Leak Protocol

RIVER TOWNE CONDOMINIUM OWNERSASSOCIATION, INC.

IMPORTANT WATER LEAK/OVERFLOW INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES

PLEASE READ AND SAVE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

UPDATED JANUARY 2024

Emergency Contact- Text Preferred or call 865-936-2500
Preferred Plumbers 865-352-9003 or 865-440-1051

Locate the source: If you discover a leak, immediately try to identify its origin.
Shut off water: If possible, turn off the water supply to the affected area. Locate shut-off valves under sinks, behind toilets, or near the water heater. If you can't find the valve or it won't turn, contact emergency contact number above.
Protect property: Move valuables and electronics away from the leak to prevent damage. Place towels or containers to catch leaking water and minimize damage to floors and furniture.
Alert neighbors: If the leak does not stop after you have turned the water supply off to you unit or is severe or poses a risk to neighboring units, notify them promptly.

Reporting the Leak:

Contact management: Call the designated emergency number immediately. Provide clear details about the location and severity of the leak.
Follow instructions: Stay on the line and follow their instructions. They may ask for additional information or guidance.

During Repairs:

Provide access: Ensure personnel have access to the affected area and necessary shut-off valves.
Document damage: Take photos and videos of the leak and any resulting damage for insurance claims or potential repairs.
Communicate with neighbors: Keep affected neighbors informed about the situation and repairs.

After Repairs:

Inspect thoroughly: Once repairs are complete, carefully inspect the area for any signs of ongoing leaks or moisture.
Report remaining issues: Promptly report any concerns to RRS for further evaluation.
Monitor for recurrence: Stay vigilant for signs of future leaks and report any issues immediately.

Additional Information:

Know your shut-off valves: Familiarize yourself with the location of shut-off valves in your unit before an emergency occurs.
Keep contact information handy: Have the emergency numbers easily accessible.
Understand your responsibilities: Be aware of your obligations as a resident regarding leak reporting and maintenance access.
Review insurance coverage: Check your homeowner's or condominium insurance policy to understand coverage for water damage.

Responsibility of Homeowners

Section Two and Four of the Association Master Deed defines the “Unit” to include all appliances, fixtures, HVAC equipment and ventilation serving that unit. Section Thirteen paragraph L requires owners to maintain and keep in repair all fixtures (electrical or plumbing) and HVAC equipment within the Unit, commencing at a point where the sewer and utility lines, pipes, wires, conduits or systems enter the Unit. Owners are expressly responsible for the damages and liabilities that his or her failure to do so may cause.”

Because each homeowner in a condominium development is responsible for the maintenance of their own unit and any damages caused by the failure to maintain and repair their property, it is to every property owner’s advantage to inspect and maintain their property to avoid leaks and overflows and subsequent damage caused by these. It is also important that homeowners carry insurance on their unit to protect them in the event that significant damage occurs resulting from a leak. Each unit’s ownership includes all piping from or to the plane of the interior unfinished surface of the sheetrock walls & ceiling or unfinished floors. All water lines inside the unit including ice-maker line, dishwasher drain line, AC condensate drain line and the hot water heater are also part of the unit’s plumbing.

River Towne plumbing is 17 years old, and as such needs to be maintained regularly. If your unit still has the original fixtures and plumbing appliances, it is especially likely that problems will occur if action is not taken to update and maintain your plumbing. Many of the water leaks at River Towne are due to the tub drain, toggle plate, faucet, or tub surround not being properly sealed; or the AC condensate line, hot water heater or ice-maker line leaking. Most overflows are due to debris, usually grease, that has been placed down the kitchen sink which clogs the drain.

When a leak/overflow occurs, it is imperative that the procedures outlined below are followed. Leaks that are not addressed quickly can lead to extensive water damage as well as the presence of mold which poses a health hazard as well as enormous clean up expenses. Be advised that many insurance policies today have a mold exclusion and will not pay for the costs associated with mold removal and testing. All homeowners involved when a leak occurs have a responsibility to cooperate in the resolution of the situation. The management company and the board of the association will assist an individual homeowner only when these procedures have been attempted and failed. If a homeowner does not cooperate in promptly reporting and facilitating repairs, they will assume responsibility for all damages incurred due to their failure to act.

It is vital that all owners inform their tenants as to how an emergency water leak/overflow in their unit should be handled, including what action to take if the landlord cannot be reached. Your tenant(s) should be educated on how to shut off the water supply to the sinks, toilet, and hot water heater. In the event of an emergency, personnel may need to enter your unit immediately to minimize damages to your unit and/or other units. This is a problem especially when owners live out of the area, cannot be located, or no one is occupying the unit. Provide the management company with an up-to-date emergency contact number so that someone with a key can be reached (if keys have not been submitted to management) in an emergency involving your unit.

Preventative Measures

Do not put grease, excessive paper, or other debris down any of the drains. Please stress this to all tenants as well as the importance of promptly notifying you of any leaks or plumbing problems within the unit. To encourage this, it is advisable to put into your lease agreement that tenants will be charged for repairs resulting from their negligence in reporting maintenance problems or the misuse of the plumbing fixtures. Owners should supply a plunger in each unit for tenants use.
Inspect garbage disposal to ensure it is in working order.
Inspect hot water heater drain pan for moisture. Make sure your unit has a drain pain, that the drain pan has a drain line, and keep this drain line clear of debris. If there is water in the drain pan the hot water heater has a leak and needs to be repaired or replaced.
Run sinks and dishwasher. Inspect drain and supply lines under cabinets for leaks. Check dishwasher drain line and connections for deterioration or leaks and replace if necessary. If drains are slow from sinks, tub, or toilet, piping is likely clogged and needs cleaned before an overflow develops or the clog moves and causes additional problems.
Inspect tub surround for cracks and missing grout as well as any gaps between the tub and surround. Check the tub for cracks. The tub edges between tub and the surround, corners of the surround, and any tile need to be caulked, re-grouted, or otherwise sealed often. Caulk around the top edge of tub where it meets the wall, and bottom edge of tub where it meets flooring.
Caulk around all bathroom and kitchen fixtures. This includes the faucets, drain toggle plate, and the tub drain connection. Check shower head connection and plate cover for leaks.
Replace the wax seal under toilet periodically.
Check ice maker line for kinks, deterioration, and leaks.
It is each homeowner’s responsibility to ensure that these precautions are taken and inspections performed no less than quarterly and more often if the unit is unoccupied. A leak that goes undetected in an unoccupied unit will cause excessive preventable damages which will not be covered by the HOA or insurance! You must inspect and encourage your tenants to inspect and report problems to you immediately to avoid your own liability.

Procedure for Leaks

The River Towne’s Association Board of Directors has developed the following procedures for homeowners to follow in the event water leaks occur within the complex. DO NOT IGNORE ANY LEAK OR PLUMBING PROBLEM! If you do not report and/or repair leaks and/or plumbing problems in a timely manner, YOU are negligent and you assume liability due to your inaction, regardless of where the leak originates.

IF YOU HAVE WATER PRESENT IN YOUR UNIT ORIGINATING IN ANOTHER UNIT

If you have a leak that constitutes a true physical emergency, call the management company’s emergency number to report the leak. Management will provide you with the owner’s contact number (if the owner has provided one to management). Otherwise, call the management company during normal business hours to report the leak and obtain the name and contact information of the owner of the unit from which the leak appears to originate.

Contact the owner of the unit with the leak and notify them of the location and urgency of the repair. If the leak is causing significant damage, insist that the owner contact a 24 hour plumber to stop the leak immediately if they are unable to do so themselves. If the leak is causing minimal damage and can be easily contained in some way, the homeowner must repair or stop the leak within 48 hours of notification.

Cooperate with unit owner to allow prompt access to your unit to inspect and/or repair the leak.

Take any action possible in your unit to minimize the damage—wet vacuum, place receptacle to catch water, mop flooring, use fans to dry area, etc.

Document any damages. Take pictures of damages and save any receipts or reports. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to negotiate a settlement of damages with the unit owner responsible. The individual homeowner’s insurance can assist with these negotiations if necessary.

If the owner of the unit with the leak cannot be contacted, is uncooperative, or the leak is not repaired within a reasonable time frame dependent on its severity, contact the management company to report the difficulty. Realize that occasionally a leak may be difficult to locate and repair may be delayed through no fault of the responsible homeowner. Document your attempts to notify and resolve the situation by writing a letter to the owner and copy Management. Do not ignore any leak! It is the homeowner’s responsibility to notify management of difficulties in the resolution of ANY leaks. Management will then notify the Board so the difficulty will be on record. However, Management and/or the Board will only become directly involved in the resolution of leaks that are verified to have originated in common areas.

IF YOU ARE NOTIFIED OF OR NOTICE A LEAK/OVERFLOW ORIGINATING IN YOUR UNIT

If contacted by the owner of the unit where water is present obtain a description of the location and severity of the leak. If you notice a leak in your unit, notify the management company that you are aware of a leak.

If the leak is causing significant damage, you must contact a 24 hour plumber upon notification of the leak to minimize the damage unless you are able to immediately stop the water yourself. Clean up all water using a wet vacuum, mop, and/or towels, etc. Use fan to dry the area. Turn on air conditioner or de-humidifier to remove humidity from the unit.

If the leak is causing minimal damage such as a slow drip that the homeowner can contain with a bucket, is over the tub, etc., the source of the leak must be repaired within 48 hours.

Cooperate with owner of damaged unit or the management company (common area leaks) to facilitate prompt repair of the leak. Keep the property owner (or management, if it is a common area pipe leak) updated on the status of the repair and after repairs are made contact them to ensure the problem is remedied.

If the leak is not stopped within the required time frame, the board or the management company can authorize a plumber to make repairs and bill the responsible homeowner for all associated costs, including time to supervise the repair personnel.

You may want to notify your homeowner insurance carrier if the damages to your unit or other unit(s) are significant.

This document outlines guidelines to follow for routine leaks in the complex. Circumstances may dictate other action, depending on the severity or location of the leak.

VERY IMPORTANT: The Board and Management will require that a licensed plumber provide written documentation and photographic evidence a leak has originated in a common area pipe. The arrangements for repair of a common pipe leak are the responsibility of the unit owner where the leak originates. Management and the HOA will not authorize access or repairs within an individually owned property under normal circumstances. A leak which originates in a common area pipe must be repaired by the unit owner and all documentation and expenses turned in to the RTC Board via the management company. The owner will be reimbursed for common pipe repairs. Damage reimbursement will be considered on a case by case basis. IF you do not cooperate in arranging for and/or allowing immediate access for repairs, then, you, the owner, will be held responsible for all costs associated with the leak repair and all costs associated with repair of damages resulting from the leak to your unit and all other units that are adversely affected.

IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY RESULTING FROM A WATER LEAK OR OVERFLOW, THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND/OR OTHER AUTHORIZED PERSONS HAS THE RIGHT OF ENTRY TO YOUR PROPERTY AND THE RIGHT TO AUTHORIZE REPAIRS OR CLEANUP ON YOUR BEHALF AND AT YOUR EXPENSE as stated in the Master Deed. This option will be utilized only as a last resort and/or in the case of extreme emergencies.

THE RIVER TOWNE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION and REALTY RESOURCE SYSTEMS (RRS) DOES NOT ASSUME LIABILITY AT ANY TIME FOR: DAMAGES CAUSED BY AN OWNER OR ANY OWNER’S PROPERTY TO ANOTHER OWNER OR TO ANY OTHER OWNER’S PROPERTY, DAMAGES FROM COMMON PIPE LEAKS THAT WERE NOT REPORTED IMMEDIATELY TO THE FPHA OR MANAGEMENT, FOR EMERGENCY ENTRY, OR FOR COST OF REPAIRS MADE BY THE ASSOCIATION (and/or RRS) ON THE OWNER’S BEHALF IN AN URGENT/EMERGENCY SITUATION.