Paul & Associates

On Tuesday, March 28, 2016 a unit in the association reported a leak into her master bedroom. A plumbing company was dispatched immediately. Upon arrival, the plumber determined that water was also leaking into the common area storage room. The plumber advised that the water to the building would...

need to be shut off, so that they could determine the Source of the leak. A temporary fix was put in place, and notices were posted in the building to advise residents that water to the building would be turned off the following day.When the plumber returned on 3/29, they found that the leak originated from a pipe in the complainant's unit. The plumber knocked on the complainant’s door, asking for access to her unit, The complainant was unwilling to provide access at that time. The complainant called Paul Associates, and spoke with the property manager, who informed the complainant that this was an emergency situation. The complainant then agreed to give the plumbers access to her unit on Thursday, 3/31.The repair was scheduled, both the complainant and the other agreed to provide access to their units on 3/31, Water shut off notices were posted in the building.However, during the afternoon of 3/29, the complainant changed her mind about providing access. She believed that her unit was not the originating source of the leak; rather, she believed the leak originated from a neighboring apartment. She stated that the pipes in her unit were on the opposite side of the leak. The property manager explained to the complainant that the plumber had shown the property manager the leaking pipe, and explained to her the layout of the pipes in the building. The complainant continued to insist that this was incorrect; she made many calls to the office, and spoke with several of our staff members. She insisted that here pipes were not on that side of the walls, and she was very film about not wanting any holes punched in her walls. The complainant was informed several times by all Paul Associates staff members that the leak did originate from her unit.As she continued to refuse to provide access, she was advised via both email and certified mail that, as this was an ongoing and active leak, with the potential to cause major damage to other residents and to their possessions, failure to provide access to her unit to effect the repair could result in the complainant being responsible for any further damages to the affected units and common areas, A copy of the ASSociation Bylaws that explained this responsibility was included in the email and certified mail.Upon receiving the email, the complainant did contact the office; she agreed to provide access to her unit on 3/31, after being assured that any holes would be repaired as quickly as possible. The plumbing company did access both the complainant unit and unit 101 on March 31st. The repairs were completed and water was restored to the building.Once the repair had been confirmed as completed, an appointment was scheduled with a repair crew for the next available date to have the holes in the complainant unit repaired. These repairs were completed 4/4.As managing agent, it is our duty to respond quickly to building and resident issues, and to mitigate any potential damage to all. We strive to do so with professionalism and courtesy.While aging pipes and plumbing leaks are frustrating to all, it is my belief that the complainant plumbing issue was dealt with expeditiously and politely.