Urgent Advice Please - Condo Fire / smoke damage

[Henrythebulldog]

I am hoping to get some advice and apologize in advance if this has already been brought up and discussed before but I can't find anything using the search bar. This is also quite a long post so again apologize in advance as seeking advice on many issues.

 

I am an expat living in central BKK (Sukhumvit) and unfortunately I returned to BKK from a short business trip to Hong Kong On Saturday to find my condo has suffered quite bad smoke damage due to a condo fire that ruined the condo directly below mine. 

 

I am renting the condo through an owner but am literally getting no advice from the owner or condo management team as to what I can or can't do.

 

So I returned to Bangkok late Saturday afternoon to be told I was not able to stay in my condo due to the smoke damage and on having a quick look I could see why, literally everything is covered in thick black smoke in my condo and the smell is far far to overpowering. I was told to get a hotel which the condo would pay for but this was made slightly harder by the fact it was 6pm on a Saturday and I have a dog and they had put other tenants that were also effected in the hotel next to our condo but like most they don't except pets, luckily I found one and stayed there Saturday night which the condo said they would pay for.

 

So Sunday morning I wake up and return to the condo to be met by my condo owner and condo manager, we look over my condo and they agree my condo is completely unlivable although the condo manager some how thinks her cleaning team will be able to clean the condo (this is impossible due to the amount of smoke still in condo and the actual smoke damage to everything I own) my condo owner agrees and says he will get his insurance to come on Monday but then puts it on to me to to try and help to find a cleaning company and to speak with his insurance this morning.

 

what then happens is my owner and condo manager then get in to discussion in Thai and what results is them arguing over who does what. 

 

Here is is my big problem, like most expats and I say that because only one other expat resident in my bloke out of the many in there that does have it, I don't have contents insurance.... I have every other insurance under the sun but not contents!!

 

i literally own everything in the 3 bedroom condo so beds, mattresses, sofas, electrical, clothing, even curtains are mine and are completely covered in thick black smoke, if you run you finger along then you get a thick covering of black dust.

 

it would seem there was some serious neglect on many of the parties that caused the fire yet the condo manager said they are holding a board meeting at 10am today and they are still unaware of what caused the fire, I am also told the tenant who living in the condo where the fire started has no insurance.

 

so if you have any advice on the below and above I would very much appreciate your help. Please no stupid comments re not having contents insurance.

 

1- does anyone know my rights regarding if I can claim off any other building insurance or any other party?

 

2- who should pay for my accommodation while I am not in my condo ? Condo now arguing with owner as my rent is paid I full. Originally condo said they would pay but I know this was one of the things they discussed in Thai yesterday and not agreeing.

 

3- does my condo owners insurance cover for anything of mine?

 

4- does any member know of a cleaning company that specializes in smoke damage as condo owner has asked if I can also look?

 

5- any other comments or contacts that may be useful to me in getting some help to getting the situation sorted.

 

i obviously pay quite a high rent for my location and size of condo and don't want to move back in until everything is resolved and the condo is safe and clean but if I don't really have any assistance on so many levels and if I lose all my belongings and they can't be cleaned, plus I have to pay for accommodation in a hotel for a couple of weeks while I am paying my existing rent things will get tough quite quickly.

 

to finish thankfully nobody was hurt in the fire, yes the tennant below mine has lost everything he and his family owned and it will look like I will be hit financially hard to get everything sorted so any advice is very much appreciated.

 

regards

 

 

[happylarry]

Apparently the first thing you need to do is check what you signed for on your rental agreement. Without seeing that nobody can give any advise. PM sent.

HL

[Donotdisturb]

If the black smoke thing is STICKY u are looking at intensive cleaning by special firm using special cleaning chemicals! Cleaning it with just soap and cloth ain't gonna work!!

[Searat7]

I think you need to have your own renter’s insurance policy which would cover the contents which you own. This type of policy is definitely available in Thailand. 

[Lacessit]

Salvage what you can and rent somewhere else. Tell the owner you want a refund of any rent paid in advance, as the contract is voided by his inability to provide habitable accommodation.

Personally, I would not be getting involved in owner/condo management disputes as to who pays. That's a slippery slope. Get your own stuff cleaned if possible. Based on a fire in my father's unit caused by the negligence of a cleaning company, it's almost impossible to eliminate smoke and carbon ( that's what the black dust is ) damage entirely.

[geisha]

Yes, I have no addresses to give you, but after  having seen smoke damage, and you yourself not content insured, i would try to come to a agreement with the owner and condo management , and move out. As things don’t move quickly here, and not really trusting what will happen once the amount of money is calculated , it might be your best bet. Otherwise you could be hanging in the air for months.

[masuk]

I'm interested to see who is suggested for condo contents insurance.   I had this type of cover for some years, but the insurance company did not send renewal notices, and it has been overlooked.

[keithpa]

4 hours ago, happylarry said:

Apparently the first thing you need to do is check what you signed for on your rental agreement. Without seeing that nobody can give any advise. PM sent.

HL

There  will be nothing in the rental agreement about this matter.

[happylarry]

If its of interest to anybody 

i wanted a western style property insurance and i went with NZI, which is a New Zealand Company and was the nearest i could find to the policy i was used to in the UK.

Property and contents all covered for satisfactory amounts.

I got this through a guy called Matt at AA Insurance Brokers in Hua Hin and have had good service from them. I only claimed once when I broke a glass shower door but they paid for it with no quibbles at all. 10,000 baht I think it was.

Anyway if anybody is interested Matts number is <deleted>. I am sure he wont mind me posting this.....lol

HL

[happylarry]

12 minutes ago, keithpa said:

There  will be nothing in the rental agreement about this matter.

Did you write it for him then?

How can you possibly know what was written into somebody else’s agreement?

It is what it is....an agreement ...between two people, and different people draw up agreements putting in whatever they deem important to themselves and is agreeable to the other party.

Having said that, if the OP is not aware then we can assume that he didnt include this point, but it still needs checking before he goes any further.

HL

[tryasimight]

Concrete and smoke from fire do not go together well at all. The first priority (for the owner, and in hindsight) is to scrub the walls ASAP and clean the carbon from them. Not much help for the OP I admit but may be useful for someone else unfortunate enough to have a fire at their place.

[happylarry]

50 minutes ago, happylarry said:

If its of interest to anybody 

i wanted a western style property insurance and i went with NZI, which is a New Zealand Company and was the nearest i could find to the policy i was used to in the UK.

Property and contents all covered for satisfactory amounts.

I got this through a guy called Matt at AA Insurance Brokers in Hua Hin and have had good service from them. I only claimed once when I broke a glass shower door but they paid for it with no quibbles at all. 10,000 baht I think it was.

Anyway if anybody is interested AA insuranc have a web site that you can check or you can pm me for his number.  I am sure he wont mind me posting this.....lol

HL

 

[Destiny1990]

Why would u continue to pay rent while u cant live there?

 

[keithpa]

4 hours ago, happylarry said:

Did you write it for him then?

How can you possibly know what was written into somebody else’s agreement?

It is what it is....an agreement ...between two people, and different people draw up agreements putting in whatever they deem important to themselves and is agreeable to the other party.

Having said that, if the OP is not aware then we can assume that he didnt include this point, but it still needs checking before he goes any further.

HL

Nobody includes a smoke damage clause in a contract.

[inThailand]

If the damage to your belonging occurred from another condo, that owner is liable. But most likely like you, they have no insurance, so actually getting compensated is highly unlikely. 

Move and start over.

[baansgr]

8 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Why would u continue to pay rent while u cant live there?

 

The OP has paid in full

[inThailand]

Has anyone gotten a payout from liability or contents condo insurance?

Or a non condo, ie a house?

 

[BEVUP]

& why does he have to help look for a cleaning company ?

Be carefull he doesn't end up with that bill

Maybe owner will claim for the lot when his insurance man comes today (maybe to help him out ) 

Silly to pay all in advance (pending how far ), you never know what will happen

[Bludove]

The only method I know of getting smoke smell and coating out of soft furnishings is to use dri ice spray/ jetting and you will probably have a problem finding anyone in Thailand, it removes the smell and the carbon film.