Prudent for neighbours to work together to fix leaks quickly

If your apartment ceiling starts showing signs of dampness, you have the right to ask the owner of the unit above to fix the problem.

- Tan Ooi Boon

This is because the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act presumes that such damage is probably caused by a defect in the upstairs unit, so its owner must resolve the matter, unless he can prove that the leak did not originate in his flat.

A bare denial won't work in such cases, so owners usually have to engage contractors to find the cause of the leak or risk having to pay hefty compensation if it causes major inconvenience to their neighbours.

For instance, if a leak makes it hard for the neighbours to continue living in their unit, the owners may even be liable to pay for their temporary occupation elsewhere. Here are two examples on how such disputes were resolved.