Buildings with a long history of changes
Many South Broadway buildings date from the first half of the twentieth century and have been remodeled for decade after decade of tenants. A space that started as a hardware store may now be a restaurant with a full kitchen, a salon with a row of shampoo sinks, or a bar with ice machines and floor drains. Each new tenant added plumbing, often tied into old drains and supply lines.
Upstairs, apartments and offices have bathrooms and kitchens above the shops. Roofs are mostly flat with internal drains or scuppers, and they take a beating from hail and summer storms. Behind Broadway, the side streets hold small houses and apartment buildings of every age.
Water from upstairs or the roof lands on tenants who usually cannot reach the source. That is why knowing who to call, and having their number, matters more here than almost anything else.
What is typical here
- Roofs
- Flat or low-slope, with drains that clog with debris and hail. Leaks show up far from where water entered.
- Upper floors
- Apartments and offices with bathrooms directly over shops.
- Plumbing
- Mixed generations of pipe, with remodeled tenant spaces tied into older drains.
- Ownership
- One owner per building in many cases, with separate tenants on each floor and separate insurance for each.
Owner and tenant: who handles what
| Building owner usually handles | Tenant usually handles |
|---|---|
| Roof, roof drains and gutters | Reporting leaks immediately |
| Main water service and shared lines | Protecting their stock and equipment |
| Repairs to the structure, ceilings and walls | Tenant-installed fixtures, per the lease |
| Access to upstairs units in an emergency | Their own business insurance |
| The building's property insurance | Records of losses and closure time |
Common questions
Water is coming from the apartment upstairs and nobody answers. What now?
Call the building owner or manager, who usually has a key and can enter in an emergency. If water is pouring in and nobody can be reached, the utility can shut off the building's service.
Our flat roof leaks every time it hails. Is that normal?
No. Repeated leaks usually point to clogged drains, worn membrane seams or damaged flashing. A roofer can find the weak spots, and the building owner decides on repairs.
General information for Englewood, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.