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Water Damage in a Rental Property: What Tenants and Landlords Should Do

Water damage in a rental property brings a question that owner-occupied homes never have to answer: who is responsible for what? The tenant lives with the water, the landlord owns the building, and the property manager may be the one who arranges the work. The first hours after a leak or a flood are confusing enough without that question, and the answer is not always obvious.

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This guide covers what tenants and landlords should do when water damage happens in a rental property in California: telling the landlord or property manager first, staying safe, documenting the damage in general terms, and who calls the restoration company. The guidance is general, and the details depend on the lease, so nothing here replaces reading the lease or getting advice on it.

Tell the landlord or property manager first

The first thing a tenant should do after a leak or a flood is to tell the landlord or the property manager. This matters for two reasons. The landlord owns the building and needs to know about damage to it, and the landlord or manager is usually the one who arranges the restoration work. A tenant who waits to report a leak can find that the damage has spread further by the time anyone acts, and the delay can make the job bigger than it needed to be.

Report the problem in writing as well as by phone, so there is a record of when it was reported and what was said. Describe the problem in plain terms: where the water is, how much there is, where you think it came from, and whether anyone is at risk. Keep a copy of the message. If the landlord or manager does not respond, follow up, and keep a record of each attempt. The record matters later, whatever the outcome of the repair.

Safety first, whoever owns the building

Safety does not depend on who owns the property. If there is standing water, do not enter it, do not touch electrics in or near it, and do not try to clean up sewage or floodwater yourself. Shut the water off only if you can do so safely from a dry place, and move belongings away from the water where you can do so safely. Keep children and pets out of the wet rooms. These rules apply to a tenant exactly as they apply to a homeowner, because the hazards are the same.

A tenant should not attempt repairs to the building, such as opening walls or lifting flooring, and should not arrange restoration work without the landlord's agreement unless the lease says otherwise. The tenant's job in the first hours is to stay safe, to report the problem, and to protect their own belongings where it is safe to do so. The building itself is the landlord's responsibility, and the restoration work is arranged through the landlord or the manager.

Water Damage in a Rental Property: What Tenants and Landlords Should Do — California water damage restoration guide

Document the damage in general terms

Both tenants and landlords should document the damage. Take photos of every affected room, including the water line on the walls, the state of the floors, and any belongings that were touched by the water. Take photos from more than one angle, and note down when the damage was first noticed and what was done in the first hours. Keep a copy of everything, and share the photos with the landlord or the manager so everyone is working from the same record.

Do not throw away damaged belongings or materials in a hurry, because they may be needed for an insurance claim, and the landlord's insurer and the tenant's insurer may both want to see them. A water damage restoration visit will document what it finds as part of the work, and the tenant's own photos and notes sit alongside that record. The two together give a fuller picture than either one alone.

Who calls the restoration company

In general terms, the landlord or the property manager arranges the restoration work, because the work is on the building they own or manage. The tenant reports the problem, and the landlord or manager makes the call. That is the usual arrangement, but the lease may say something different, and the lease is the document that decides it. If the lease is unclear, ask the landlord or the manager directly, and keep a record of the answer.

There are situations where a tenant may need to act first, such as a burst pipe at night when the landlord cannot be reached, and in those cases the tenant should do what is needed to stay safe, stop the water if it is safe to do so, and report the problem as soon as possible. The details of who pays for what, and who is responsible for which part of the repair, depend on the lease and on the cause of the damage, and this guide does not try to settle those questions. They belong to the lease and, where needed, to professional advice.

What happens after the first call

After the restoration company is called, the work follows the usual order: inspection, water removal, drying, cleaning, and repair. The tenant may need to move belongings out of the affected rooms, and may need to stay elsewhere while the work is done, depending on the extent of the damage. That is a question to raise with the landlord or the manager early, so everyone knows the plan.

The visit will also produce documentation that may be useful for an insurance claim, and both the tenant and the landlord should ask for a copy. Homeowners and renters in San Francisco and across California face the same first steps after water damage, because the safety rules and the order of the work do not change with the city or with who owns the building. The difference in a rental is who arranges the work, not what the work involves.

Moving out while the work is done

In general terms, a tenant or a landlord may need to arrange for the tenant to stay elsewhere while restoration work is done, depending on the extent of the damage. A room that is being dried, with equipment running and moisture being checked, is not a comfortable room to live in, and a room that was affected by sewage or floodwater is not a safe room to live in until the work is finished. That is a question to raise with the landlord or the manager early, so everyone knows the plan, and so the tenant is not left to work it out in the middle of the job.

The details of who arranges the move, and who is responsible for which part of it, depend on the lease and on the cause of the damage, and this guide does not try to settle those questions. They belong to the lease and, where needed, to professional advice. What can be said in general terms is that the question should be asked early, that the answer should be kept in writing, and that the tenant should not stay in a room that is unsafe. The building is the landlord's responsibility, and the tenant's safety is the first consideration for everyone involved. Keep a record of every message about the move, including when it was sent and what was agreed, because the record matters later, whatever the outcome of the repair, and because a clear record keeps the conversation between the tenant, the landlord, and the manager on the same footing.

Key Takeaways

The first thing a tenant should do after a leak or a flood is to tell the landlord or the property manager.
Safety does not depend on who owns the property.
Both tenants and landlords should document the damage.
In general terms, the landlord or the property manager arranges the restoration work, because the work is on the building they own or manage.
After the restoration company is called, the work follows the usual order: inspection, water removal, drying, cleaning, and repair.
In general terms, a tenant or a landlord may need to arrange for the tenant to stay elsewhere while restoration work is done, depending on the extent of the damage.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the services hub lists every service in one place.

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water while you wait, and if water is still coming in, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water damage help is available across California. See water damage restoration in Twin Peaks, CA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.