Handling Leaks Between Units: A Guide for Owners and Residents

April 3, 2025 - Handling Leaks Between Units: A Guide for Owners and Residents
Hey Wafco Mills owners and residents! Whether you own your unit or rent it, a leak from upstairs can throw you for a loop. Good news: we’ve got a simple process to tackle it—and knowing your neighbors makes it even better. Here’s what to do, step by step, backed by our rules, state law, and a little community spirit. Let’s sort it out together!

Step-by-Step Process for Owners and Residents

1. Spot the Leak and Limit Damage

   • Notice water (drips, stains, soggy spots)? Check if it’s likely from the unit above.

   • Act fast—grab a bucket, move stuff, or turn off your unit’s water if you can find it (see the FAQ on WafcoMills.com—it’s usually near the water heater). Quick moves save headaches!

2. Tenants: Call Your Owner or your owner’s Property Manager; Owners: Reach Out Yourself

   • Tenants: Contact your unit owner or their property manager ASAP (their info’s in your lease). Say, “Hey, water’s coming in from upstairs—can you help?” Tell them if you’ve shut off your water. Tenants may NOT contact the Board of Directors. The board only serves owners. Sorry, we have to keep volunteering time limited to owners. Owners who encourage their tenants to contact the board will incur a warning and then will be fined for repeating offences.

   • Owners: If you don’t already have contact info for your neighbor, owners can Email WeLoveWafcoMills@gmail.com with your unit number and a note about the leak. Our Articles of Incorporation, Article V, 2(g) lets the board connect owners for maintenance issues—we’ll share the upstairs owner’s contact info (name, phone, or email) once we verify you’re an owner (send your deed from Guilford County GIS if you’re not registered). Please note that the register or owners is maintained by volunteers and may not have the most current owner contact information. If our accounting service provider has not provided a new owner with our current board email contact, the owner may not have shared their contact info with us. You can locate basic info on the previously shared Guilford County GIS.

3. Notify the Upstairs Neighbor

   • Tenants: Your owner or manager will handle this—if they do not already have contact info, they’ll ask the board for the upstairs owner’s info and get them to act.

   • Owners: Call or email the upstairs owner and say, “Hey, I’ve got water coming through—can you check your unit?” If you’ve met them, it’s a lot nicer—you can team up to find the source. Ask them to turn off their water (FAQ says it’s near the water heater). Per N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47C-3-107(a), owners maintain their unit’s utilities, so they’ve got to step up fast.

4. Turn Off Your Water (If Needed)

   • If the leak’s bad and the upstairs water’s still on, shut off your own to protect your space just in case it is from one of your own plumbing lines. Check the FAQ for the shutoff spot—usually in the wall by the water heater.

5. Owners Handle Insurance; Tenants Stay in the Loop

   • Owners: Call your HO-6 insurance provider (details in the Owner Document Portal), report the leak, and swap insurance info with the upstairs owner. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47C-3-107(a), you each cover your unit’s interior and utilities—HO-6 policies typically handle leak damage (check yours).

   • Tenants: Your owner will deal with their own unit insurance and the upstairs owner’s. Plumbers often need into both units, so your owner might ask you to help with access—stay posted through them!

6. Let Insurance Pros Take Over

   • Owners: Your licensed insurance adjusters—paid by your premiums—sort out repairs and liability. If negligence (like an ignored pipe) is involved, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47C-3-107(c) lets them settle it. The volunteer board connects you, not fixes pipes!

   • Tenants: Owners and their insurance handle the rest—your job’s done once the water’s off.

Why Knowing Your Neighbors Helps

If you’ve met the folks upstairs, this is a whole lot smoother. Owners can say, “Hey, water’s dripping in—let’s figure it out,” and work together; tenants can nudge their owner with a friendly heads-up already in place. Plumbers usually need access to both units, so it’s less awkward and faster if you’re on good terms. Expect a bit more chatting for a while—it’s a small price for a dry ceiling! I’ve met so many awesome people at Wafco Mills, and this is such a great group of residents—our community shines in moments like these. Keep communication friendly and remember that no one enjoys being inconvenienced by a leak or dealing with insurance.

The Rules Behind It

Our Articles of Incorporation, Article V, 2(f) let the board enforce community standards, and the Rules and Regulations (June 2021) say owners must share these rules with tenants and require their acceptance along with their lease agreement prior to residency at Wafco Mills. North Carolina law puts unit upkeep on owners, not the HOA, and your HO-6 (or your owner’s condo insurance policy) is the key. Questions? Owners, email WeLoveWafcoMills@gmail.com; tenants, tell your owner to reach out. Sorry, we do not have volunteer hours to communicate with tenants. We’re here to link people up, not patch leaks ourselves—let’s keep Wafco strong together!

—Joy Watson, President, Wafco Mills HOA