Water leaking from the flat above: what to do

Stop the water first. Who pays comes later.

The answer in 2 lines. Go upstairs and ask your neighbour to turn off their stop tap. If nobody answers, call your landlord, managing agent, housing association or the building's emergency number. At home, keep away from water near lights and sockets, put out buckets and move your things. Photograph everything with the date before you clean up. Then tell your own contents insurer straight away and, if you rent, your landlord in writing. Your neighbour only has to pay if the leak was their fault; otherwise, insurance usually pays: the building's insurance for the structure, yours for your belongings.

The first 3 steps

Knock on the door of the flat above and ask them to turn off their stop tap. Nobody in, or no answer: call your landlord, managing agent, housing association or the emergency number posted in the entrance hall.
In your flat: buckets and towels, furniture and electrical items moved away, no lights switched on in the wet area.
Photograph and film everything with the date (ceiling, walls, floor, damaged items) before you mop up, and keep damaged things for the insurer to see.

Stop: danger

Water near a ceiling light, socket or the consumer unit (fuse box): do not touch anything wet. Switch off at the consumer unit only if it is dry and you can reach it without standing in water; otherwise leave and call 999.
Ceiling bulging, sagging or cracking: leave the room, keep everyone out, and call 999 if it could collapse. Do not pierce it yourself.
Smell of gas: no switches or flames, open windows, get out and call 0800 111 999.

What not to do

Neighbour away and water pouring in: don't force your way into their flat. The landlord, managing agent or caretaker may have a key or can shut off the water to the block; if there is danger to life, call 999.
Repainting, replastering or replacing floors before your insurer (or landlord) has seen the damage and agreed.
Switching electrics back on in the wet area before an electrician has checked them.

What to do, in order

Same day: water stopped, area made safe, photos and video. Get your neighbour's name, phone number and, if they will give it, the name of their insurer.
As soon as possible: report it to your own home insurer (contents insurance if you rent; buildings and contents if you own a house; contents if you are a leaseholder, as the building is usually insured by the freeholder). Check your policy for deadlines and the excess.
If you rent: tell your landlord in writing (email is fine) the same day. They must repair the structure and the water pipes they are responsible for.
If you own a leasehold flat: tell the freeholder or managing agent, who usually holds the buildings insurance for the whole block.
In the following weeks: a list of damage room by room, with photos and receipts if you have them; let the walls dry before redecorating.

What you can do yourself, and where to stop

Talk to your neighbour calmly and in writing afterwards: describe what happened, without blaming if you don't know the cause.
Dry out: ventilate, heat gently, lift wet rugs.
Stop there: opening up a ceiling, going into the neighbour's flat, or starting repairs before the insurer or landlord agrees.

Possible causes

"When they shower": a failed seal around the shower or bath, or the waste pipe.
"Even when they're out": a pipe under pressure, a hose, the hot water cylinder, or a shared pipe in the building.
"After the washing machine runs": its drain or supply hose.
"The neighbour says it's not them": the leak can come from a floor higher up or from a shared pipe or the roof. Finding it is a job for the landlord, managing agent or insurer, often with a leak detection company.

Who pays (England)

Your neighbour is only legally liable if the leak was caused by their negligence (for example, they left a bath running, or ignored a known leak). An accident with no fault usually means each party claims on their own insurance.
Leasehold flats: the buildings insurance arranged by the freeholder usually covers damage to the structure (ceilings, walls, fixtures). The policy excess may be charged to the flat where the leak started, depending on the lease. Your own contents insurance covers your belongings. Free advice: LEASE (Leasehold Advisory Service) — Water leaks.
Private renters: your landlord must repair the structure and the pipes (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11) but does not insure your belongings: that is what contents insurance is for.
Council or housing association tenants: report it as an emergency repair. Since October 2025, Awaab's Law requires social landlords to investigate and make safe emergency hazards within 24 hours. If they don't act, use their complaints procedure, then the Housing Ombudsman (GOV.UK guide).
Insurer dispute: complain to your insurer first; after 8 weeks, or after its final response, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free.

Good to know

Swap phone numbers with the neighbours above and below, and note where the water to the block can be turned off.
Keep receipts or photos of valuable items in one folder: it makes a claim much easier.
Scotland has different law (tenements, "common parts"); Wales and Northern Ireland have their own tenancy rules. The safety steps are the same everywhere.

On a Saturday in Manchester, Priya, who rents a flat, sees water dripping from her bathroom ceiling. Her upstairs neighbour is away. She calls the managing agent's out-of-hours number on the noticeboard; a caretaker shuts off the water to that flat. Priya photographs everything, emails her landlord and reports the damage to her contents insurer the same day. The building's insurer pays for the ceiling; her own insurer replaces her ruined rug.

A made-up story, for illustration.

The figures (latest published)

£6.1 billion: total paid by insurers on property claims in the UK in 2025, a record, according to the Association of British Insurers (published February 2026); burst and leaking pipes ("escape of water") are one of the main causes along with weather. 2026 annual figures are not yet published.
24 hours: the deadline for social landlords to investigate and make safe emergency hazards under Awaab's Law (in force since 27 October 2025).

Useful numbers (England)

999: danger to life (live electrics in water, ceiling collapsing).
0800 111 999: National Gas Emergency Service.
Your water company: for a leak in the street or on the main supply to the block (number on your bill).
LEASE: free advice for leaseholders, lease-advice.org. Citizens Advice: If there's a leak from a neighbouring flat.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 1 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the safety steps, the landlord's repair duty and the complaint routes; medium for who pays in a leasehold block, which depends on your lease and the building's insurance policy; medium for the excess rules, which vary by lease. This guide describes common cases, not legal advice.