Neighbours flooded your apartment - what to do?

What to do in the first hour

1. Stop the water Call or knock on the upstairs neighbour's door and tell the building manager or the emergency service so that the water is shut off.
2. Switch off the electricity in wet rooms If water runs through the ceiling or light fittings, switch off the fuses of the rooms concerned.
3. Photograph and film Photograph the ceiling, walls, floor, furniture and the path of the water before wiping up or moving anything. Make sure the date is visible in the photographs.
4. Ask for an inspection in writing Send the building manager a written request to inspect the apartment and draw up a report. A written letter later proves that you asked.

The lawyers of LV portāls advise asking the building manager in writing at once for an inspection and a report, photographing and filming the damage, and keeping all estimates and invoices.

The flood report: who draws it up

According to the explanation on LV portāls, the regulations do not directly oblige the building manager to draw up a flooding report. If there is no report, the injured person has to collect the evidence themselves: a report, photographs and, if needed, the opinion of an independent expert.

The building manager visually inspects the building's utility systems and records the findings in the inspection log. If the water came from a shared system, ask for this entry to be made and note its date.

In the report or in your own description, record: the date and time, where the water came from, which rooms and which materials were damaged (ceiling, walls, floor covering, doors, electrics), and who was present.

Renovation after flooding: who pays

The Law on Residential Properties states that an apartment owner is liable for losses caused to other owners or persons. The Civil Law generally requires everyone to compensate losses caused by their action or inaction. If the water came from the neighbour's washing machine, tap or hose, the claim is usually against the neighbour.

If the water came from a riser, the situation is different. The riser is the common property of the apartment owners, and the building manager entrusted with its maintenance is liable under civil law for improper performance of the assigned work. If the apartment is not insured, the owner makes the claim against the building manager; if it is insured, the owner turns to the insurer, which usually claims the losses back from the building manager.

In disputes over whether the damage is in common property, the location and whether the element is functionally inseparable from the building's system are decisive. In 2023 the Senate of the Supreme Court recognised that the water supply inlet valve at the entrance to an apartment is part of the building's common water supply system. More on this on the page common property risers: who pays for replacement.

When to start the renovation

Before the renovation the surfaces must dry. How dry they must be is determined by the material you will put on top and its manufacturer's requirements:

• For painting: in the Tikkurila Euro Smart 2 data sheet the surface must be dry, the temperature at least +5 °C and the air humidity no more than 80%.
• For tiles: in the Ceresit CM 17 technical data sheet the moisture of the cement screed and plaster under tiles is given as below 4%.
• For laminate: Quick-Step gives the base moisture as below 2.5% (CM method).

If mould appears after flooding, see dezinfekcijariga.lv for treatment of the rooms. The renovation itself then usually consists of the following work: demolition of the damaged finish, skimming, painting, replacing the floor covering.

Do not start demolishing the damaged finish before the damage has been photographed and, if possible, inspected. Afterwards you can no longer prove what the ceiling looked like.

How much a renovation after flooding costs

The renovation estimate is also evidence of the amount of the losses, so keep it together with the photographs. For example:

Example: a room of 15 m² with 40 m² of walls. Skimming 40 × €10 = €400 and painting 40 × €4 = €160, in total from €560. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment.

What can go wrong

• The damage was not photographed before it was repaired, and later there is nothing to prove its extent.
• The request to the building manager was sent only orally, and there is no date on which the inspection was requested.
• The finish is put on damp walls or a damp screed, and after a few months it is damaged again.
• It was not established whether the water came from the neighbour's appliance or from the riser, and the claim goes to the wrong party.