re: HOA Condo: Water leaking from bathroom ceiling through light fixture.

So the man upstairs doesn’t like you?

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You are responsible for your damage in your condo.

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So, I have to pay for the plumber to fix the upstairs unit?

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You are responsible for your damage in your condo. Unless the upstairs neighbor was totally negligent (he wasn't). If your insurance company can subrogate against the neighbor or the HOA then they will. Again, nobody else is paying for your condo damage. They owe you nothing. Call your insurance company.

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I own a restoration company and have dealt with this issue many times over the last decade, this is almost correct. Generally, here is what happens:

Homeowner upstairs had no negligence, they aren’t responsible. But, they have to pay to fix their plumbing.

You’re ceiling was caused by the fact your neighbor is directly above you, not your fault either.

Most of the time the HOA covers anything that causes damage inside common walls and between floors like this. That’s who should pay to fix your unit, so call them first. If not, file an insurance claim and your insurance will subrogate.

You also need to have a mitigation company involved, just in case. We are the ones that have meters and understand structural drying. Letting it just air out generally won’t work. Just fans generally won’t work. Dehumidification is how you dry a property. It also needs to be treated. Depending on what was wet and how much was cut out, you may not need anything. It depends on the structure.

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Depends on what your condo docs say but usually it’s going to be on the upstairs neighbor. Most hoas only cover exterior and some common pipes

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Yup, need to check your condo paperwork. I've gotten screwed on this twice already where the upstairs neighbor had a leak that damaged my place and my insurance had to cover it because that's how our association is set up. My insurance actually didn't renew me because of it at one point.