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Claim for damage from property Management company

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    60

    Claim for damage from property Management company

    Hi I need some advice please. Our apartment got damaged as a result of a burst external pipe. We are the owners of this apartment. This pipe is the responsibility of our buildings management company. I have the relevant photos of the water seepage into my apartment. I have already written to the management company about this matter just informing them of the damage. Is there a procedure to make a formal claim. Any forms that I should be filling etc? Thank you very much.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    薄扶林
    Posts
    47,963

    As hike says, your owners corp should have insurance. I am surprised though the management has not been proactive. Try and find out who the chairperson of the owners Corp is and speak to them.

    All of this is assuming you don't have insurance yourself.. If you do, let yiur insurance company sort out the mess and handle your claim.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    60

    There is a receding window and the tiles on the top part of the window are damaged.
    I am afraid they might become loose and fall


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    60

    Yes, we do have insurance so I will speak to them. Just wondering if it is worth is going through them for a small claim. Or should I directly contact the property managemnt company's insurance directly. Will try and contact the chairperson of owners Corporation. Thank you


  5. #5

    management company won't do anything until it gets direction from the owners committee.

    Find out when the next owners meeting is because you have a right to attend.

    Write your letter to the incorporated owners + management company. The building will have been covered by insurance. All the insurance certificates by law have to be posted on the notice board. Ask the management company and incorporated owners for a copy of the insurance policy, and ask them for the forms to fill in. Give them a deadline. Find out from your own insurance company if there is a deadline for submitting.

    Also, call you the buildings department and ask for them to send someone round to investigate . Is it an external water pipe or is it a sewage pipe ?

    Owners committee will meet may be every 3 months ...... or even longer!


  6. #6

    Also since you have tiles that may fall, definitely inform the buildings department and send all the photos and videos to management company and incorporated owners and put them on notice that it urgent they attend to the matter. Address it to the people with their names.....that way, there's no escape .

    Also, send a copy by hand to the management office and ask them to stamp received and date a hard copy.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    60

    Actually the water seeped through the external wall into my bathroom and damaged the tiles.


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    164
    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    All of this is assuming you don't have insurance yourself.. If you do, let your insurance company sort out the mess and handle your claim.
    I had similar issue, but water seepage from external wall.
    I had my insurance write a warning letter to the management office/IO asking to fix and compensate for the damages.
    They took no action. When I call management office, the person in charge is always "busy" to get the call and never calls me back (I seem to be the only English speaker so they know).

    I contacted insurance company's loss adjuster again, and they said "oh, they still didn't do anything? The only thing you can do is go to small claims court"

    Still thinking if I should take this route as this will be very troublesome and will have a permanent record on the lands registry

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    3,886

    This has been written many times before, FEHD and Building Department, get onto them pronto, They have the power to issue a report that you can use to prove it’s the building management’s responsibility


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    164
    Quote Originally Posted by Sage:
    This has been written many times before, FEHD and Building Department, get onto them pronto, They have the power to issue a report that you can use to prove it’s the building management’s responsibility
    I contacted 1823 and had Buildings Department visit my home in the very early stage.
    They said if it is pipe issue (as in the OP's case), then they can be involved but if external wall not their area of concern.

    They suspected it is external wall issue and suggested me to get a surveyor/go through small claims court since they cannot be involved.