Tenant notices water damage in their ceiling, then finds out their upstairs neighbor keeps forgetting to shut off his running water, they report him: ‘It happened six times’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jan 23, 2026 1:00 PM EST

How hard can it be to remember to shut off your water?

When you start the journey of looking for a new apartment to live in, one of the biggest pieces of advice people would give you is to look at the ceiling. It's not natural for us to lift our heads and look up, or even down; we mostly stay at eye level. But a lot of details are in these areas, and they can tell a lot about the conditions of the property you are considering. 

Even after you move, you always need to stay alert and check the areas in your home that don't get a lot of attention daily. The ceiling above your shower, for example, is easy to miss. Who looks up when they shower, and how many details can you actually take in while you're washing your hair?

If you do ensure to take care of these corners of your home, you might find things you don't like, and you will have to deal with them.

When the resident in the story below noticed that water was dripping from their ceiling, it was a huge flag that they could not ignore–something was wrong in the apartment. A quick checkup led them to their upstairs neighbor, and they found out something quite unsettling: this guy constantly forgets to shut off the running water in his apartment. He can start a whole bath in his bathroom, then proceed to take a nap and forget all about the running water that ends up overflowing his place. And the worst part is that he doesn't even think it is that big of a deal.

Unfortunately for the resident, this problem kept repeating itself–they would notice water dripping from the ceiling, go knock on their neighbor's door, tell him to shut off whatever water he currently has running, and go back home to deal with the newest damage. 

After the sixth time, the resident had enough. The water damage is actually becoming dangerous, and their neighbor has no intention of ever fixing his "memory" issues. This led the resident to report the problem to the landlord, but would anyone actually help?

Keep scrolling to find out…

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  • Ceiling Damage Water Leak In House
    via AndreyPopov

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Upstairs neighbor floods my apartment biweekly and claims its not their fault

    I've lived in this apartment for 2 years with no issues until new people moved in upstairs 4 months ago.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • Guy in his late 30s who works from home. Every other week like clockwork my bathroom ceiling starts dripping water.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • The first time it happened I thought it was a plumbing issue so I called maintenance.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • They went upstairs and found the guy had left his bathtub running and it overflowed. He apologized said he fell asleep.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • Then it happened again. And again. Its happened SIX TIMES now. Each time its because he "forgot" he was running water.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • My bathroom ceiling now has water damage and theres mold starting to grow. I've reported it to the landlord multiple times but they just keep sending maintenance to clean it up.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • Last time I went upstairs myself and knocked on his door. He answered super casual and was like "oh yeah sorry man I get distracted easily" like its no big deal.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • I told him this is causing serious damage to my apartment and he needs to set timers or something.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • He literally said "accidents happen bro, chill out." I called the landlord again yesterday demanding they either fix my ceiling properly or move me to a different unit.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • They said they'll "talk to him again" but wont do anything else unless I want to break my lease early and pay the fee.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • Im so done
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • bubble bath being filled
    via Photography By Tonelson

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • petesmom57 I would say that's a really good reason to break a lease. There should be no charge to you for breaking the lease for this kind of thing. They are forgetting they are running a bath regularly? They need to be checked while you are going to events for the landlord, you should probably report them to the higher ups in the city. Mold needs to be irradicated by professionals.
    via petesmom57
  • OrchidR de5733 Original Poster's Reply Yeah, that's how I feel too. At this point it's clearly not a one off accident and it's affecting my health and the apartment itself. The mold part especially freaks me out. I'm starting to think going above the landlord might be the only way to get them to take this seriously.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • Josh JamesMusic Black Mold is not hospitable conditions. File small claims you will win. You seem to have all the right ammo to take the shot. Fire away
    via JoshJamesMusic
  • OrchidR de5733 Original Poster's Reply Yeah, I've been seriously considering that. The mold alone makes me worried about my health, and with all the documentation I have from maintenance and the landlord, I feel like I'd have a solid case. Definitely thinking small claims is the next step.
    via OrchidR*de5733
  • Prize_Sorbet3366 Ask the apt manager if they're willing to wait until the floor rots out and the bathtub lands in YOUR bathroom because the floor boards are being soaked repeatedly. Or if you end up with health issues due to black mold. Maybe see if there's some kind of renter's union/advocate in your area, because the landlord is knowingly exposing you to dangerous conditions. On a side note, my partner owns several large apartment complexes, and something similar happened with a hot water heat
    via Prize_Sorbet3366
  • loseunclecuntly Code enforcement. Call them. Not only is this guy setting it up for your ceiling to fall down, that water can damage the electrical wiring making your home unsafe to live in. Oh. Retain a lawyer to send them notice that their inaction is infringement of your peaceful enjoyment of your home.
    via loseunclecuntly
  • akalili22 Either way a wellness check needs to be made. This person is seemingly not able to handle life adequately. What happens when he falls asleep in the tub and drowns? I am concerned as I'm sure you are.
    via akalili22
  • Uhokay 1970 Next time call the police 911 and have them check on him. Say you are Unsure whats wrong he didn't answer when you tried to get his attention and water is flowing.. They will beat his door down and find him doped out of his head. End of Problem.
    via Uhokay1970
  • Melodic-Beach-5411 This happened to a friend in NYC. Turned out the person in the apartment above had an illegal washing machine that over stressed the plumbing capacity. Which is why it wasn't allowed it the first place
    via Melodic-Beach-5411
  • Otherwise-Wall-6950 I had an upstairs neighbor who mopped their floors by throwing buckets of water on it. They ended up having to replace the fuse box and it never happened again.
    via Otherwise-Wall-6950

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landlord neighbors neighborhood water tenant neighborhood-drama damage resident Bad Neighbor weird entitled people
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