Tatiana Andreeva explains who may pay for damage involving a rented flat

Liability for flooding, fire or a burst pipe in rented housing depends on its cause and may fall on the tenant, owner or building management company, Rosgosstrakh deputy legal department director Tatiana Andreeva told RIA Novosti on October 10.

Andreeva said a property owner cannot always pass responsibility to the person living in the flat. Renting out the property does not by itself determine who must compensate a particular loss.

Neighbours affected by flooding may seek compensation from the owner. The owner may subsequently recover those costs from the tenant if the incident was caused by the tenant’s fault. Such disputes often reach court, according to the expert.

Where an incident results from the condition of equipment inside the flat, responsibility generally rests with the owner, she said. Her examples included a worn water connection and a failed tap.

A problem in shared building utilities may instead place responsibility on the management company. The situations she described therefore turn on the source of the incident, the condition of the equipment and the tenant’s actions.