Renter / landlord mode | HTX flood desk

Renter checklist

Write the landlord or manager the hour you can. Photo the unit and your stuff first if it is safe.
Ask for a written drying and relocation plan. “We’ll see” is not a plan.
Open renters insurance if you have it. Contents and a hotel can sit on your policy even when the building claim is theirs.
Do not sign a “you caused this” paper on the porch. Take it inside.
If the unit is not livable, say that in writing. Keep their reply.
Section 8 / assisted housing: tell the housing office as well as the landlord.

Notice you can copy

Subject: Flood damage at [address / unit] - written notice

I am writing to report flood / water damage at [address, unit] that I first saw on [date, time].

Water reached [rooms / height if you know]. I have photographs. I have not thrown items yet except [anything you had to move for safety].

Please send a written plan for extraction, drying, and whether I should stay or relocate. Please confirm where to send rent and repair requests while the unit is wet.

I can be reached at [phone / email].

Landlord / manager checklist

Life safety first. If a tenant is in rising water, that is 911, not a work order.
Tell tenants in writing what you know: stay/go, power, water, where to send photos.
Open the building claim. Emergency extraction can start without a full rebuild auth.
Do not tell people to “just throw everything” before they photograph. You will fight their contents claim later.
Track units, waterlines, vendors, and habitability. One spreadsheet beats ten texts.
Mold: licensed assessor vs remediator rules still apply. Do not freelance a hallway opinion.

Notice you can copy

Subject: Water event at [property] - what we know tonight

We are aware of water at [property] as of [time]. Please do not re-enter a unit if power is in standing water or the structure looks unsafe.

If you can safely photograph the waterline and your belongings, do that before you discard items. Send photos to [email].

We are [opening a claim / dispatching extraction / still assessing]. We will write again by [time] with a stay/relocate note for each building we have checked.

Emergency: 911. Building desk: [phone].