No matter how much money last Saturday’s barrel party at the Palisades apartment 1006 collected, it will not cover the estimated $50,000 in damages caused by a water leak originating from the tenants’ toilet.
If the leak had been immediately discovered, the damages may have remained within their apartment. But the tenant who was there was asleep in the apartment once the leak was discovered. After leaking for 14 hours, the damage reached all the way to the ground floor.
“I came home Monday night after being gone for the weekend to find holes in my walls and the carpet in my hallway missing,” a third-floor tenant said. “There are still fans in my hallway blowing air to dry out the walls.”
A tenant from the fourth floor came home to find his clothes wet and his X-Box controller damp.
Although slightly irritated, tenants of the lower floors are lucky compared to those on the ninth and sixth floor. Because of the extensive damage to their rooms, some tenants of apartments 606 and 906 have been forced to take up residence in the Howard Johnson next door to the Palisades until repairs are finished.
According to workers contracted to dry the walls, mold growth can be a major health concern when extensive water damage occurs.
Kari Stopple, a property representative for the company that owns the building, hopes the building will dry by next week.
“In my seven years with Madison Property Management, I have never seen anything like this,” Stopple said. “It could be years before all of the legal proceedings are figured out.”
This event and last weekend’s fire at the Towers have some renters wondering what their legal rights are, according to Tanya Stanfield, a campus coordinator for the Tenant Resource Center, a student organization that answers tenants’ questions regarding their rights as renters.
Stanfield said the best option for tenants who suffered personal property damages is to file a private lawsuit against the tenants who caused the damage.
“Tenants should be diligent about being compensated for their damages,” Stanfield said. “They should also be patient and remember that the damage was unexpected by the building managers as well.”
“Madison Property Management told me to give them a list of everything that was damaged,” said the tenant whose X-Box got wet. “If they can’t get me any money, I probably won’t press any charges against the tenants responsible.”
Stanfield said that there is no limit on how long a property manager can take to make repairs.
“As long as they are making progress, there is nothing that can be done. If a week goes by and no repairs seem to be taking place, then there is a cause for concern.” she said.
Even though the tenants say the leak was accidental, Madison Property plans to hold either the tenants of apartment 1006 or their cosigners responsible for the cost of property damage.
“Accident or not, it is still a matter of tenant negligence,” Stopple said. “Everyone who signed the lease for that unit is jointly liable.”
