When the Damage Is to a Neighbour's Property

Most moving damage is to your own walls or the building's corridors. In an apartment or condo there is a third possibility that people never consider: damage to somebody else's home.

It is uncommon and it is worth knowing how it works, because the answer is not obvious.

Just-In-Time Moving works throughout Washington and Washington County. We are licensed in Utah and carry general liability insurance. This is practical background rather than legal advice.

How it happens

Shared walls. A dropped or swung item can damage the far side of a wall, not just yours.

Water. The commonest and worst. A washing machine hose left loose, a toilet supply knocked, a dishwasher connection not properly made. Water goes downward, and a leak from an upper unit can damage several homes below.

Corridors and shared entrances, which are the association's rather than a neighbour's, but frequently charged to you.

Blocked access, which is not damage but generates most of the actual complaints. A truck across somebody's parking space for six hours.

Who is responsible

Broadly, whoever caused it, and establishing that is the whole question.

Where a licensed and insured moving company caused the damage, their general liability responds. That is what it is for, and it covers damage to third-party property rather than only yours.

Where the work was done by you, friends or casual labour, there is generally no such cover, and the affected neighbour will look to you personally. Your renters or homeowners liability may respond depending on the circumstances.

This is the clearest practical argument for hiring properly in a shared building, and it shows up here rather than in the price.

Reducing the risk

Appliance connections are the big one. Have a plumber connect a washer or dishwasher rather than doing it yourself, and check under it after the first cycle rather than the following week. Almost every serious multi-unit water claim starts this way.

Protect the route, including corridor walls and lift interiors, and use corner protection at turns.

Tell the neighbours the day before. A move expected is tolerated; a move discovered is complained about.

Do not block parking, fire lanes or entrances.

If something happens

Raise it immediately, tell the association, and photograph it before anything is moved. Delay is what turns a straightforward repair into a dispute.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.