leaky ceiling [apartment woes] (renters, insurance, home)

[alixjack]

This morning, I woke to a loud crash and upon investigation learned that my antique swag lamp fell out of the ceiling and shattered on the floor. I didn't see anything unusual so I figured that because management was doing construction on the apartment above ours, the movement of the floor just shook it loose, so I left for work. My husband came home in the afternoon to find water leaking from the screw hole that the lamp left behind. We called the maintenance man and apparently he came over, took a hammer to the ceiling, left a 2ft x 2ft hole, and decided that there is some sort of moisture inside the wall that was frozen but is now melting and causing our problem? Apparently the unit above us has a leak near the floor in the same spot.

... IMAGINE THAT.

I've never had to deal with any sort of apartment craziness before and I'm not sure what I should be doing. A contractor is supposed to meet the maintenance guy and me in the morning to see what can be done, but I can't sleep because I'm haunted by images of the rest of the ceiling caving in.

SO, I don't have renters insurance. The fact that this insanity happened in the location of the only splurge object I have [my first fancy tv, that I of course bought on sunday] is making me rethink my decision not to have it. Luckily, the tv escaped damage... this time.

Can I get renters insurance while this gaping hole is present? Is pre-existing conditions a "thing" in renters insurance? I looked through this forum and googled a bit and I saw some posts mentioning that you want to look out for replacement insurance rather than actual value. I filled out a few forms online to get some quotes, but I didn't see any information that told me which kind it was. I should be contacted by a few agents tomorrow, do I tell them about the leaking hole? Any provider suggestions from people that have had to make claims in the past?

My other question is in regards to the building management. They said that I could submit a bill for the replacement of the light fixture that crashed, and that is rad, but I wonder if I am entitled to anything more? Should I ask to move to a different unit? Are ceiling leak problems easier to fix than I think they would be? Should I ask for a rent discount since I'm staying home from work tomorrow to meet with these people? I'm not trying to be overly greedy but I don't want to get hosed.

Blargh, I'm sorry I wrote such a novel... Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

[Drover]

By the looks of it, the management company is being very responsive. Your primary recourse is to demand repairs, and they're already doing that. They're paying for your damaged property. That pretty much covers their obligations. You could always ask to move to a different unit, but as long as they're taking prompt corrective action, they are under no obligation to let you.

As for renter's insurance... yeah, you can't make a claim for something that happened before the policy was enacted.