Question, I just moved to a place for 3 months and didn't have a chance to purchase renter's insurance. We just had a flood in our basement which damaged our property, the flood was coming from an abandoned property next door, the insurance is only covering the property but is our landlord liable for our property getting damaged? Everything we had put in the basement temporarily is ruined. We didn't have heat or hot water for several days. He said that if we can show him some language that says he is liable he would reimburse us. We live in New York, if that helps.

Did you sign a lease? I would be willing to bet that if you did that it releases the landlord from any liability for damage to your personal property.

Yes, we did sign a lease, but he said if I can find anywhere that he is liable since it wasn't anyone's fault he would reimburse us. All of my son's baby pictures, dryer, camcorder, etc are all ruined. He is reimbursing us for our pots that we had to use to boil water to bathe and warm up the house.

He knows that no such law exists. Renters are responsible for getting rental insurance to cover personal property. You can try to sue the owner of the abandoned property if it was due to his/her negligence.