Ask condo owners about their property managers or associations and you’ll likely get a few emotionally charged responses accompanied by stories how awful or wonderful they were during a catastrophe. In this case, the property manager seems to have been well-intentioned by calling their “go-to” restoration company when an owner recently had a flood on the second floor, but the results ended up costing the parties involved thousands of dollars in expenses that could have been avoided. This is the case of water damage restoration done completely wrong.
Dwelling: Condo
Category: Water
Location: Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room
What should have been a mildly annoying intrusion from an unwanted visitor for our unfortunate condo owner ended up leaving her with what could be many months of frustrating back and forth between two insurance carriers, a property manager and home owner’s association. Many of the headaches yet to be endured could have been avoided had we only been contacted sooner.
It all started when a couple of birds decided to make the victim’s attic their new home for the sake of hatching a couple of eggs. Any animals or pests nesting in the attic carry with them the potential for insects or diseases, requiring your home to be fumigated. Our condo owner got in touch with her property manager and advised them of the problem. The response was very quick, setting up an appointment for later that day. The maintenance supervisor for the property led the pest control specialists into the attic access. It didn’t take long to find the nest that had been built by the unwanted inhabitants, but it was after carefully navigating through the tight space. On the way back, the specialist tripped over the pipe for the sprinkler system that was covered up by insulation. We’re sure you can guess what happened next.
It only took a few minutes to locate the emergency shut off valve to that part of the system, but not before the broken pipe loosed enough water to create a pretty cool looking waterfall into the owner’s living room. The water ran along the ceiling to the crystal chandelier hanging in the dining room, creating a multitude of tiny rainbows as each drop of water fell to the floor.
The victim’s son, thinking quickly, grabbed a couple of large trash bins from their patio and placed them on top of the table. Within a minute, the water was shut off so the flow of water slowed to a trickle.
The maintenance supervisor immediately ran back to the victim’s unit to assess the damage, pulling out his cell phone as he ran. Upon seeing the cracked ceiling and water spreading all over the floor and furnishings inside the unit, he called the company with whom the association had a service contract. They showed up with equipment ready to remove the standing water and dry out anything that could be salvaged.
Or so the victim and her son thought.
The irritating inconvenience of birds making a home in their attic had quickly become an all out nightmare, and getting worse by the minute. The water damage company started haphazardly moving furniture around, leaving scrape marks across the floor, scratching the wooden coffee table and laying an expensive oriental run across the iron railing of the patio. After everything had been moved, the technicians then proceeded to knock holes every foot or so in the drywall above the baseboards around the room.
Helpful Tip: In most cases, condo associations are responsible for the drywall and anything behind the drywall in each unit. Texturing and painting the drywall fall to the homeowner. If you live in a condo, be sure to thoroughly read through the association responsibilities.
That was the case in this situation. So, the water damage company, under contract and contacted by property management employees, were tasked with ensuring the drywall got dried out. Little to no care was shown about the personal property damaged throughout this ordeal.
The following day, the water damage company came back to monitor the equipment and see how the dry out process was progressing. It was at this point the homeowner pointed out some of the damage that had been done to her furniture. She also pointed out that her rug was starting to smell and there was an orange, rust-like discoloration starting to appear on her rug.
“Ma’am, I’m going to be honest with you. You may want to call someone else out here. We were tasked with making sure the drywall was saved as our top priority.”
Taken aback by the brazenness with which the technician shrugged off the additional damage in her home, she immediately called her insurance agent. She quickly explained the situation to her agent and asked for guidance. Not surprised by the sequence of events, the agent advised our homeowner that most likely she would need to file a claim with her insurance, who would in turn go after the pest control company’s insurance for the damages. The first thing, however, was to get someone out there that could start the process of righting this disaster of a situation.
Enter Mammoth Restoration. Our lead water team, Rees and Six-seven, were dispatched to the scene. Having been briefed by our dispatcher, Jimmy, they guys knew they were walking into a bad situation with a frustrated homeowner. And it sounded like she had every reason to be upset, besides the obvious issue of a major leak in her home.
The first thing they noticed upon entering was how high the humidity was. The previous company had left 6 axial fans, which is appropriate for drying out a “top-down” flood, or one that leaks down from the ceiling or room above for the lay person. But what they didn’t do was direct the flow of air directly into the ceiling itself to facilitate drying out that space, nor did they leave a dehumidifier – an essential part of the drying out process.
Without a dehumidifier to absorb the excess moisture in the air being generated by the fans, the humidity just hangs in the air, like an invisible storm cloud inside the space. What’s worse is that it can spread to the unaffected areas of the house, in some cases, causing damage to prized possessions like this signed Mickey Mantel jersey that got ruined from an improper water damage dry out.
Despite their respective sizes, the 6’7″ giant and hulking 245 lb power lifter clamored up into the attic to assess the damage there, along with the wood flooring in the living and dining rooms inside the unit. The main issue that had not been addressed by the previous company, was the wet insulation in the attic. Wet insulation, along with the already humid environment of the attic space, creates the perfect breeding ground for mold.
Conclusion: After explaining the potential hazard with the wet insulation, the improper set-up and lack of correct equipment and what could be done to possibly save the wooden floors that had yet to be addressed, the victim desired to hire Mammoth right on the spot. The first restoration company was called in to remove their equipment. Rees and Six-seven placed a drying mat for the floor and set up the equipment to properly dry out and regulate the humidity inside the great room. They got the insulation removed from the attic and set up a tube using plastic sheeting that directed air directly into the attic space for proper dry out. The undamaged personal property was moved and contained and affected personal belongings were moved to our in-house storage facility for proper cleaning.