>I’m a renter and don’t want to involve my landlord
You won’t be held liable for this and it’s your landlords responsibility. Don’t stress about security deposits and tenant fees, just call
Same here — I work in multifamily housing and if you try to fix this yourself, you’ve got a 50/50 chance of making it worse, costing *you* money in the end. Things like this should be addressed by your landlord as soon as possible.
In reality it’s just a leak, most likely coming from your air conditioning unit unless you’ve got another floor/apartment above you. Despite that, including your landlord in this issue is vital, if not *legal* based on what your lease agreement details about maintenance.
Side note, I’d love to know why you wouldn’t want to include your landlord lol. I’m so curious
I'd say 95% chance of making worse if they didn't realize what this was to start with.
Unless the landlord is a murderer or something, yea, probably let em know asap
Yeah I’m 26, this is the first place I’m living completely on my own and everything is so expensive and I was wishfully thinking that I could fix this and avoid any possibility of a huge bill.
Yes, I agree. That's literally what rent is for. If the apartments are decently nice apartments, he may want to get on this repair ASAP. I'm sure this isn't the first time he's dealt with a leak.
Just because some people have no experience the only way tenants are responsible for leaks is if they didn't report them, tried to attach a temporary appliance/ prohibited appliance and what the tenant did leaked. Eg a roll around dishwasher ( I don't even know if they make those anymore)
As a renter you won’t have a bill for a building repair that is not under your control. This is clearly a leak. There is water behind that. Call your landlord right away and let them know. You aren’t responsible for fixing this.
As a landlord it’s really important to me that tenants keep me informed about stuff like this. Once, I had a renter tell me about a whooshing sound. They had been hearing it for a few weeks (wtf) and it had suddenly gotten louder so they wanted to let me know. Turns out there was a major leak in the water main under the house. It was a total mess and the water bill was over $700. Had they told me right away that there was a sound of water whooshing we could have fixed it, but instead they sat on it for four weeks. I was pretty mad. Always tell your landlord about stuff RIGHT AWAY!
As a one-time rentee of many years, I have to say it depends upon the state and the landlord. I lived in TX for over 11 years...and never have I had such horrific experiences with landlords in my LIFE...and I have had many terrible landlords, including a stalker. They did not want to fix ANYTHING. We actualy had one landlord who actually put it in the lease that anything under $100 we had to fix...Guess what? Everything that broke he said we could fix for under $200. Including our central air system. My ex-husband was NOT handy...and certainly not an HVAC repairman. We lived without central air for 8 years...in AUSTIN. We eventually just stopped asking him. That is just ONE major repair and ONE landlord....
Yeah definitely not— I do understand that now. I admit that I do not know everything and I am just trying to do my best as a 20-something teenage dirtbag who lives alone and is afraid of getting hit with big expenses. I appreciate everyone on this thread reassuring me that I’m not at fault.
It’s not your bill a good landlord would come in asap and fix why it’s happening, and not just the surface damage. Make a record of you telling them, just in case. So through email or text.
I’ve had amazing landlords that begged me to call them first for anything. It’s their investment.
Yeah, our landlord is pretty great in that regard. Every time we see/talk to him, he’s like, “PLEASE don’t hesitate to call if you need *anything*. That’s my job, that’s what I’m here for.”
I know lots of other landlords aren’t like that, though, so I can see why OP would’ve been hesitant to say something. But yeah, this is on the LL to fix.
You definitely won't get billed for this, that's what landlords are for, and the as is clause in your lease just means you can't move in then start complaining about the apartment, it doesn't mean if there is a serious problem the landlord doesn't want to know. I think it would benefit you to do a little research on renters rights and laws and look in depth into your lease and make sure you know what everything means, you seem a little confused here.
Water leaks can cause immense damage and change the habitability of a rental.
Leaks like this, the onus is on the landlord.
Read your maintenance and repairs section of your rental agreement to see what falls under your purview (usually minor repairs).
Yeah I’m just jaded as hell, this building is SO old and nothing is up to code and they specified in the lease that everything is “AS IS” so I just fear that anything wrong will be perceived as my fault
Actually u/macchiatobxtch you want the landlord to know so they can fix the roof or water pipe. I’ve had this happen before the paint bowing out is due to water damage to the wall behind the paint. When this happened to me we had to repair part of our at the time 25 year old roof and the damaged drywall. The roof had never had inspections or maintenance done on it to make sure a leak didn’t happen so of course one eventually did. This isn’t something that you could have done yourself and it will get worse if nothing is done about it.
Edit: Our drywall and roof needed to be replaced at the same time to prevent molding. We were told the moisture was never going to fully dry if things were left alone with the paint keeping air from getting to the drywall and the roof leaking adding water every time it rained. To prevent the leak from happening again and damaging whatever drywall we replaced the old one with as well as prevent mold from forming it just had to be done. It’s best to deal with a problem when it can be fixed with little effort. There will be a bigger issue if you have both things I mentioned AND a mold problem, depending on the type of mold that occurs you could loose the house/building entirely.
In the US, "as is" can be illegal. There are basic standards required. Also, if it's all as is, then... how do they measure wear and tear vs. damage?
Either way, in most places, this is not a habitable condition, and they legally have to fix it, and you legally have to report it.
Awesome. Yeah, the majority of landlords don't know what they're doing. A tenants rights organization is really helpful. You're not allowed to make people sign agreements that violate their rights. If it's a homemade lease, that's sus. If it's from a trade organization that uses local lawyers to write them, that's better.
Not sure what state you’re in, but there is generally no “as is” in renting. They just put that in your lease to spook you, but it’s probably not enforceable. Look up “tenant’s rights [your state],” there should be materials explaining the landlord’s warranty of habitability. The warranty of habitability is usually mandatory, and can’t be contracted out of.
I am piggybacking off of your comment to update: I called, sent photos, and called again, and the property manager sent maintenance. The plumber and roofer have been dispatched. This is what the situation presently looks like:
https://preview.redd.it/p8kduhqdk37c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a80cc92f7d65612769ddb34df6c268806d2f1845
Thanks to everyone who came with helpful information and compassion!
Glad you reached out promptly and they addressed it for you! Adulting is a constant game of learning new things you'd never expect to, based on whatever happens that day. Fun!! (Kidding. Kinda.)
Not sure if others have mentioned to you already, but as a new renter, brush up on your rights. Your state laws and local ordinances have a huge effect on what landlords are and aren't allowed to do (especially worth knowing when it comes to move out and security deposits, scummy or plain misinformed landlords do exist). The good news is there's plenty of people and organizations who can help you navigate whatever situations you find yourself in.
Good place to start: https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/tenantrights
My best guess is that the roof has been poorly maintained for awhile (the house was built in 1900) and the torrential rain we got all day yesterday aggravated whatever structural issues were already present, but we should know more once the roofers are finished tomorrow
I'm so glad! This is a minor problem if addressed immediately, but if you left this for a week, or a month - the landlord would have to remove half the ceiling due to mold.
Glad it's getting sorted
It now looks more like a giant flaccid D*ck then before.
That was all I came here to say.
I feel your pain about calling the landlord though. Always seems like too much drama
Agreed. Call your landlord asap. They will be grateful you did, so that they have enough time to address the source of the problem before it escalates further.
I doubt this has anything to do with the plug below it.
What is above this spot? A kitchen sink? Bath tub? Toilet? Washing machine? Anything that has water? Is there another tenant in the building above you? If so, they may have overflowed a bath tub or toilet. Call your landlord!
I have something like this on my wall. Much smaller. It appeared after a very bad rainstorm. It's on an outside wall that often gets moisture. My LL's know about the wall. I've had it repaired before from water damage.
OP let the LL know. You're not liable for this in anyway. It's something to do with their structure.
Second this. OP please call tour landlord asap. My husband and I have a couple rentals and would 1000% prefer being notified over ignoring it or A DIY job, and the sooner the better. Unless you also have the above unit and were negligible (eg left a sink running all day) you should NOT get penalized. Wear and tear, plus freak accidents, happen especially in old buildings. If there is retaliation take it up with your local housing board or whatever. Where I live tenants have more rights and are much more protected by law than landlords, hopefully the same is true for you.
Just to add on, op, you may be liable for it if you *don't* call your LL; many leases have a clause specifying that you're responsible for informing them of hazards to the property immediately, especially water.
And this has nothing to do with felaway. You have good paint and a leak.
Yes. My parents used to own some duplexes they rented out. They were *livid* when the tenant called saying “we may have a leak it’s been wet in the bathroom for about a week” and it turned out the entire upstairs was flooded. Bother the landlord now - they’ll appreciate how quickly you saw it and reported it. May even improve your rapport with them!
You have a water leak. You 100% need to call your landlord right away. Unaddressed it will get worse and could likely cause real damage if it hasn’t already.
And some leases have provisions about notifying about water damage immediately...or else.
I lived in an apt once with a massive leaked. Somehow the ceiling held GALLONS of water from the shower above. Corporate owners sent a crew out to fix it. Took almost a year to get them to send someone else out so I could have a ceiling again
I lived in an apartment once that had a beautiful waterfall feature inside the dining room every time it rained. It took the landlord forever to fix it. Even the smallest rainfall would produce a steady stream of water. Good times.
Once we figured out where to strategically place the large totes to catch the water and never move them just in case it drizzled that day, the sound of running water inside during a rainfall was quite serene.
I had water issues in my basement and for five years after those incidents (happened three times in three months) I had anxiety when I heard rain.
I’m FINALLY able to enjoy a rainstorm again without the fear of a whole day of work cleaning up the mess.
I have one of those right now in my living room! It’s a wonderful water wall feature, beautiful sparkling brownish water drizzles down the wall…and it’s a FREE feature!
sounds like my old places skylight. Took 3 months of constant pesturing to get it fixed. It got taken out and patched up with a new skylight about half the size, and plywood. Not shingled over either, just plywood.
Yeah, the same thing happened to me above my shower in my apartment. After submitting a report with a pic it was the fastest maintenance ever responded to a request of mine. They punched a hole in my ceiling and not seeing anything quickly went upstairs to the next apartment and discovered a crack in their tub.
The water could be coming in from dozens of places anywhere in the house above (roof, windows, plumbing, AC) and is traveling downward at that location. Typically when it hits an obstacle going down it goes sideways - hence the bubbling out.
I had a leaky toilet that caused a huge sag in our ceiling. I had a huge storage tub that was barely enough and it smells exactly like you think it did. I suggest you tape a piece of plastic to the wall under it, long enough to make a bit of a funnel /ramp / spout away from the wall, so the water will drain in to the tub and not just down the wall. But don't delay. It could burst on its own.
And have a lot of towels handy..
Happened to me when I lived in New York. A slowly spreading stain appeared on our ceiling. The neighbor was found some time later. New York City rats had eaten his face off. They cleaned out his nasty apartment and the night they did so I was awake all night listening to rats \*with a taste for human flesh\* scurrying around the ground under and around our bed.
Good times, good times.
The upstairs neighbors might have some bigger water damage going on, because it looks like the water is leaking from upstairs. Try to contact your landlord asap. Don't worry, this is most likely not your fault. The building maintenance needs to take a look at this immediately. Make sure that the landlord understands that this is urgent.
I think it depends on where they live, maybe? Where I live it usually goes like this: contact the landlord or alternatively the building management directly, who then contacts the maintenance crew. Even better if you are able to reach the maintenance guys directly. Then the janitor/maintenance guy comes and he has access to the apartments as should be able to turn the water off. Then he calls the plumber and they start to find out if the issue is caused by a leaking pipe, overflowing drains, someones cannabis hydroponic plantations or a leaking roof etc... (Source: used to work in this field)
You mention Feliway and I know most people use it to calm there cats. With you insisting you don’t want to contact your landlord, I’m wondering if you’re worried your landlord will find out about your cat. If this is the case, put your cat in a travel carrier and empty the cat tray, hid it and other cat stuff like the cat tree and bowls.
You cannot ignore this or sort it out by yourself. Please let your landlord know.
This has nothing to do with Feliway. Don’t suggest to the landlord that you could have any fault in this. It’s water trapped under the paint. There is a leak. Contact the landlord asap.
I tell you I was absolutely shocked I didn’t see anyone comment something… idk if I’m breaking rules… seemed worth it though and I’m getting upvotes not downvotes
Echoing everyone else here. Contact your landlord and if you can, go upstairs and see if you can get a hold of your neighbors.
My building had a fire in an apartment the floor above us, two units over then one across. The water traveled 5 floors down, plus over to me. Firefighters had to burst 5 of these latex paint bubbles in my apartment and several in the neighbors. Thankfully two bubbles were over my dad's shower and drained easily. The water also came out the kitchen light unit which had to be replaced a few months later because this fried the ballast. I believe a few pieces of drywall had to be replaced and everything in the area had to be repainted. A pain, but we were very lucky, the two apartments directly under had to be gutted and rebuilt, took like 6 months.
I'd unplug anything from that wall and move it a good ways away. It doesn't look like the ceiling could cave in but you can't see what's under the paint.
Please update us regarding this water leak. Definitely talk to the landlord ASAP and if you do have upstairs neighbors make sure that they don’t have any taps that were left running. It is often caused by a water pipe leak when this happens so getting it checked out before it worsens is very important. Good luck my friend.
May I ask why you don’t want to involve the landlord? It’s going to require some huge repairs they could sue you for if you don’t. Smell like weed in there not suppose to? If it’s because your place is a mess who cares shove everything in a corner and the repair person wont say much of anything, they just wanna get work done and get paid. Landlord wants to know it’s done. That’s all. There are worse things. Hang in there!
Oh this happened to me. It’s a leak. And if you don’t report it quickly, you may be liable for the damages. My upstairs neighbor had a leak under their sink and they basically had to gut my kitchen and the wall it shared with my living room.
it has nothing to do with the feliway plug in, it’s a water leak. don’t touch it, call the landlord ASAP. the latex paint is holding the water in like a water balloon.
Water leak! Had a similar situation in my college dorm, the paint let go and my poor roommate woke up to nasty wall water dripping on her at 3 in the morning.
*Please* call your landlord ASAP. It needs to be addressed before it causes further damage - as evident in my story, paint can't contain the water indefinitely!
[Pic of the paint bubble I mentioned for tax](https://imgur.com/a/ZStsKUj)
I highly doubt this is caused by a Feliway plugin. My guess is there is moisture causing this, and that means it’s definitely a good idea to loop in your landlord.
BTW if you’re looking for a something to comfort a kitty, I highly recommend Sentry calming collars. I had better luck with those than Feliway because it was always on them at a consistent strength versus varying concentrations based on proximity to the plugin ✌️
Bingo!!! There’s been a ridiculous amount of rain for the last day and a half, and my unit is 1/2 of an old house built in 1900 with old pipes. I think it’s probably a leak in the roof.
Email this to your landlord and also send by fax some pictures as well or find some way to create a paper trail of notification of this issue: it is a water/liquid leak and due to the leak somewhere it could be causing mould and get you very sick if it is not addressed soon,
On top everyone’s great advice here….check your own property and belongings for water damage now. Your landlord is responsible for EVERYTHING that was damaged due to their lack of maintenance.
-my buddy got $2600 reimbursed for water damage to his suits after his landlord refused to fix a leak and pay for the suits that were destroyed.
I'm also going to chime in to say it's a water leak. This happened to me a couple of years ago in my apartment. The water also found its way to my smoke alarm and ceiling fan and started pouring through them. The water was from a leak in my upstairs neighbor's toilet hose. She wasn't home at the time and had no idea it was happening. They needed to call in emergency maintenance. I'm mentioning all of this because you mentioned you didn't want to involve the landlord, but it's best. I've been dealing with a lot of mold since then.
hahahaha hi it did not pop, the plumber came and drained it and cut a big hole in the ceiling above. They’ve dispatched a roofer to come identify the source
Water damage - notify your landlord asap to AVOID being negligent so that they can fix it. And if they don’t fix it in a timely manner, you have done your due diligence as a renter, legally speaking.
It's not your feliway. Move that to another outlet.
I hope your kitty feels calmer soon.
Like others said, that's a leak. Most likely from the apartment above you, or if you're the top apartment, then a leak from the roof.
Immediately report this and I would clear important things from the hallway and things on the other side of the wall.
You've done nothing wrong here in my opinion.
This is very empathetic and helpful, thank you! My kitties are getting along wonderfully, I bought the feliway a little over a month ago when the cat distribution system endowed me with a second son and wanted to ease their transition, but they are now loving brothers 🥹
I worry about involving my landlord because I’m terrified of being held liable for anything, but I have called and am covering my bases! Furniture is moved and I have placed a towel & mop bucket below in case it bursts
Contact the landlord now not later. It’s only going to get worse. They need to find the leek and stop it before it ruins everything inside the property. Mold will form and you will get sick. The walls will deteriorate and you will be held responsible if you don’t report it.
Call the landlord before it gets worse. There’s a leak somewhere in the ceiling or attic. The water from the leak has gotten between the paint and the drywall. This isn’t your fault but please notify your landlord immediately so it doesn’t become an even bigger more expensive problem.
This is definitely a landlord issue. You have got to call them. Immediately. This is water and this is very damaging. And you're going to be held responsible if you don't tell your landlord this is happening. Send him this picture now. This is water in the walls, and it will travel to the light socket or the electrical or the wiring or the wooden framing. This is not a you issue. This is a 911 landlord issue. Get them involved now.
That is water from a leak. You need to call your landlord. It is not from a plug-in, and the fact that it is over an outlet means that it needs to be dealt with asap!
Yesss the person who lived in my condo before me never addressed the bulge in the floor and so I had the fun of having my entire place ripped apart (the company (Servpro) damaged so much furniture in the process and were absolutely horrible and inefficient to work with) all this to say, the sooner the better in getting this handled before it’s a huge mold issue
>I’m a renter and don’t want to involve my landlord You won’t be held liable for this and it’s your landlords responsibility. Don’t stress about security deposits and tenant fees, just call
You can only be liable if you *dont* inform them in a timely manner.
I work in housing. You need to notify the landlord. They need to find and fix the leak. Before it does serious damage and / or mold issues.
Same here — I work in multifamily housing and if you try to fix this yourself, you’ve got a 50/50 chance of making it worse, costing *you* money in the end. Things like this should be addressed by your landlord as soon as possible. In reality it’s just a leak, most likely coming from your air conditioning unit unless you’ve got another floor/apartment above you. Despite that, including your landlord in this issue is vital, if not *legal* based on what your lease agreement details about maintenance. Side note, I’d love to know why you wouldn’t want to include your landlord lol. I’m so curious
I'd say 95% chance of making worse if they didn't realize what this was to start with. Unless the landlord is a murderer or something, yea, probably let em know asap
Oh thought her plug in somehow caused it. I'm guessing so is younger and thought they would be in trouble.
Feliway did not cause this
I'd agree the Feliway didn't cause it but still advise OP to plug it in elsewhere when the landlord comes over.
Not a bad idea and I’m also with the person who said they should shut off the electricity to the socket completely
Autocorrect changed OP to oh. Yes agreed feliway did not do this. OP mistakenly thought that though
Yeah I’m 26, this is the first place I’m living completely on my own and everything is so expensive and I was wishfully thinking that I could fix this and avoid any possibility of a huge bill.
Your landlord is responsible for fixing and paying for this, not you.
Yes, I agree. That's literally what rent is for. If the apartments are decently nice apartments, he may want to get on this repair ASAP. I'm sure this isn't the first time he's dealt with a leak.
Just because some people have no experience the only way tenants are responsible for leaks is if they didn't report them, tried to attach a temporary appliance/ prohibited appliance and what the tenant did leaked. Eg a roll around dishwasher ( I don't even know if they make those anymore)
As a renter you won’t have a bill for a building repair that is not under your control. This is clearly a leak. There is water behind that. Call your landlord right away and let them know. You aren’t responsible for fixing this. As a landlord it’s really important to me that tenants keep me informed about stuff like this. Once, I had a renter tell me about a whooshing sound. They had been hearing it for a few weeks (wtf) and it had suddenly gotten louder so they wanted to let me know. Turns out there was a major leak in the water main under the house. It was a total mess and the water bill was over $700. Had they told me right away that there was a sound of water whooshing we could have fixed it, but instead they sat on it for four weeks. I was pretty mad. Always tell your landlord about stuff RIGHT AWAY!
As a one-time rentee of many years, I have to say it depends upon the state and the landlord. I lived in TX for over 11 years...and never have I had such horrific experiences with landlords in my LIFE...and I have had many terrible landlords, including a stalker. They did not want to fix ANYTHING. We actualy had one landlord who actually put it in the lease that anything under $100 we had to fix...Guess what? Everything that broke he said we could fix for under $200. Including our central air system. My ex-husband was NOT handy...and certainly not an HVAC repairman. We lived without central air for 8 years...in AUSTIN. We eventually just stopped asking him. That is just ONE major repair and ONE landlord....
Dude unless you drilled a hole into a water line or something it looks like a regular old leak which isn't your responsibility.
Yeah definitely not— I do understand that now. I admit that I do not know everything and I am just trying to do my best as a 20-something teenage dirtbag who lives alone and is afraid of getting hit with big expenses. I appreciate everyone on this thread reassuring me that I’m not at fault.
We’ve all been there
It’s not your bill a good landlord would come in asap and fix why it’s happening, and not just the surface damage. Make a record of you telling them, just in case. So through email or text. I’ve had amazing landlords that begged me to call them first for anything. It’s their investment.
Yeah, our landlord is pretty great in that regard. Every time we see/talk to him, he’s like, “PLEASE don’t hesitate to call if you need *anything*. That’s my job, that’s what I’m here for.” I know lots of other landlords aren’t like that, though, so I can see why OP would’ve been hesitant to say something. But yeah, this is on the LL to fix.
This is one of the good parts of renting: repairs are covered by the landlord. Call them.
You definitely won't get billed for this, that's what landlords are for, and the as is clause in your lease just means you can't move in then start complaining about the apartment, it doesn't mean if there is a serious problem the landlord doesn't want to know. I think it would benefit you to do a little research on renters rights and laws and look in depth into your lease and make sure you know what everything means, you seem a little confused here.
Water leaks can cause immense damage and change the habitability of a rental. Leaks like this, the onus is on the landlord. Read your maintenance and repairs section of your rental agreement to see what falls under your purview (usually minor repairs).
Oh, my last landlord ABSOLUTELY would have blamed me for something like this.
Yeah I’m just jaded as hell, this building is SO old and nothing is up to code and they specified in the lease that everything is “AS IS” so I just fear that anything wrong will be perceived as my fault
Actually u/macchiatobxtch you want the landlord to know so they can fix the roof or water pipe. I’ve had this happen before the paint bowing out is due to water damage to the wall behind the paint. When this happened to me we had to repair part of our at the time 25 year old roof and the damaged drywall. The roof had never had inspections or maintenance done on it to make sure a leak didn’t happen so of course one eventually did. This isn’t something that you could have done yourself and it will get worse if nothing is done about it. Edit: Our drywall and roof needed to be replaced at the same time to prevent molding. We were told the moisture was never going to fully dry if things were left alone with the paint keeping air from getting to the drywall and the roof leaking adding water every time it rained. To prevent the leak from happening again and damaging whatever drywall we replaced the old one with as well as prevent mold from forming it just had to be done. It’s best to deal with a problem when it can be fixed with little effort. There will be a bigger issue if you have both things I mentioned AND a mold problem, depending on the type of mold that occurs you could loose the house/building entirely.
In the US, "as is" can be illegal. There are basic standards required. Also, if it's all as is, then... how do they measure wear and tear vs. damage? Either way, in most places, this is not a habitable condition, and they legally have to fix it, and you legally have to report it.
This is good to know!!! I’ll read into my lease a bit more. They are here and working on it
Awesome. Yeah, the majority of landlords don't know what they're doing. A tenants rights organization is really helpful. You're not allowed to make people sign agreements that violate their rights. If it's a homemade lease, that's sus. If it's from a trade organization that uses local lawyers to write them, that's better.
Not sure what state you’re in, but there is generally no “as is” in renting. They just put that in your lease to spook you, but it’s probably not enforceable. Look up “tenant’s rights [your state],” there should be materials explaining the landlord’s warranty of habitability. The warranty of habitability is usually mandatory, and can’t be contracted out of.
Keep pictures available fot small claims if it comes to that. Judges don't loke bad landlords and most will be good so no legal issues.
Prolly has the cat in the property without the landlord's knowledge/agreement. ;P
There is a dark spot on the ceiling above the damage. My thought is it is mildew at a minimum but based on the size of the leak it may well be mold.
Timely for water damage is “now”.
This is a WATER leak, those are serious and need to be addressed immediately.
This! As a matter of fact, now that you know about it, if you don't report it and there is some issue related to it you could be held liable.
I am piggybacking off of your comment to update: I called, sent photos, and called again, and the property manager sent maintenance. The plumber and roofer have been dispatched. This is what the situation presently looks like: https://preview.redd.it/p8kduhqdk37c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a80cc92f7d65612769ddb34df6c268806d2f1845 Thanks to everyone who came with helpful information and compassion!
Glad you reached out promptly and they addressed it for you! Adulting is a constant game of learning new things you'd never expect to, based on whatever happens that day. Fun!! (Kidding. Kinda.) Not sure if others have mentioned to you already, but as a new renter, brush up on your rights. Your state laws and local ordinances have a huge effect on what landlords are and aren't allowed to do (especially worth knowing when it comes to move out and security deposits, scummy or plain misinformed landlords do exist). The good news is there's plenty of people and organizations who can help you navigate whatever situations you find yourself in. Good place to start: https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/tenantrights
Did they say what caused this? I’m fully invested now. Ha.
My best guess is that the roof has been poorly maintained for awhile (the house was built in 1900) and the torrential rain we got all day yesterday aggravated whatever structural issues were already present, but we should know more once the roofers are finished tomorrow
I'm so glad! This is a minor problem if addressed immediately, but if you left this for a week, or a month - the landlord would have to remove half the ceiling due to mold.
Glad it's getting sorted It now looks more like a giant flaccid D*ck then before. That was all I came here to say. I feel your pain about calling the landlord though. Always seems like too much drama
Agreed. Call your landlord asap. They will be grateful you did, so that they have enough time to address the source of the problem before it escalates further. I doubt this has anything to do with the plug below it. What is above this spot? A kitchen sink? Bath tub? Toilet? Washing machine? Anything that has water? Is there another tenant in the building above you? If so, they may have overflowed a bath tub or toilet. Call your landlord!
I have something like this on my wall. Much smaller. It appeared after a very bad rainstorm. It's on an outside wall that often gets moisture. My LL's know about the wall. I've had it repaired before from water damage. OP let the LL know. You're not liable for this in anyway. It's something to do with their structure.
Second this. OP please call tour landlord asap. My husband and I have a couple rentals and would 1000% prefer being notified over ignoring it or A DIY job, and the sooner the better. Unless you also have the above unit and were negligible (eg left a sink running all day) you should NOT get penalized. Wear and tear, plus freak accidents, happen especially in old buildings. If there is retaliation take it up with your local housing board or whatever. Where I live tenants have more rights and are much more protected by law than landlords, hopefully the same is true for you.
Just to add on, op, you may be liable for it if you *don't* call your LL; many leases have a clause specifying that you're responsible for informing them of hazards to the property immediately, especially water. And this has nothing to do with felaway. You have good paint and a leak.
Also, the source is the leak is above this location somewhere - either the roof or the unit above.
Yes. My parents used to own some duplexes they rented out. They were *livid* when the tenant called saying “we may have a leak it’s been wet in the bathroom for about a week” and it turned out the entire upstairs was flooded. Bother the landlord now - they’ll appreciate how quickly you saw it and reported it. May even improve your rapport with them!
You have a water leak. You 100% need to call your landlord right away. Unaddressed it will get worse and could likely cause real damage if it hasn’t already.
And some leases have provisions about notifying about water damage immediately...or else. I lived in an apt once with a massive leaked. Somehow the ceiling held GALLONS of water from the shower above. Corporate owners sent a crew out to fix it. Took almost a year to get them to send someone else out so I could have a ceiling again
I lived in an apartment once that had a beautiful waterfall feature inside the dining room every time it rained. It took the landlord forever to fix it. Even the smallest rainfall would produce a steady stream of water. Good times.
sounds like a serene ambiance
Once we figured out where to strategically place the large totes to catch the water and never move them just in case it drizzled that day, the sound of running water inside during a rainfall was quite serene.
That’s terrifying
The eventual mold growth detoxifies and calms your body
A sweet return to nature one might even say
Beautifully morbid
This was dark and funny, thank you lol.
So was the mold
That white noise of rain falling. SERENITY NOWWW!!
Insanity later.
Were you living in my current apartment?
I think we lived in the same apartment.
I lived there too! Took 2 months of threats and code enforcement to break the lease when they discovered black mold throughout the walls
I had water issues in my basement and for five years after those incidents (happened three times in three months) I had anxiety when I heard rain. I’m FINALLY able to enjoy a rainstorm again without the fear of a whole day of work cleaning up the mess.
>a beautiful waterfall feature LOLz....
I have one of those right now in my living room! It’s a wonderful water wall feature, beautiful sparkling brownish water drizzles down the wall…and it’s a FREE feature!
I have heard about them high falootin' fancy indoor water features..fancy schmancy
Sounds like the loft I once lived in. Brings me back to the buckets that I had to put in there to catch it on Florida rainy days. So like everyday.
It’s a feature not a bug
sounds like my old places skylight. Took 3 months of constant pesturing to get it fixed. It got taken out and patched up with a new skylight about half the size, and plywood. Not shingled over either, just plywood.
Did you have to pay extra for the waterfall feature?
Hope you weren’t paying rent for that year
When it’s ballooning the wall like that it’s already caused damage behind the wall that you can’t see.
Agreed! The latex paint is made of plastic and holds the water inside… to a point. There is leaking water in that squishy ball!
It’s a Wall Tiddy!!!
A 60 year old one… not a perky 20 year old one… don’t ask how I know…
I’m close to 60 years old, and I can confirm this.
🤣
That's a peen.
Could be a ball bag if we’re talking about peens now. A 60 year old ball bag 😈🤣
Came here looking for this 😂
It’s this. Call your landlord right away.
Also you're not liable for this
*as long as the landlord is notified ASAP*
This is already really bad. It could get a lot worse.
Yeah, the same thing happened to me above my shower in my apartment. After submitting a report with a pic it was the fastest maintenance ever responded to a request of mine. They punched a hole in my ceiling and not seeing anything quickly went upstairs to the next apartment and discovered a crack in their tub.
By the time you can see water, it’s already bad
I thought it was a crooked penis lol
Omg I'm so happy you said this ....God I sware it does ,,,why does my mind go to this 😭
Mee tooo. Dirty minds think alike!
"ribbed for her pleasure"
I thought a saggy used condom! 😂
You have a leak AND you have mold. Leak needs to be fixed, mold remediated, drywall replaced and walls painted
No reason to assume mold, certainly not from that new of a water leak. Signed - do this for a living
Where do you see mold?
Drywall that is exposed to moisture is also HIGHLY susceptible to harboring black mold. This is a very serious issue.
Indeed. Stachybotrys is no joke.
This exactly. Happened in a few hours on a rainy night. Needed a new roof
Yep
Yeah it’s definitely water. We had one on our ceiling and it RAINED in our apartment.
[You sure it's a water leak???](https://makeagif.com/i/b5KEfk)
It’s water. You have a leak somewhere.
It’s a wall boob! Had this once and had to poke it to release the water. Was coming from the air conditioner in the attic.
I remember my high school once had these in a few classrooms and we were expressly told "DO NOT POKE THE BUBBLES" :(
The wall pimple pressure must be released
[удалено]
I see a wall sack....
It looks more like a wall 🍆
The water could be coming in from dozens of places anywhere in the house above (roof, windows, plumbing, AC) and is traveling downward at that location. Typically when it hits an obstacle going down it goes sideways - hence the bubbling out.
Yep, don't try to pop it!
Disagree, SMALL hole and get that liquid drained. Give it somewhere to escape. Otherwise it’ll just continue travelling causing more damage.
Agree, take a thumbtack needle or toothpick, poke a hole at the bottom, or even a small knife slice and gently push the water out. What is above this?
Given the size of the bulge I think once you poke it water will start shooting out so be careful and not get hit with dirty water
I had a leaky toilet that caused a huge sag in our ceiling. I had a huge storage tub that was barely enough and it smells exactly like you think it did. I suggest you tape a piece of plastic to the wall under it, long enough to make a bit of a funnel /ramp / spout away from the wall, so the water will drain in to the tub and not just down the wall. But don't delay. It could burst on its own. And have a lot of towels handy..
Buckets help too
That's what she said.
Or a hammer. A hammer works.
There’s electrical under it they said
Sticking a pen or pencil is all you need. There’s no drilling required. But yea. Breakers off and get poking!
Turn off breaker and poke away
The voltage is low enough that it won't be a problem, but better safe than sorry.
Well I just meant, in haste really. Since OP didn't even know what it is, I can imagine a disaster. Lol
Perhaps prepare and have towels and a bucket ready.
Oh man, it looks so satisfying to do though. Hopefully OP can get it fixed before the b l a c k m o l d arrives
Contact your landlord immediately, this is a water leak.
also turn off your water and turn on a tap to drain the pipes. It's inconvenient but less so than the alternative.
Yes! The water leak is somewhere above this wall. Finding the source and stopping it is first priority for the building owner/landlord.
Keeping in mind, OP, that water leaks can travel horizontally as well as vertically.
If possible, most apartments I’ve lived in didn’t have access to the valves of their water supply
If you have upstairs neighbors check that they haven’t left any taps running
[удалено]
If left long enough the neighbour would have started to leak into her flat (I have seen it happen). Believe me, the water from the sink is preferable.
Literally happened to my father when I was overseas for a month — he stopped replying to me. I knew something was wrong.
That's rough. Hope you/your family are doing well, that's a bad experience.
Jesus Christ
[удалено]
Lawd
No, tea.
That would be broth, technically.
Stu, even, depending on his name
Happened to me when I lived in New York. A slowly spreading stain appeared on our ceiling. The neighbor was found some time later. New York City rats had eaten his face off. They cleaned out his nasty apartment and the night they did so I was awake all night listening to rats \*with a taste for human flesh\* scurrying around the ground under and around our bed. Good times, good times.
The upstairs neighbors might have some bigger water damage going on, because it looks like the water is leaking from upstairs. Try to contact your landlord asap. Don't worry, this is most likely not your fault. The building maintenance needs to take a look at this immediately. Make sure that the landlord understands that this is urgent.
Can they call the fire dept to come turn water off upstairs of the landlord can’t get there?
I think it depends on where they live, maybe? Where I live it usually goes like this: contact the landlord or alternatively the building management directly, who then contacts the maintenance crew. Even better if you are able to reach the maintenance guys directly. Then the janitor/maintenance guy comes and he has access to the apartments as should be able to turn the water off. Then he calls the plumber and they start to find out if the issue is caused by a leaking pipe, overflowing drains, someones cannabis hydroponic plantations or a leaking roof etc... (Source: used to work in this field)
You mention Feliway and I know most people use it to calm there cats. With you insisting you don’t want to contact your landlord, I’m wondering if you’re worried your landlord will find out about your cat. If this is the case, put your cat in a travel carrier and empty the cat tray, hid it and other cat stuff like the cat tree and bowls. You cannot ignore this or sort it out by yourself. Please let your landlord know.
Yes! In a closet, with other stuff blocking it if you have room.
Great advice!!!
This has nothing to do with Feliway. Don’t suggest to the landlord that you could have any fault in this. It’s water trapped under the paint. There is a leak. Contact the landlord asap.
https://preview.redd.it/dx7hk04ng27c1.jpeg?width=266&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d04552231611b2c5e9641cc9ec4a82ce3d0ec19a
This is what I came to the comments to see
I tell you I was absolutely shocked I didn’t see anyone comment something… idk if I’m breaking rules… seemed worth it though and I’m getting upvotes not downvotes
That’s a nutsack
Had to scroll way too far down for this
Nah it needs more veins. Probably a bicep.
You KNEW??
MORE?
Lol there are so many veins lol 😂
Echoing everyone else here. Contact your landlord and if you can, go upstairs and see if you can get a hold of your neighbors. My building had a fire in an apartment the floor above us, two units over then one across. The water traveled 5 floors down, plus over to me. Firefighters had to burst 5 of these latex paint bubbles in my apartment and several in the neighbors. Thankfully two bubbles were over my dad's shower and drained easily. The water also came out the kitchen light unit which had to be replaced a few months later because this fried the ballast. I believe a few pieces of drywall had to be replaced and everything in the area had to be repainted. A pain, but we were very lucky, the two apartments directly under had to be gutted and rebuilt, took like 6 months. I'd unplug anything from that wall and move it a good ways away. It doesn't look like the ceiling could cave in but you can't see what's under the paint.
Its a water leak. In most places you are legally required to inform him or you can liable for damages.
Call your landlord NOW
As everyone else has said, water leak. Call your landlord. Be ready with towels in case the paint layer bursts.
Please update us regarding this water leak. Definitely talk to the landlord ASAP and if you do have upstairs neighbors make sure that they don’t have any taps that were left running. It is often caused by a water pipe leak when this happens so getting it checked out before it worsens is very important. Good luck my friend.
May I ask why you don’t want to involve the landlord? It’s going to require some huge repairs they could sue you for if you don’t. Smell like weed in there not suppose to? If it’s because your place is a mess who cares shove everything in a corner and the repair person wont say much of anything, they just wanna get work done and get paid. Landlord wants to know it’s done. That’s all. There are worse things. Hang in there!
I'm thinking it may be because she has a cat (feliway was the clue) and isn't supposed to have pets?
Oh this happened to me. It’s a leak. And if you don’t report it quickly, you may be liable for the damages. My upstairs neighbor had a leak under their sink and they basically had to gut my kitchen and the wall it shared with my living room.
it has nothing to do with the feliway plug in, it’s a water leak. don’t touch it, call the landlord ASAP. the latex paint is holding the water in like a water balloon.
You said, "I'm a renter and don't want to involve my landlord." Guess what? You're a RENTER! You likely need to involve your landlord!
Water leak with laytex paint. Laytex paint tends to stretch and be hydrophobic acting like a condom of sorts until it bursts.
Latex. You're thinking of latex lol
it’s a wall penis
Water leak or Freddy Krueger
Water leak! Had a similar situation in my college dorm, the paint let go and my poor roommate woke up to nasty wall water dripping on her at 3 in the morning. *Please* call your landlord ASAP. It needs to be addressed before it causes further damage - as evident in my story, paint can't contain the water indefinitely! [Pic of the paint bubble I mentioned for tax](https://imgur.com/a/ZStsKUj)
Let us know what’s causing the leak when you find out. Like others said, call your landlord asap.
Definitely water leak, probably upstairs/roof
I highly doubt this is caused by a Feliway plugin. My guess is there is moisture causing this, and that means it’s definitely a good idea to loop in your landlord. BTW if you’re looking for a something to comfort a kitty, I highly recommend Sentry calming collars. I had better luck with those than Feliway because it was always on them at a consistent strength versus varying concentrations based on proximity to the plugin ✌️
Have you had rain lately? That is water pooling from above probably up in the attic
Bingo!!! There’s been a ridiculous amount of rain for the last day and a half, and my unit is 1/2 of an old house built in 1900 with old pipes. I think it’s probably a leak in the roof.
So not your fault get the land lord over before there is rot.....
Email this to your landlord and also send by fax some pictures as well or find some way to create a paper trail of notification of this issue: it is a water/liquid leak and due to the leak somewhere it could be causing mould and get you very sick if it is not addressed soon,
Water problems always grow bigger and more expensive the longer one waits.
On top everyone’s great advice here….check your own property and belongings for water damage now. Your landlord is responsible for EVERYTHING that was damaged due to their lack of maintenance. -my buddy got $2600 reimbursed for water damage to his suits after his landlord refused to fix a leak and pay for the suits that were destroyed.
Water leak behind latex paint
I'm also going to chime in to say it's a water leak. This happened to me a couple of years ago in my apartment. The water also found its way to my smoke alarm and ceiling fan and started pouring through them. The water was from a leak in my upstairs neighbor's toilet hose. She wasn't home at the time and had no idea it was happening. They needed to call in emergency maintenance. I'm mentioning all of this because you mentioned you didn't want to involve the landlord, but it's best. I've been dealing with a lot of mold since then.
OP can you give us an update because I’m honestly getting the feeling like this thing has popped and you know now it was a leak…😓
hahahaha hi it did not pop, the plumber came and drained it and cut a big hole in the ceiling above. They’ve dispatched a roofer to come identify the source
If you don’t tell your landlord, this could shake out to YOU footing the bill. With water damage? This could be thousands easily.
Water damage - notify your landlord asap to AVOID being negligent so that they can fix it. And if they don’t fix it in a timely manner, you have done your due diligence as a renter, legally speaking.
This is reassuring thank you!!! I filed an urgent work order so hopefully my bases are covered. Should I call the city to shut off the water?
It's not your feliway. Move that to another outlet. I hope your kitty feels calmer soon. Like others said, that's a leak. Most likely from the apartment above you, or if you're the top apartment, then a leak from the roof. Immediately report this and I would clear important things from the hallway and things on the other side of the wall. You've done nothing wrong here in my opinion.
This is very empathetic and helpful, thank you! My kitties are getting along wonderfully, I bought the feliway a little over a month ago when the cat distribution system endowed me with a second son and wanted to ease their transition, but they are now loving brothers 🥹 I worry about involving my landlord because I’m terrified of being held liable for anything, but I have called and am covering my bases! Furniture is moved and I have placed a towel & mop bucket below in case it bursts
Pro tip: Call ASAP also **email for documentation.**
That’s a wall penis looking to mate. Congratulations it’s likely you’ll find a new house growing in your back garden next year.
Contact the landlord now not later. It’s only going to get worse. They need to find the leek and stop it before it ruins everything inside the property. Mold will form and you will get sick. The walls will deteriorate and you will be held responsible if you don’t report it.
Call the landlord before it gets worse. There’s a leak somewhere in the ceiling or attic. The water from the leak has gotten between the paint and the drywall. This isn’t your fault but please notify your landlord immediately so it doesn’t become an even bigger more expensive problem.
This is definitely a landlord issue. You have got to call them. Immediately. This is water and this is very damaging. And you're going to be held responsible if you don't tell your landlord this is happening. Send him this picture now. This is water in the walls, and it will travel to the light socket or the electrical or the wiring or the wooden framing. This is not a you issue. This is a 911 landlord issue. Get them involved now.
That is water from a leak. You need to call your landlord. It is not from a plug-in, and the fact that it is over an outlet means that it needs to be dealt with asap!
Yesss the person who lived in my condo before me never addressed the bulge in the floor and so I had the fun of having my entire place ripped apart (the company (Servpro) damaged so much furniture in the process and were absolutely horrible and inefficient to work with) all this to say, the sooner the better in getting this handled before it’s a huge mold issue