The first days, before the repairs
The instinct is to clean up and fix it. The legal interest runs the other way.
Once the damage is put right, the evidence disappears with it. So the order is: document first, repair second.
Photographs and video with dates of everything affected. For leaks or damp, photographs on different days so the progression is visible. Quotes from tradesmen on the cause and the cost. Where the cause is disputed, a specialist’s opinion.
If you have insurance, notify the insurer within the period in the policy, even if you believe someone else will pay.
Who the claim is against
It depends on the cause. The person who caused it, the owner of the premises, the building contractor, the building’s owners’ association, or the relevant insurance.
Sometimes there is more than one route. If the leak comes from the common riser rather than the flat above you, the responsible party is different.
So the first job is establishing the cause, not the culprit. People often start with the second and get it wrong.
What is owed
The cost of putting it right or the value of the item, the costs of limiting the damage, and in certain cases the benefits you lost, rent you did not receive while the property was unusable, for example.
Keep every receipt. Even small costs add up to a significant figure.
If the other side refuses
First a written demand is sent, with a specific sum and a stated basis. Some cases end there, because until then the conversation had only been verbal.
If not, it moves to proceedings, and before that it is checked whether there is anything to collect from. See debt collection.
If your property is in Bulgaria and you are not
Common for holiday home owners. Inspection and documentation are arranged on site through a representative. Do not wait until your next visit, because by then the damage will have changed.
What I will need
Dated photographs and video. The title document. Quotes or invoices for the repairs. Correspondence with the other side, the owners’ association or the insurer. Any official report as well.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice on any specific case. Rights and deadlines depend on the facts and the applicable law.