Yangon’s downtown is a sea of high-rise apartment blocks.

‘RAIN, rain go away and come again another day.’

The monsoon rains have arrived and brought with them a shed-load of headaches for anyone unlucky enough to suffer from a leaking roof. And with many of Yangon’s apartment blocks still bearing the scars of Cyclone Nargis’ battering more than one year ago, is it any wonder that apartment buyers are sceptical of top-floor units.

Daw Swe Swe Tun, the marketing executive for one Yangon real estate agency, said that top floor apartments, have been deeply unpopular with buyers for a long time but more so since Nargis.

“People’s interest in the top floor with roof has declined since Nargis. Buyers are afraid of the potential problems that strong winds and heavy rains can create for anyone living on the top floor,” she said.

There is a popular perception that the owner of the top floor is solely responsible for the cost of repairing any damage to the roof.

A property lawyer contacted by The Myanmar Times said specific laws regarding precisely who is responsible for the roof of an apartment block – and the damage that could ensue when it leaks – do not exist and are handled case-by-case.

“Most of the cases are simply handled through negotiations involving everyone who own apartments at the building. There is no separate law that details who is financially responsible for those kinds of damages,” she said.

“These kinds of acts should be enacted considering how many high-rise buildings there are in Yangon,” she said.

“For this reason most buyers want to avoid the top floor at condominium blocks and ordinary apartment complexes, even though they generally have good airflow and lovely views.

“At the same time, top-floor apartments at blocks without elevators are also the cheapest because residents have to walk a long way to get to leave their unit,” she said.

She said there are no annual safety checks on roofs in Yangon, which are only fixed when a leak springs.

U Hein Zan Aung, the assistant manager of Sai Khun Noung Real Estate, said there is only ever limited interest in top-floor apartments, adding that this lower interest usually equated to cheaper rents and purchase prices.

“Only 10 percent of renters are willing to even look at the top floor. People usually want to avoid the inconvenience of a leaking roof. Often the only people who are willing to investigate these apartments are trying to save money.

“However, some buyers and renters deliberately choose penthouse apartments that come with large balconies and the best views,” he said.

U Hein Zan Aung said that depending on the location and type of building, rental prices for top-floor apartment may be as much as K30,000 a month lower than for lower levels.

He agreed that regular roof inspections are a rarity and added that leaks and noisy roofs – caused by the movement of loose corrugated iron sheets – were more frequently seen in older buildings.

Two top-floor apartment residents offered different accounts of their experiences.

The first said he has lived in his top-floor apartment for two years and has so far had no troubles at all.

“We bought this new apartment in 2007. I checked my roof after Nargis but I saw nothing that needed repairing. There have been no leaks at all, even though there was significant rainfall in the past fortnight,” he said.

At the other end of the scale is newspaper editor Maung Zaw, whose rented apartment in Sanchaung township has sometimes resembled a swimming pool in the past fortnight.

“We’ve been lucky that our landlord has taken prompt action to fix the leaks, which basically flooded our living room every time it rained.

“The only problem is that the leaks persist, despite workmen coming around twice to work on the roof. It’s a major pain in the neck and I don’t enjoy coming home after work and then having to mop the floor twice or three times during the night.

“And I don’t really get along well with the freeloading pigeons that live in the roof either – they’re noisy and I don’t like cleaning up their feathers. It would be nice if the workmen could get rid of them too.”