What to Do If Neighbors Flooded You (or You Flooded Them)

Floods come in various forms: burst hot or cold water pipes, sewer blockage, pipe leak in the riser, or a faucet left open. But all of them can lead to serious consequences. Let's explore together with an expert what to do if the worst has already happened.

Yuri Kryukov — a legal expert, runs his blog on Instagram @vkursedela about the rights of apartment owners and co-owners

If neighbors flooded you. I was flooded. What should you do?

Call the 24/7 dispatch service: a duty plumber will come to your home and either fix the leak or call a repair team.

Where can you find the dispatch service phone number?

Search for the abbreviation ODS (unified dispatch services) and your address on Google. Or call your property management company.

Even better, look up and save the number now so it's always at hand: ODS is responsible not only for your building but also for the area around it.

Can I fix the leak myself?

Yes, if it happens in your apartment. If someone else is flooding you, talk to your neighbors and make a joint decision.

Important: if the hot water pipe bursts, don't approach closely — it could be dangerous.

Now you'll have to do repairs. How to get compensation?

Contact your property management company: the sooner, the better. Based on your application, a commission will draw up an act describing the cause of the flood and damage to property.

Try to negotiate with your neighbors. If they agree to compensate for the damage, ask for a receipt with payment terms.

How to assess the damage from flooding?

Many commercial organizations conduct such assessments. The average cost of the service in Moscow: 8,000 to 25,000 rubles.

Important: before the expert assessment, invite the person responsible for the flood to attend the inspection. Expert report can be used as evidence in court.

Does insurance help in such cases?

Yes! It's the ideal way to cover damage. When signing the policy, carefully read the contract and ensure all necessary insurance cases with compensation are described.

Pay attention to whether the compensation is also paid to others who were affected, in case the flood occurred due to your fault.

A neighbor refuses to admit fault. Can I sue them?

Certainly. For filing a lawsuit, you'll need:

• a complaint;
• an act of flooding: request this from the property management company right after the incident;
• an expert assessment of the damage cost;
• documents related to expenses: for the expert, legal help, and other receipts;
• a written notice about inviting the person responsible for the flood to participate in the expert report;
• evidence of payment of state fee (if you're filing a lawsuit against an individual).

Important: if you file a lawsuit against the property management company or housing cooperative for an amount under 1 million rubles, you don't need to pay the state fee.

I won the case but the neighbor still refuses to pay compensation. What now?

Based on the court ruling, get an enforcement order and hand it over to bailiffs: they will find a legal way to collect money from the debtor.

If the property management company is at fault. Several apartments were affected. How to get compensation?

If the fault of the property management company is proven and documented, you need to assess the damage. With the expert report, you must prepare a written claim.

If the response to your claim and proposed solutions do not satisfy you, don't hesitate to file a lawsuit.

If our building is managed by a housing cooperative (TSJ) instead of a property management company?

Both the property management company and the housing cooperative are equally responsible for the common property of the building.

If you flooded neighbors. Neighbors demand a huge sum for repairs: what to do?

Try to attend the inspection when the act of damaged property is being drawn up. If you disagree with the amount, insist on an independent expert assessment and resolve the issue through court.