Waaaaah! Socially distancing when your upstairs neighbour's brought your ceiling down

[sleepyhead]

A leak under the floorboards (presumably) in the flat upstairs caused a small damp patch on our hall ceiling at lunchtime today which I reported to them while observing the requisite 2m distance.

I went back up a couple of hours later when there was a worrying bulge, again maintaining 2m distance and brandishing my mobile with picture evidence and urging the tenant to phone his landlord again.

Then an hour ago the ceiling broke (only the paint so not as dramatic as all that), flood across the floor, now a constant drip drip drip into a bucket.

I've shown him photos, he's phoned his landlord and the agent and they've told him to try and get a plumber out who will presumably also want to view the damage. Can I say, here's a photo view at 2m mate?

Also, (months) in the future when it's fixed and dry and we're in a place where things like this can get sorted, do I claim from the landlord's contents insurance or the building insurance or will my insurance company sort it out for me?

Well it's an emergency so the plumber will have to come in - but presumably to their flat and not yours.

And on the last question you would need to claim off your own insurance. (I've had a bit of experience of this very thing). Your insurance company could then claim off your neighbours' insurance company if a reasonable case for negligence having caused this could be made. Otherwise it's the person who sustain's the loss whose insurance foots the bill, regardless of where the source of the problem originated.

Ah ok, bugger. We're £100 down then.

Oh well, at least we'll get the hall redecorated. It's gone right down the walls.

He's finally switched the water off so at least the maddening drip has stopped.

If it's a flat, is there not building insurance as part of the management fee? That's what would be claimed from.

Yes there's building insurance. I'll contact the factors on Monday.