Take legal action against another condo owner for negligence
Long story short: Bought a condo in April 2015. In May 2015, the unit above me had a washing machine (not allowed in in the units) and a rusted tub in the bathroom which allowed water to come through and caused some of my bathroom walls and ceiling to be rotted. My husband and I managed to contact the owner of this unit but he refused to pay for any damages. We used our insurance and were planning to take him to small claims at least for the $1000 deductible but life happened and we just left it at that.
Fast forward to July 2016, my tenant informed us that one circuit of the electricity in the unit no longer works. He claims that the unit above was using power tools and suddenly not only the power tools stopped, but the electricity was shorted. He immediately knocked on their door and NOBODY would answer him. I have contact the HOA requesting his information again but they told me they cannot release his information to me and all they can do is get a hold of him and have him contact me, but I still haven't received any updates.
We want to get this fixed in a timely manner for our tenant but it appears we are going to have to pay out of pocket or use our insurance again and try to take him to small claims for negligence.
This is my first property and I am very new to all of this. I would appreciate any suggestions or knowledge coming my way regarding my options or plan of action on this matter.
Thank you all and best regards!
Nayla Valentin