1 carefully review bylaws you received either at closing or when you put prop 'under contract'. there should be a section labeled " insurance" that spells out what the master policy covers and what the unitowner policy covers. each unit owner pays for both policies (ultimately) - so be sure you have the correct type of policy and the property limits and endorsements on your individual policy. 2 does your assoc have a prof mgt co or does the board of directions manage? once you know who manages you'll know who to speak w/ 3 if you have mold and mushrooms, the leak(s) probably went on for a long time; long term leaks are typically not covered under a homeowners/condo policy--- so even if the association made an insurance claim they may not get $ to pay; perhaps they owe for the repairs from their savings/contingengy funds 4 the more I type & think, the more I see you needing an attorney; be sure you hire an attorney who has some knowledge of condo associations and unitowners

OK, what you have going on is known as an ice dam. A very common thing in the Northeast, especially in years where there is early snow when the sun is so low in the horizon, and the temps are very cold as they have been recently. The popular long range fix is roof work and added insulation, etc, but you can make a big difference right away by getting a roof rake and removing the snow after every snow fall. Get a roof rake with a lot of extensions and you will be able to reach a roof above a two-story-with-full-attic building. The good news is that you don't have to rake the entire roof, just the sections where you are getting ice dams. When using the rake be VERY CAREFUL around overhead electrical lines. It takes a bit of practice to get used using the roof rake, and for years I left it up to husband. Last winter he was unable to do so I tried it on my own and though it took some effort, it is do-able, even by a very middle-aged woman. It especially helps if there are adjacent roofs (wings, additions) you can perch on while raking so you're not working at such a high angle. I don't do it from a ladder, though, even though I am quite at home on them. I'm either standing on the ground or another roof. Now about ice dams: first of all be aware that there are two things called ice dams. One type is the little metal brackets that people install on the roof to keep masses of snow from falling as a thunderous sheet over doorways. That's not what were talking about here. For this discussion an ice dam is a place where you have melted snow that freezes on the roof which eventually builds up and blocks the downward flow of other melting snow. This backs the water up under your shingles allowing it to run down the exterior sheathing or interior walls and ceilings, sometimes for great, perplexing, distances. The most commonly cited cause of the ice dams are houses without sufficient insulation to keep the heat from rising through the exterior walls to the roof, melting the bottom layer of snow, which then refreezes when we have really cold periods, crating the ice dam. The conventional cure involves added insulation, blocking intra-wall air-channels, sometimes removing and relaying roofing with Grace water shield underneath it, etc. Unless you actually have a frank hole in your roof, with uncontrollable cascades of leaking in, I would try to put all that off for now. (Though you will have tons of contractors scaring the pants off you if you call them out to look at it.) Let me tell you about my experiences with ice dams. I live in the NE in a very old house with no insulation in the walls. And none to very little in the attic. Some years we have had ice dams, but none since we started removing the snow from the roof after every storm in the early season. (By March it becomes less urgent because there is more sun to melt all the snow off promptly, but right now it's a problem.) One thing I have noted about these old houses is that when they were built they didn't seem to have such a big problem with ice dams (and certainly no lightweight plastic or aluminum roof rakes to attack it with). It stands to reason that they would have altered or modified building techniques if ice dams were such a persistent problem as they are today. I think it is related to how we heat our homes, particularly because we now heat with radiators along the outside walls, warming that air column straight up to the eaves where ice dams start. And we keep our houses much warmer than what was expected before. So in some ways, I think we have created a problem where there wasn't one to begin with. However, the customarily recommended long term cure is to fill the wall cavities with insulation blocking the rise of heat along the eave walls. (Though adding insulation has its own, different, issues.) In addition one can remove and relay the roof shingles over a good water shield. One can use electric ice melting cables along the eaves. (I am wary of these as there have been some reports of fires connected to their use.) Or one can rake, which is what I do. Plus I maintain a careful watch on any spot where I have ever experienced any leaking and am prepared to interupt, dry or, just collect any flowing water. Since you now own an older house, you may feel overwhelmed with the new things you will need to learn about the care of it. The good news is that many, if not most, issues respond to lower-tech solutions. But it does take some time and effort to get in the old-house groove, which is very different from newer houses and much conventional wisdom is dead wrong when applied to older houses. The problem, at first, is figuring out which is which. But you have arrived, by chance, at a good resource. I'll attach a link to another excellent forum below. I have often thought it would be a wonderful invention if one could figure out how to apply a pnneumatic de-icing boot to the roof similar to what is used on the wings of aircraft. Have the right conditions, then press the switch, and the boot inflates and all the ice is just popped off, autom atically. (The good thing is that when raking the roof, you will get very warm from the effort, and it certainly qualifies for your daily stint of aerobic conditioning.) Molly~ Here is a link that might be useful: Old house web discussion forum

I wouldn't be concerned about structural damage though the roofers should be alert for any weakness in that area. The blackened or otherwise deteriorated sheathing probably needs to be replaced. There may be some mold to clean up but eliminating the water source should keep it from recurring. Remove any wet insulation and let the affected areas dry out. Then evaluate any wetted drywall or ceiling in the living space below for possible repair needs. You might only need to apply some stain blocking primer and repaint discolored areas. A one year old roof should not have leaked. Was there some storm damage or did the roofers do a poor job there?

One problem with roof leaks is the homeowner usually only sees the most obvious leak. Fix that problem and you may find that a secondary leak now becomes visible. Or, the roof leak is still there but the entrance path of the water into the interior has been changed by the repair work. If prior questionable workmanship causes a problem in one area, chances are high that similar issues are also present in other areas, just not yet obvious. It is likely that the underlying condition of the roof is more responsible for the new leak than improper repair work in another area. Because roof leaks are notoriously difficult to find and repair in one go, the discussion about what happens if the repair doesn't solve the problem should occur before the initial work is started. Many contractors (especially the less experienced!) are very confident of their skills and don't even consider the possibility of not being successful so negotiating up front is often more favorable to the homeowner. My view is a customer shouldn't have to pay for the same repair twice unless he was specifically warned that the original work would be a carefully applied band-aid but could not be guaranteed. My partner was involved in a similar situation this past summer. He and his roofing buddy decided that the problem was some improper flashing around a dormer and they fixed that problem and then the interior wall and ceiling. However, the next major rain storm occurred and they found that the first repair was needed, but another leak appeared. My partner charged her for the materials and very small amount for labor for the additional work on the other roof issue. He didn't charge for fixing the wall since that was work she had already paid for with the first repair.