SOUTHWEST LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A southwest Las Vegas condo owner says water has been leaking into her unit from the condo directly above hers for more than a month, and despite repeated requests to her neighbor and her homeowners association, the problem remains unresolved.
Victoria Frederick says she has been living with the leak for the past 5 weeks. Drywall has been cut away from her ceiling, exposing her upstairs neighbor's subflooring, where water continues to drip into a bucket below.
"You can see there are drips coming into this bucket," Frederick said.
WATCH | SW Las Vegas condo owner battles leak, HOA for more than a month
Frederick believes the water is coming from her neighbor's toilet.
"They came and cut out all my drywall. What you're looking at is his subflooring. There's water over there with three patches of drips. It's coming from his toilet," Frederick said.
She says the longer the water sits, the greater the risk of mold, additional damage, and costly repairs. People have advised her to sue her neighbor, but she says she cannot afford to go to court.
The neighbor above Frederick, Chasen Kukuda, says he has not seen any signs of a leak inside his own condo, but says he is willing to fix the problem if it is determined to be coming from his unit.
"From my side there's nothing leaking," Kukuda said.
When asked whether he would fix the problem if it were traced to his unit, Kukuda said he would.
"Absolutely. I've always been willing to do that," Kukuda said.
Kukuda says the next step should involve a neutral professional assessing both units.
"Like I said, it needs an independent contractor to go to both units. That seems only fair to me," Kukuda said.
Frederick, however, says her neighbor has not been cooperative and that her HOA has failed to step in. I reached out to The Management Trust, the HOA management company, to ask what it is doing to help resolve the dispute. As of my deadline, I had not received a response.
I also spoke with Jordan Savage, an attorney with the Consumer Rights and Housing Justice Program at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. He says homeowners in this situation should start with their insurance company, because insurers have lawyers who can advocate on their behalf. Homeowners should also keep detailed records of all correspondence with their HOA and, if necessary, be prepared to take the matter to court.
Savage says, however, that the simplest solution is often the best one.
"It's just the neighborly thing to do," Savage said.
Frederick says she just wants the leak repaired before the damage gets worse and she is left dealing with mold or more serious structural problems.
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