Water Damage in Multi-Family Buildings: What Every Property Team Should Know

In apartments and condominiums, a single water incident can affect more than one unit – and often multiple floors. Sprinklers, appliance supply lines, and hidden leaks are among the biggest culprits of costly water losses in apartments. With preparation and awareness, many of these issues can be contained before they turn into a building-wide problem.

Sprinkler Systems: A High-Impact Risk

Sprinklers are essential for safety, and they can also be among the most common sources of water issues in multi-family properties. Accidental activations, frozen lines in unheated spaces, and simple mechanical failures can release large amounts of water in just minutes. As always, fast response is key – it can mean the difference between one affected unit and multiple soaked floors.

How to reduce the risk:

• Make sure sprinkler heads and piping are protected during resident move-ins/move-outs and maintenance work.
• Keep vulnerable areas, such as attics and exterior breezeways, adequately heated and insulated.
• Label and ensure clear access to shutoff valves.
• Add protective cages in high-traffic areas to prevent accidental triggering.
• Conduct regular visual inspections to catch corrosion, missing parts, or other potential malfunctions.
• Coordinate with fire protection professionals for periodic testing and inspections.
  
  

Appliance and Fixture Supply Lines

Dishwashers, washing machines, sinks, and toilets can all be significant sources of water intrusions. When a supply line fails, it often goes unnoticed by residents until water starts leaking into neighboring units below. And what if no one is home when the leak begins?
How to reduce the risk: 

• Make it routine to check for worn, kinked, or cracked lines during unit turnovers, seasonally, and/or during annual inspections.
• Replace aging lines proactively – not just when they break.
• Make sure maintenance staff and residents know where shutoff valves are located.
• Educate residents to report damp cabinets or slow leaks early to catch problems before they spread.

Water Heaters and HVAC Equipment

Aging or failing water heaters are another frequent cause of water losses. Leaks can start small and go unnoticed, or they can happen suddenly. HVAC condensation lines can also clog or overflow, especially in warm or humid conditions.
How to reduce the risk: 

• As part of preventative maintenance schedules, track the age of equipment and plan ahead for parts replacements.
• Build regular checks into seasonal maintenance routines – and/or during move-in/move-out inspections.
•  Watch for early warning signs like water spots, rust, or damp areas around equipment.

Turnovers and After-Hours Events

Many of the most significant losses happen when units are empty or after hours – when no one is around to report it. A supply line can fail on a Friday evening and go unnoticed until Monday morning when the residents return from a weekend away. By then, the damage is often widespread and expensive.
How to reduce the risk:

• Build quick checks into the turnover process so minor issues don’t go unnoticed.
• Make sure there’s an after-hours response plan, including how staff can access units quickly.
• Have a quick-response plan with SOPs in place with maintenance staff, so that the action is consistent no matter who’s on call – stop the water source immediately, begin extraction, and set up drying equipment.

Resident Communication Matters

Residents are often the first to see or hear a leak, but they don’t always know what to do or who to call. Clear, proactive communication goes a long way toward containing water losses. 

Even simple, straightforward communication practices can help. For example, make sure after-hours contact information is easy to find, and remind residents during move-in not to hang anything from sprinkler heads or block access to shutoff valves.

Why Preparedness Pays Off

For property managers and owners, being water intrusion-ready isn’t just about avoiding disruption – it’s also about protecting the bottom line. The faster a maintenance team can respond, the less damage spreads and the lower the repair costs. It also helps with insurance claims, keeps documentation clear, and ensures claims move through the process smoothly. Just as importantly, it builds trust with residents.

Contact the R2R team for help in strengthening water response strategies and training your facilities and maintenance teams. For facility management tips, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our Facility Insights newsletter.