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TedW1 (California)
Posts: 4
Posted:
Living in a nine unit building, one of our units has water damage in several places on the walls inside the unit immediately adjacent to several window frames due to recent heavy rain. Our CC&R's say "the exterior of a perimeter wall" is the HOA's responsibility while "the interior of a perimeter wall" is the individual owner's responsibility, and the glass portion of a window is also the individual owner's responsibility (for example, a broken window). However, there is no mention in our CC&R's of damages resulting from a faulty window frame or casing, and the window frame is basically the border between the interior and exterior portion of a perimeter wall. Any guidance on who should pay for the repairs to the window frames and resulting water damage, as a general rule, particularly in California in case this locale makes any difference?
MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836
Posted:
The problem is beyond the window frames. Which makes this an exterior problem. The HOA should be responsible for replacing the window frames. However, they should investigate more on what would cause the water to get to those frames. Otherwise, replacing the frames will just fix the damage but not the cause.

The problem may be resolved by installing gutters or fixing the existing gutter system. It could be an issue with the roof or outside materials. Plus the windows should have had a rubber membrane installed prior to putting the window in. This should have helped prevent water from entering the home.

I'd seen a similar issue being addressed on the show "Ask this Old house". You may want to visit the "This Old House" website and see any articles regarding this. I've got experience installing windows over the years and this isn't always just a window issue. Something else like "Ice Jams" can cause this problem in colder climates. It's best to find the underlying cause by a PROFESSIONAL if at all possible.

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