Ceiling leaks and water damage from upstairs

From the unit upstairs or a bathroom above, we start drying your unit the night you call and keep one record of the job that both sides can use. In a storm, from the roof.

Still running or dripping?

Call (310) 857-2520

A person answers, day or night.

Already stopped?

Request a free visit

Add photos if you have them.

Water from above rarely comes straight down. It runs along joists and pipes and often shows in a ceiling a room away from where it started. In a courtyard building or a converted loft it can reach the unit below before the people upstairs know there’s a leak.

If the ceiling is sagging

A ceiling that bulges is holding water. Keep everyone out of that room and leave it for us. If the drip is somewhere else, move what you can out from under it, and take photos of the ceiling before anything changes.

The first night

Your ceiling is read first, then the walls under it and the floor. The thermal camera shows where the wet runs, and a meter confirms it.
Water pooled above the ceiling is drained into a container before it can bring your ceiling down.
Ceiling drywall that held standing water usually comes out in a section. Drywall that got wet and stayed flat can often dry where it is. You agree before anything is cut.
Drying equipment goes in, and we agree the next visit’s time with you before we leave.

Your first hour

Now
A person answers and stays on while you close the valve.
15 min
Sent a request, or missed us? We call you back.
45 min
A crew at your door, timed from the end of your call.
Visit one
We walk you through the week before the first fan goes on.

Call (310) 857-2520 Request a free visit

Whose place is it?

I rent it

Call us yourself. We come out, find where the water went and send the same photos and numbers to your landlord or manager. They approve the drying, and we can phone them while we’re there.

I own it

We start in your unit, then check the ceiling and walls you share with the unit above. If the leak started upstairs, our notes say so.

I manage it

One call and we check the units below and beside the leak. Each unit gets its own page of numbers, and you get every page together.

One record for both owners

With your OK, both owners or their managers get the same photos and moisture readings, with the cause noted as we found it. Both insurers work from one set of notes. We don’t decide who pays. The record shows where we found it started and every room it reached.

When it comes through the roof

In a storm, rain that gets in at the roof can travel along the framing before it shows on a top-floor ceiling. The roof repair is a roofer’s job and billed separately. Once the water has stopped coming in, we dry the ceiling and whatever it soaked above and below.

What changes the total on a ceiling leak

How much of the ceiling is wet, and whether a section has to come down
Whether the water was clean or gray. A toilet or tub that overflowed upstairs is usually gray.
How many units and rooms it reached
How many days drying takes

Visit one is free. If the water’s still moving when we arrive, we explain the extraction and agree it with you on the spot. You see every price before the work it covers. If walls or ceiling came out, repairs after drying are priced on their own.

Questions about ceiling leaks

The neighbor upstairs isn’t home. Can you still start?

Yes, in your unit. If water is still coming down, the building manager or the owner upstairs has to get it shut off, and we can phone them while we’re there.

Who fixes the pipe upstairs?

The leak itself is a plumber’s job and billed separately. Once it’s stopped, we dry everything it reached, on both floors if both owners agree.

Can we use the room under the leak?

Not while the ceiling sags. Once the water above it is drained and anything loose is down, most people use the room around the equipment. The fans are loud, so close the door at night if you can.

Is a ceiling leak covered by insurance?

Often, when it came from a sudden leak. Which policy pays, yours or the upstairs owner’s, is for the insurers to settle. Coverage is your insurer’s decision.

From the first night to the last repair

Still dripping? Call now.

Already stopped? Request a free visit, with photos if you have them.