Water Leak: The First Ten Minutes

Step 1: Stop the water

• Toilet: oval valve on the wall behind it, low to the floor — clockwise until snug. Overflowing? Lift the tank lid and pull the float up — it stops the fill instantly while you reach for the valve.
• Sink: two small valves under the basin (hot and left, cold and right) — clockwise.
• Washing machine: hose valves behind the machine.
• Don't know where it's coming from, or it's inside a wall or ceiling? Go for the main shut-off — usually in the basement on the street side, near the water meter. Find it today, before you need it.

Step 2: Protect what you can

• Move furniture, rugs, and electronics out of the spread path.
• If water is coming through a ceiling near a light fixture, don't touch the fixture — flip that room's breaker off if you can do it safely.
• Buckets under active drips; towels at the edges to stop the spread.

Step 3: Document and report

• Photos of the source (if visible), the spread, and anything damaged — they help us and any insurance involved.
• Major or spreading water: call the office. Contained drip with the valve closed: submit a work order marked urgent.

Why speed matters (and the lease angle)

The lease puts water damage from unreported leaks — and from overflow or misuse — on the tenant, while a leak you report promptly is ours to fix like any other repair. Translation: there is never a reason to sit on a drip. The cheapest leak is the one we hear about the day it starts.

While you're at it

A toilet that runs every few minutes, caulk pulling away from the tub, a slow stain spreading on a ceiling — none of those are emergencies yet. Report them as routine work orders and they never get the chance.