Buildings near the University of Illinois campus, between Champaign and Urbana, are often shared, rented or mixed-use, and their southern part sits on the upper Embarras River. This guide answers the questions owners and tenants ask after water damage there. It does not record any campus flood event.
Key takeaways
- The southern part of the University of Illinois campus lies on the upper Embarras River, which runs between Champaign and Urbana.
- Shared walls, floors and drains mean water can move from one unit to another, so each unit is read and logged.
- The owner of the building and the occupants are often different people, and the crew identifies them before any work starts.
- No campus flood record is stated here. The building's own readings are the record that matters for your property.
- Questions about the university's own property go to the university, and questions about a private building go to its owner.
Who is responsible when water damages a rental unit near campus?
The owner of the building is usually responsible for its structure and its plumbing, and the tenants are usually responsible for their own belongings. The lease sets the detail. This company does not decide who pays and does not hold the lease.
A crew identifies the owner and the occupants on the first call, because access to each unit and the records of the building depend on both. A tenant who calls should give the address and the unit, and the crew will contact the owner with them present or on their behalf.
Where the damage came from another unit, the building's owner is the party that can ask the other occupant about the source. The crew records the source it finds, so the discussion starts from the facts.
Can water from one unit reach the unit below or beside it?
Yes. Water can travel along joists, through the subfloor, down a plumbing chase or through a shared wall. A leak in one apartment can show in the ceiling of the unit below, sometimes far from the leak.
The crew reads the ceiling and walls of every unit that the water could reach, not only the unit where the call began. Readings are logged for each unit so that the drying and the claim can show which unit was reached and how.
Tenants in the unit below may not know the water has reached them until paint or flooring starts to change. The crew checks those units even if no one has reported a problem there.
Where a building has been reached from a unit above, the owner should check the plumbing in that unit as well as the one that flooded. A supply line or a drain that serves several units can fail in one and show in another, and the crew can help identify the shared line the owner should ask a plumber to inspect.
What about the upper Embarras and the campus?
The southern part of the campus is on the upper Embarras River. Buildings near that stretch can take in river or ground water, and the crew checks the outside route as well as the inside of the building.
The river's upper course runs through the southern campus and through Champaign and Urbana. A river or ground-water route is different from a pipe in the building, and the crew says which one it has found, rather than assuming.
The regional record of the upper Embarras basin, which the U.S. Geological Survey reported for December 2015, is a basin-level record. It does not describe any building on the campus, and this guide does not claim that it does.
Does a university building follow the same process?
This company does not act for the university and does not hold its building records. A university building is handled through the university's own arrangements, and the crew will tell the person who calls which office to contact.
If a call concerns a university-owned building, the university's facilities office is the right contact for the building's own records and repairs. The crew can still dry the space and record its readings on the owner's instruction.
The arrangement for a particular university building is for the university to set, and this guide does not describe any campus procedure.
What records should a tenant keep?
Keep photographs of your belongings and the damage, a written list of what was lost and any lease or notice about the building. Those help the owner and any insurer decide what is due.
Write down when you first noticed the water, which room it came from and who you told. Keep copies of the messages you sent the owner and the replies you received.
A tenant's own insurance may cover belongings, depending on the policy. The insurer decides, and the tenant should ask about the wording before making a claim.
What should a landlord record before any water event?
A landlord should keep a current list of units, occupants and contact details, a floor plan showing shared walls and drains, the location of each shut-off valve, and the name of the company that will be called. Those records shorten the first hour of a water event.
Photographs of each unit taken when it was in good order are also useful. They show the finishes and the condition of the walls and floors, which helps an insurer and a crew judge what changed after water arrived.
Keep the insurance details for the building and for each unit's contents where a tenant holds a policy. The first call after a water event is quicker when those details are already in one folder.
How should a tenant talk to a neighbor whose unit caused water to come through?
Keep the conversation factual and in writing where you can. Say what you saw, when you saw it and what you did, and ask the owner to pass on any information about the source. A calm record is more useful than an argument over fault.
The owner, not the tenant, is usually the party that deals with the building's plumbing and the repair. A tenant who knows the source should tell the owner, and the owner can decide what to raise with the neighbor under the lease.
The crew records the source it finds on the building and the route the water took. That record is neutral and can be shared with the owner and any insurer, which helps keep the discussion about facts.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for damage in a rental house near campus?
The owner usually pays for the structure and the plumbing, and the tenant pays for their own belongings unless the lease or a policy says otherwise. The lease and the insurer decide the detail.
Is the campus part of a flood zone?
This guide does not claim a campus flood record or a flood zone. The upper Embarras runs through the southern campus, and whether a building was reached depends on its own ground and readings.
Will the crew check the unit below mine?
Yes, when the water could have reached it. The readings are logged for each unit separately.
Can I call this line if my building belongs to the university?
You can call, and the crew will dry the space on the owner's instruction. For the building's own records and repairs, the university's own office is the right contact.
Who should I tell first?
Tell the building's owner or manager, and call the line so the water is removed and the building dried. The crew will identify the owner and the occupants with you.
What if the tenant is away when the water arrives?
The crew can still be called, and the owner or the person named in the lease should be told so that access can be arranged. Photographs from a neighbor or a manager can help the record, and the crew will need the access to proceed.
Does a shared building need one insurance claim or several?
It depends on the policy and on how the owner and the occupants hold their cover. The building's insurer and each occupant's insurer may need separate claims, and each should receive the records for the part it covers.
Where can a tenant find out who owns the building?
Ask the landlord or property manager named in the lease, which is the simplest route. The owner's name and mailing address should also appear in the lease or on a notice from the building, and the crew can confirm the owner's details with you on the first visit.
This guide is general information for Champaign County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.