Long and short: tenant (and parent co-signers) failed to inform of toilet issue. Parent was contacted on Dec 16 indicating high consumption. Tenant (student) went home for 2 weeks (holidays) came back to collapsed 1st floor ceiling, all upstairs subfloor saturated, and 1st floor wall and floor water damage. Yes - tenant had renter insurance and damage is being paid under the ‘liability’ portion of the policy. Student being housed at hotel by insurance.

My question: can the parent place time frame demands for repairs? Restoration company is estimating 4-5 weeks - approx Mar 15 - at which point the lease ends April 1. Obviously I don’t want to let them back in for 2 weeks. Thoughts?

There's no way they can insist on a time frame - you are at the mercy of the "experts."

In a case like this, one could have:

Installed a battery water alarm with internet Wi-Fi and sent you an alert. Cost $100

Install a water flow cut off device to turn off water when a toilet flush exceeds 8 gallons. Cost $80

Check and install a better toilet tank/flapper/fill valve. Also around an extra $100

Instead, you have a $5,000 problem on your hand.

I have a set of partners. Together we own around 160 units. They themselves have over 1000 units. In a 30 unit property I spent $3,000 and installed toilet cut off devices. They blow they top and refused to pay their share.

What Richard & WMH said.

How does high water consumption in a toilet turn into that kind of water damage?

Was there possibly a hidden leak in a wall?

Was it the supply line that was leaking? Maybe it popped off or something?

Doesn't make sense that a toilet would leak like that when not in use otherwise.

Bad flapper would not cause water to get onto the floor. Maybe it was the tank to bowl gasket or bolts? That could do it as well, but that would need to be a lot of water. One would think the tenant could hear the problem before they went home for the holidays.