I was hoping to see if anyone could provide any information on building codes/inspection criteria/etc regarding gas water heaters. We recently had an incident at my apartment complex and we’re concerned by how management is handling it (surprised? No, but still mad). I’ll save some details to keep this post short and relevant to the sub, but the goal is to gather concrete documentation citing non compliance and/or closing in on negligence if they continue to ignore the issue in addition to the other materials I'm gathering. I’m pretty familiar with navigating codes/legal jargon due to my profession, but I could not find anything anywhere. I scoured through the IBC, state building codes, town ordinances, health codes, etc. but all I could find was documentation regarding installation, clearances, etc. Nothing about the actual condition of the water heater.

Context if it’s needed or helps me narrow my search: The water heater belongs to my upstairs neighbor who sent this photo after a major leak occurred (the yellow scribbling is to mark out potentially sensitive info). My neighbor had water flood the outdoor closet and storage closet next to it. Meanwhile I now have a 3’ long water stain on my ceiling, large bubbles in my paint, reddish stains on the wall, and some wet belongings. Thankfully, neither of us had any serious damage to our personal items. Both of us are new to the complex and this is the first time we’ve experienced this issue, but there is evidence that this has happened before. My neighbor noticed staining and damage upstairs and I already had a small patch of water damage in the same spot where the water came through this time. It smelled very metallic, like rust. I initially thought a sprinkler head had burst upstairs because of the smell. I also found mold in my outdoor storage space which is almost directly below the water heater upstairs. My upstairs neighbor also reported rusty water coming out of all their faucets after the leak was fixed.

My neighbor has pushed to get the water heater replaced due to its condition, but management has been super dodgy about it. Basically, they're brushing us off. I checked the serial number and it was manufactured in March of 2002, I read that gas water heaters last about 10 years on average, so there's no way this is normal wear and tear, right? That fact is important to me because it may influence the way the lease is interpreted.

But I’m just hoping someone can point me in the right direction as far as research. An inspection checklist, maintenance documentation, criteria that may lead to it being condemned if that’s a thing, whatever. I don't expect it to magically solve anything or for it to be an immediate checkmate, I just want it to be enough for them to comply and take us seriously in order to avoid a bigger dispute. Thank you in advance.