Need help from someone with knowledge about building structure.

Recently my tenant informed me about leaking from the ceiling at my apartment unit. I went to check and aside from the massive leak I also found a ceiling crack developing in another room.

I asked the management if the building was still safe to stay, so far no response.

I went online to compare cracks with other apartments to find out how severe this damage actually is. The info is very mixed. Some sites say don't worry unless the cracks affect walls or if there is no bowing the ceiling. Others say that deteriorating joints are dangerous.

1) The crack in the ceiling seems wide enough to slip in a coin (general guide found online) but quite shallow.
2) The large leak seems to be caused by deteriorating joint. Previously it has leaked before but we treated it with waterproofing, as you can see it has worsened, the water just 'moved' away from the waterproofed section.

According to management many other units are experiencing leaking and just this year my own unit started leaking to the downstairs unit.

Is the apartment still safe to stay?

I don't know what to do and feel very sad because I was expecting that this would be my retirement home. Building is old but not that old (not older than 20 years).

Seems like normal hairline crack to me..

Nothing major. Just need to patch it up.

It's your ceiling?

Concrete slabs will need real lots of load to fail catastrophically. Some shrinkage cracks shouldn't compromise it much.

How old is your unit?
Since this is not the first time leaking, do you happen from the first one, what is the cause?
It is actually quite hard for us to determine whether the crack is structural or normal crack. Might be more useful to ask the contractor when they come to repair the leak,.

When the leak comes from upper floor unit, the waterproof treament must be done from the source. Doing it in your own unit will only divert the water to other places.

Sometimes, hairline cracks appears in ceiling is because there are wiring underneath the slab and due to poor plastering during construction.

To find out whether the building is safe for dwelling, you can do your own initial investigation......go around the ground floor and look for signs of wall, floor and road cracks. Also look out for misalign drainage or soil movement if the building is on a slope.

Thanks everyone. This thread has been really helpful.

1. There hasn't been any damage at the foundation levels (carpark etc). No erosion, drainage is ok.

2. The leaks come from the upstairs unit and happens after a big storm. This big leak happened right after the storm that flooded parts of the Klang Valley and caused multiple landslides here and there.

I guess what I plan to do now is just follow up with management and see how the issues can be rectified.

What is your meaning of upstairs unit ? ..... Roof or external wall ?

If there is a unit above yours, how can the rainwater reach your unit, unless is 'flooded'.

There is another apartment unit upstairs that is usually put to let. My guess is that the rain gets in through the window and then starts flooding the room when it is untenanted.

Then the first approach is to resolve with the upper unit.

Get the contact of the owner from the management office and have a 3 parties joint inspection. After that only your can decide who is responsible for the repair.

Thank you. This is helpful.