I had a condo and was told anything INSIDE is your responsibility. I had a roof leak and it stained my walls. I was responsible.

Generally anything INSIDE the walls of your property are your responsibility. This may vary from state to state. But don't be surprised if this is how it works in your building. Pretty common. Fair? Maybe not. But common.

Sometimes a condo association negotiates a deal along with the contractor that includes repairs inside individual units. Check to see if they're doing that in your building.

Or perhaps you can negotiate your own deal along with the other neighbors who also were affected by the leak.

Sour grapes for me!

We used to own a top floor condo 2 years ago, and this building has a flat roof. The roof over my condo started to have problems and so my ceilings began showing water stains in the kitchen and in one of the bedrooms. The condo association hired a company to fix the roof above the problem areas, and the maintenance man for the condo repainted my ceilings where they were stained at no charge to me. Also, before that incident, there was another incident in the past when water was coming through the ceiling in a bedroom and the condo fixed the ceiling inside (and on the roof) at no charge.

I know that it's typically true that a condo owner is responsible for the inside of a condo, however, I would think that if a problem with something outside the condo causes damage to the inside of a condo, then the condo association is responsible for making repairs inside. But I may be completely wrong here.

You could consult an attorney regarding your situation. I would fight this if I were you.

Another thing...

Two years ago I was looking at condos with a realtor. We looked at one that had damage to the ceiling due to the roof leaking. The realtor assured me, and it was in the paperwork for the sale of the condo, that the condo association would be repairing the ceiling after they fixed the roof leak!

Sure, your condo would be happy if you paid for the repairs inside your condo yourself. You can accept their "no" as an answer or you can look into who is responsible for the repairs. In my mind, they are responsible because the damage was caused by a problem with the roof, which they are responsible for inspecting and keeping in good condition.

Some advice: If you haven't done so already, take pictures of the damage. Write down when the damage occurred, when you contacted the condo assoc about the damage, what their response to your complaint was, what date they came to your condo to look at the damage, etc. Did you get a written estimate for repair of the damage and show this estimate to your condo assoc? Did you write your association a letter requesting that they fix the damage and request that they respond in writing? It's important to have everything documented on paper. If you absolutely need to have the repairs done immediately and the condo won't pay, you can hire someone to do the work and then send the assoc a copy of your bill for the work done and request that they pay for damages by a certain date. There's always small claims court if the assoc flat out refuses to honor your request.

Yeah the condo lady on the board that hires the fixers of the roof etc....was in Trinidad on vacation for 3 weeks...she came home yesterday and I told her.
We shall see.
thankx all.

I still maintain that you shouldn't be surprised if you're told "NO" when you ask the association to pay for repairs inside your unit. I've lived in buildings where homeowners had just rehabbed their bathrooms. New fixtures, new tiles, new everything. And THEN the pipes inside the condo walls started leaking. The association had to have plumbers punch a hole through the newly-tiled bathroom walls to access and repair the leak.

Guess what?

The homeowners were responsible for repairing the damage done inside their bathrooms.

Sorry. That's condo life.

This, not coincidentally, is why I will never again live in a vintage building. Sure they have their charm. But they also have never-ending plumbing and electrical issues. What wants to deal with that???

So?

What happened?

The condo management IS going to pay for any damages...in and out...due to the roof leaking.
GOOD -O!
All the people in the past who have fixed it on their own should not have. I guess my condo association is the ask kind. If you don't ask they 'aint telling. My neighbor paid for her damages 6 years ago...she wants her money back.
Good luck.

I doubt that they would be interested in re-visiting issues from 6 years ago. Otherwise where would it end, should they go then go back 10 years etc. depending on how old the property is. There was probably a different council at the time etc.

If there have been numerous roof leaks over the years then effort and money may be better spent looking into having the roof replaced.

You dodged a bullet.

But if water leaks are as prevalent as you described, eventually your building is going to need a complete roof replacement. And THEN -- lucky you -- you'll get to fork over a few hundred or a few thousand in special assessments.

Don't expect the association to pick up the tab on that one.

If I were you, I'd get it in writing that they are going to pay and and you are absolved of any responsibility. Because it is not standard for the association to pay in this kind of situation. I'm glad you're not having to pay but I think the condo association is mistaken in thinking it's their responsibility.

The RE writer for the Boston Globe addressed this exact question a couple of months ago and said what most here have said: that the association pays for the exterior roof repairs and the unit owner (or his insurance company) pays for the damage in his unit.

When they start having every owner expect the association to make interior repairs, you better believe they're going to investigate very thoroughly whether or not it's their job to pay for it. I think you got lucky this time!

Your condo is only as good as the association. However, get the rules - CC&R's - and see how it defines common areas. If the association's ruling contradicts the CC&R's, they must go by the CC&R's. In some states an owner at odds with the associaton may pay condo dues into an escrow account instead of to the HOA until the issue is resolved.

Of course my advice to you is - sell the $#!!er and never buy another condo again! They don't appreciate in value like other properties and they are nothing but grief.

I respectfully disagree, Scarlett. Many of us prefer not to deal with the added responsibilities of single-family-home ownership.

I have no desire to deal with my own trash pick-up, landscaping, searching out of contractors, etc., etc. I pay a monthly nominal fee to my (extremely well-run) management company and they handle all of that for me.

The biggest key to having a good condo experience (as with anything) is to do your homework before you buy into a building. Ask for a copy of the minutes from the last three board meetings. This will give you a good feel for how the association and building run themselves. Also ask to see all the financials. THIS is a biggie: if something raises a red flag, you should probably continue your condo search elsewhere. By all means, DON'T sign on any dotted line until you've had your attorney or accountant review these documents as well.

Resale value is a major factor if you don't plan to live in the property for a significant time period. The less time you live there, the less equity you'll have -- just like any real estate. But everybody has to live somehwere. Condo living offers a wonderful, low-hassle lifestyle. You just have to find the fit that's right for you.

I am glad your association is going to pay for the damages. You are lucky. If you do not have renter's insurance, I highly suggest that you get it. Where I live, the HOA is responsibility for the outside and I am responsiblity for everything inside of the dry wall. If the building burns down, the HOA rebuilds the bldg and I am (or my renter insurance) responsible for all the content inside, including the drywall, cabinets, carpet, etc.