Water from the air conditioner above drips onto my balcony chair every afternoon. Who should solve a problem between units?

At about four each afternoon, water begins tapping the metal arm of my balcony chair.

The drops fall from a small drain line beneath the apartment above. On hot days, the tapping becomes steady enough to splash the table and leave a wet patch near the balcony door. I moved the chair twice. The water follows the same narrow path, so avoiding it means giving up one corner of an already small balcony.

I mentioned it to the upstairs neighbor when we met near the mailboxes. He said it was only condensation and suggested placing a plant underneath. He may have intended that as a practical idea. It landed as an invitation to reorganize my space around water from his unit.

I do not know whether the drain line is his responsibility, building maintenance or simply how the property was designed. I am not trying to diagnose the air conditioner. I want the dripping redirected so it does not land on furniture or create a permanently wet walking spot.

The neighbor rents. I own my unit. That difference complicates the conversation because he may not be authorized to change anything. It also means a demand that he “fix it” could be aimed at the wrong person.

I submitted a maintenance request with photos. The building manager replied that they would inspect it during the next routine visit, without giving a date. Meanwhile, the neighbor continues using the unit, which is reasonable in hot weather, and the water continues falling.

My partner wants to hang a small gutter or tray beneath the balcony ceiling. I do not want to attach an improvised device to shared exterior surfaces without approval. A planter would catch some water but would still make us responsible for emptying or maintaining it.

I am considering asking the neighbor to join the maintenance request so it is treated as a two-unit issue rather than a complaint from below. We could document when the dripping starts and let management decide the proper repair.

Would you press management for a date, ask the upstairs tenant or landlord to escalate, or accept a temporary catch basin? How should neighbors divide effort when neither created the building design but only one household receives the daily impact?