A number of residents in a residential building in West Ottawa have said that their cars have been damaged due to an unknown substance leaking from the damaged ceiling in the building's underground garage.

Residents explained that the liquid, which has been dripping for weeks, has caused white spots to appear covering the exterior paint of the vehicles, which are nearly impossible to remove.

Ras Lookomb, one of the affected residents, said, “It is leaking from the first floor of the entire underground garage. It seems to be a buildup of lime… you can't remove that from the paint.”

Lookomb noted that he first noticed these white spots on his car on June 20, adding that the leak is still ongoing, despite attempts by the garage operator, Homestead Land Holdings Limited, to relocate residents to other parking spaces.

“They are moving people to other parking spots, but even those spots are leaking too, so I don’t know… it’s a huge headache,” said Lookomb, adding that he feels the company is not showing enough concern to resolve the issue.

Susan Given-Hill says her car has suffered similar damage, and the building management told her to contact her insurance company to repair the paint.

“The substance has embedded itself in the paint, which is why repair estimates are reaching $10,350,” said Given-Hill, adding, “I don’t want to write off the car. I want Homestead to take responsibility and cover the damage costs.”

The company Homestead Land Holdings Limited declined to answer specific questions from CTV News Ottawa, providing only a statement that said, “We are aware of this issue and are working directly with the affected residents to resolve it quickly.”

However, several residents confirmed to the channel that they had not received any official notice asking them to move their cars.

For her part, Peggy Steel chose to completely cover her car with protective fabric, explaining that she suspects the cause is related to ongoing construction work.

“One of the workers told me they made a mistake when they removed the asphalt,” Steel said. “As a result, water leaks through the limestone and settles on our cars, which is a corrosive substance.”

As of Monday, water was still leaking in several areas of the garage, raising residents' concerns about continued damage and the high costs of repairs.

Sangini Gupta, whose car was also damaged, said, “I will lose the benefit of not having insurance claims, and my insurance premium will definitely go up. Who will bear the consequences of all this when I wasn’t even responsible for it?”