacement already in place, I just don't know if we have enough saved yet since the roof replacement target is still two years out.

Roof is broken now, it must be fixed now.
Be careful about fixing the glass door as they could make you liable.
Hoa must just take out a loan. A building is not a legal residential unit without a roof.
Just be nice and as smooth as honey. Maybe even arrive one day unannounced with starbucks coffee for their office employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
We aren't interested in suing and I don't think we'll need too. We have a very thoughtful HOA board that thinks long-term. I am confident they will do what's best for the association, I just think our particular needs might need to be addressed before the community can move on the permanent solution. In which case, we really need to make thoughtful temporary choices. We have a special assessment for the roof replacement already in place, I just don't know if we have enough saved yet since the roof replacement target is still two years out.

Roof is broken now, it must be fixed now.
Be careful about fixing the glass door as they could make you liable.
Hoa must just take out a loan. A building is not a legal residential unit without a roof.
Just be nice and as smooth as honey. Maybe even arrive one day unannounced with starbucks coffee for their office employees.

OP here. Thanks, that's good to know. Also appreciate the advice on managing the communication. I generally handle things that way, but always good to have a reminder.

[Anonymous]

Also, if you fail to push the HOA to repair the roof correctly, that may invalidate your own homeowner's insurance. And then pretty much evereything will be your dime. It doesn't matter how nice your HOA is, they need to repair the roof. Their unwillingness to repair would be a massive red flag for me: why don't they have the funds, or the insurance, to fund repairs now??? Do you know any residents on the Board? You may want to get a copy of the HOA financials ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Have your insurance company go after the condo's insurance company. If the HOA/building's failure to maintain the roof resulted in damage to your unit, they're liable, not you. Especially if you've been after them about improvements and they've chosen not to do them.

[Anonymous]

when our condo's ceiling was leaking, after an investigation, it was determined that it was the fault of 2 units above us. Otherwise it was the internal piping, which is HOA, as is the roof of the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: If the HOA/building's failure to maintain the roof resulted in damage to your unit, they're liable, not you. Especially if you've been after them about improvements and they've chosen not to do them.

We had damage to the inside of our condo after a storm last year that was traced to the (newish) roof leaking. The HOA was responsible for fixing all of it, because it was tied to something they are responsible for (the roof). That's the key point. I wouldn't fix anything in advance of an inspection to determine what caused the damage. If it is tied to the roof, the HOA needs to cover it. Probably the door as well (at ours the HOA covers the deck and door leading to it because it's connected to an exterior wall). The only issue was that the HOA could pick what contractor came to fix the problems. They were OK, not fantastic, but they addressed the problems within a week of us contacting the HOA. Also, in our case the HOA's own inspector agreed that the damage was completely the responsibility of the HOA, so we didn't need to push them on repairs, or get our homeowner's insurance company involved.

Also, are you the only condo affected? It may be worth talking to other condo owners to determine if there's a wider level of damage, so the HOA can address the problem as a whole.