We closed on our new condo today and then disaster struck.

[sleepyhead]

After the closing was over, we drove back to the condo to check on things. We had been in the apartment for about 5 minutes when all of a sudden water started gushing down through all the light fixtures. Apparently the heat had been turned off in the apartment upstairs and a pipe froze and then burst. All the apartments in our line were flooded, as was the elevator and most of the hallway. So we are now the proud owners of an underwater condo. Luckily, the owner of the building was there and got workers out immediately. He promised to get things fixed up, and to house us if we need a place to stay (we are about to sell our present place and may end up in a hotel for a while), and to arrange for storage/moving of our things. It's a brand new building, so there's no one living there yet - I suppose things could have been much worse if everyone was moved in with all their stuff. (Trying to look on the bright side - what else can I do?) All in all, there has been way too much excitement for me today!

[idgiehkt]

1. Good grief!

Bless your heart. :hug:

I hope everything gets taken care of and restored back to normal very soon.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Holy cow.

If you haven't done so, please call your lawyer just to be sure that you have all your options laid out for you.

[sleepyhead]

5. I called him right away.

I left a message on his voice mail and when he called me back, all I could do was laugh hysterically for several minutes. He is going to send a letter to the building owner's lawyer tomorrow to get everything down on paper. As soon as I find out more, I will have a long discussion with him about what to do next. I am sure that everything will work out eventually - and if not, I have several lawyer friends who owe me favors. At least I have a roof over my head for the time being and nobody has gotten hurt.

[Meshuga]

3. What luck!

Sorry, this is so crappy! At least it's getting resolved. Congratulations BTW!

[sleepyhead]

6. Yeah, luck!

We were wondering to ourselves what the chances were that we would be in the condo at the very instant that the flooding occurred, and came to the conclusion that the odds were minuscule. We decided to buy some lottery tickets tomorrow, as we seem to be in a position to beat the odds right now.

[Shine]

4. wow, that's quite a story.

reminds me of what happened to my hubby back during the '89 Loma Prieta earthquake. He was in the middle of escrow on a duplex when it hit. Luckily, the place itself was undamaged ,but the escrow office was pretty badly ruined. They had to compile all the legal docs using copies and whatnot. It was a crazy time.

Hope it all works out for you. Congrats on the new condo! :toast:

[sleepyhead]

7. It's a great condo.

Lots of light and space, great views (we are in Brooklyn and can see the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline), gorgeous wood floors, and a washer/dryer in the apartment. When we finally get to move in, we will probably appreciate it all the more.

[crim son]

8. Oh no.

That's rotten luck! At least the owner is being honorable with promises to house you until repairs are made. I'm sorry!

[Missy Vixen]

9. Watch out for mold

Also, I'm sure your lawyer is all over this, but I'm wondering if this is enough to be able to redraw the closing documents to state that if there is addtional water damage found, the builders are responsible for any bills involved.

Good luck.
Julie

p.s. We had a pipe break in a condo we formerly owned. Again, the lawyer will know this -- get EVERYTHING in writing.

[sleepyhead]

10. Mold was one of the first things I thought of.

Great idea about the closing documents - I will ask my lawyer about that today. Maybe we can get a statement about mold damage too. Thanks.

[KenHodson]

11. At least you are on the right side of the transaction

I was selling a condo and was completely moved out for months prior to the closing date. I hadn't been there for about 4 weeks. The only one to access it was the buying party and her realtor. This condo had those old water filled radiant heaters. Apparently someone turned the wrong valve on it - and left. Water ran onto the floor for days before it was noticed; it was noticed the day prior to the closing.
Well guess who's responsibility it is. Mine. My profit and then some was lost due to the negligence of the buyer.

[ThomCat]

12. What a damned nightmare

:wow:

I hope they really are able to repair all the damage. But water damange can be tricky. Document this, so that if there are long term problems you can hold the building responsible and get them to pay for the repairs.