A fire sprinkler was set off in our bedroom while removing wallpaper. When trying to turn the water off we found the on/off valve locked in the on position with a chain an padlock. We called condo management and an association member was sent but did not have a key. He called people with no response. After over an hour we got permission to cut the lock. A lot of damaging water was released in that hour and a half. If I could have turned that water off in the first 15 minutes little damage would have happened.
So the Questions are: 1. Are Condo Associations/Management Companies allowed to Lock the Valves Open?.. (Each condo main entrance has a keyed entry and the Valve is in an unlocked room under the 1st floor steps). Who is responsible for damages when I set it off but the condo response time was worse than slow, actually never showed with a key? Maryland.