Document leaks that repeatedly wets ceilings, walls, cabinets or floors. They can damage the building and create mold or electrical risks. Documentation should prove both the active leak and the damage it causes over time.

Your goal is not to create dramatic evidence. Your goal is to create believable evidence showing what happened, where it happened, when it happened, how often it happened, and when the landlord was told.

Document safely first

If water is contacting electrical fixtures, outlets or a sagging ceiling, stay clear and use emergency maintenance or emergency services as appropriate.

Capture the condition clearly

  1. Start wide. Take one photo that identifies the room, wall, fixture, doorway, appliance, common area or other location.
  2. Move closer. Take medium and close images showing the specific defect. Use a ruler, thermometer, clock, work-order screen or other ordinary reference only when it helps explain the condition.
  3. Use video for movement, sound or recurrence. Leaks, flickering, pests, failed locks, alarms and repeated system failures are often easier to understand on a short video than in a still photo.
  4. Video active dripping or flowing water and include the ceiling, pipe, sink or fixture source when visible.
  5. Photograph water stains with a date reference and repeat the same angle to show growth.
  6. Record weather conditions if the leak appears only during rain and note whether upstairs plumbing use triggers it.
  7. Save receipts and photographs of damaged personal property separately from building damage.
  8. Send written notice. State the problem, exact location, when it began, whether it is getting worse, and what repair or action you are requesting. Save proof of delivery.
  9. Build one timeline. Put photos, work orders, management replies, inspection dates, receipts and third-party reports in date order. That timeline can become the backbone of a code complaint, legal-aid intake or RentalFacts listing.

Make your evidence harder to attack

Keep the affected area reasonably clean when cleanliness is relevant to the dispute. Do not stage damage, exaggerate symptoms, edit images in a misleading way, or provoke a neighbor or employee just to get a reaction on camera. Preserve original files whenever possible.

RentalFacts tip: A strong public report should separate what you personally observed from what an inspector, technician, doctor, neighbor or government agency reported.