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Basement Flooding in a Rental Home: What to Do

Basement flooding rental home situations involve two parties, and the first steps depend on which one you are. A tenant who finds water should tell the landlord promptly and stay out of the flooded room, while a landlord who is told about water should arrange for a professional to deal with it. The safety rules are the same for both: never enter a flooded basement, and never handle electrics in standing water. The difference is in who calls whom, and who arranges the visit.

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Basements are uncommon across most of California, and they exist mainly in older homes and some hillside areas, so this guidance applies to a smaller group of homes. For those homes, though, a rental basement flood is a common enough event to deserve its own guide. The [basement water damage cleanup](/basement-water-damage-cleanup/) page describes the cleanup service in general terms.

Tenant steps in general terms

A tenant who finds water in a basement should stay out of the flooded room, keep everyone in the household away, and tell the landlord promptly. The tenant should describe what can be seen from a safe distance: where the water is, how deep it looks, whether it is still rising, and whether it followed rain or appeared on a dry day. Photographs taken from a safe, dry place are useful, and a note of the time the water was found should be kept.

A tenant should not try to clean up the water themselves, should not try to repair a burst pipe, and should not enter a flooded basement for any reason. Floodwater is not safe water, so contact with it should be avoided. The tenant's job is to report the flood and to stay safe, not to fix it.

Landlord steps in general terms

A landlord who is told about water in a basement should arrange for a professional to deal with it, and should tell the tenant to stay out of the flooded room until then. The landlord should ask the tenant what can be seen from a safe distance, and should call a cleanup company to arrange a visit. No availability or response-time claim is made here, because the time a visit can be arranged depends on the circumstances.

A landlord should keep a record of the report, the call, and the work that follows, because that record is useful for any insurer the landlord speaks to. The [basement water damage cleanup](/basement-water-damage-cleanup/) page describes the cleanup service in general terms.

Basement Flooding in a Rental Home: What to Do — California basement water damage guide

Who arranges the cleanup in general terms

In general terms, the landlord arranges the cleanup of a flooded basement, because the basement is part of the building and the water damage is a matter for the property owner. The tenant's role is to report the flood promptly and to stay safe, and the landlord's role is to arrange for a professional to deal with it. No legal advice is given here, because the duties of a tenant and a landlord vary and depend on the tenancy and the facts.

A tenant who is unsure about their duties should seek advice from a professional in the relevant field, and should keep a record of the report and of any conversation with the landlord.

Belongings in a rental basement

Belongings in a rental basement are often the tenant's, and the tenant should protect what is still dry from dry ground, without entering the flooded room. Do not carry items out of a flooded room, and do not reach into the water to pull something out. The belongings that matter most are the ones that are still dry, and keeping them that way is the practical step to take while waiting.

Keep a list of what was in the room and what was damaged, because that record helps both the cleanup company and any insurer. Do not throw damaged items away before the landlord or the insurer has had a chance to see them, unless they are a health risk.

Sewage in a rental basement

Sewage in a rental basement is a professional-only job, and no do-it-yourself sewage-cleanup advice is given here. A tenant who finds sewage should stay out, keep everyone away, and tell the landlord promptly. A landlord who is told about sewage should arrange for a professional to deal with it. The [basement sewage cleanup](/basement-sewage-cleanup/) page describes the sewage cleanup service in general terms.

Do not handle items that have been in contact with sewage, and do not try to wash them yourself. Floodwater is not safe water, and sewage water is more dangerous still.

Keeping a record

Both tenant and landlord should keep a record: the time the water was found, what was seen from a safe distance, the calls that were made, and the work that followed. Photographs from a safe, dry place, a list of damaged items, and receipts for the work are all part of the record. The documentation blog on this site describes the general steps for recording water damage for a claim.

The [basement water damage cleanup](/basement-water-damage-cleanup/) page sets out the service in general terms for California homeowners and landlords with basements.

Key Takeaways

A tenant who finds water in a basement should stay out of the flooded room, keep everyone in the household away, and tell the landlord promptly.
A landlord who is told about water in a basement should arrange for a professional to deal with it, and should tell the tenant to stay out of the flooded room until then.
In general terms, the landlord arranges the cleanup of a flooded basement, because the basement is part of the building and the water damage is a matter for the property owner.
Belongings in a rental basement are often the tenant's, and the tenant should protect what is still dry from dry ground, without entering the flooded room.
Sewage in a rental basement is a professional-only job, and no do-it-yourself sewage-cleanup advice is given here.
Both tenant and landlord should keep a record: the time the water was found, what was seen from a safe distance, the calls that were made, and the work that followed.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Basement Water Damage Cleanup page explains what that service covers, the Basement Flooding Cleanup page covers a related part of the job, and the services hub lists every service in one place.

While you wait, do not enter a flooded basement and do not touch switches, plugs or appliances in standing water. Floodwater is not safe water — keep pets and children clear of it.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after heavy rain.

Basement water damage help is available across California. See basement water damage cleanup in Pacific Palisades, CA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.