Blocked plumbing in rented house. Who should pay?
Discussion
I live in a shared house with 5 other students, Its generally great, but the plumbing is terrible.
The pipe that comes from the washing machine/kitchen sink is blocked. This apparently happened last year (they had a downstairs toilet erupt too in a separate, ballet shoe related incident, though that's not exactly the plumbing's fault).
We were warned about this and have hence been careful with what goes down the sink. Last time it cost £900, and the landlords claim it should come from our deposit.
Not too happy with that - I think it is unreasonable that we should foot the bill for the fact that the plumbing is prone to blocking (fully) every year.
What do the PHers think, should I expect to be bent over, or is it the landlords problem?
Thanks
Flex
The pipe that comes from the washing machine/kitchen sink is blocked. This apparently happened last year (they had a downstairs toilet erupt too in a separate, ballet shoe related incident, though that's not exactly the plumbing's fault).
We were warned about this and have hence been careful with what goes down the sink. Last time it cost £900, and the landlords claim it should come from our deposit.
Not too happy with that - I think it is unreasonable that we should foot the bill for the fact that the plumbing is prone to blocking (fully) every year.
What do the PHers think, should I expect to be bent over, or is it the landlords problem?
Thanks
Flex
Where is it blocked? What is it blocked with?
The answer is along the lines of repairs are likely to be the responsibility of the landlord, especially if due to failure of the drainage system (e.g. tree root ingress), however unblocking and repair due to misuse is typically the responsibility of the tenant.
If it is blocked by food waste, oil, fat etc then that will fall into misuse I expect.
The fact that you were warned about it may or may not help - if you have been extra careful and can demonstrate this then great, and it does suggest the landlord knew there was a problem waiting to happen...
The answer is along the lines of repairs are likely to be the responsibility of the landlord, especially if due to failure of the drainage system (e.g. tree root ingress), however unblocking and repair due to misuse is typically the responsibility of the tenant.
If it is blocked by food waste, oil, fat etc then that will fall into misuse I expect.
The fact that you were warned about it may or may not help - if you have been extra careful and can demonstrate this then great, and it does suggest the landlord knew there was a problem waiting to happen...
ok drainage...
its a pipe that runs under a conservatory floor that joins up with all the other stuff under said floor, and it might be blocked further along (they have had issues with tree roots further down apparently too).
As far I could tell everything drains extremely slowly all the time (even when it had been freshly repaired) and I made a note of this at the time to make sure we couldn't be blamed. I think because of this, the slightest blockage quickly develops. There are also thousands of woodlice everywhere... in there including the drains.
The ballet shoe incident is a unsolved mystery, as none of the (then) tenants had any connection to ballet...
Cheers
its a pipe that runs under a conservatory floor that joins up with all the other stuff under said floor, and it might be blocked further along (they have had issues with tree roots further down apparently too).
As far I could tell everything drains extremely slowly all the time (even when it had been freshly repaired) and I made a note of this at the time to make sure we couldn't be blamed. I think because of this, the slightest blockage quickly develops. There are also thousands of woodlice everywhere... in there including the drains.
The ballet shoe incident is a unsolved mystery, as none of the (then) tenants had any connection to ballet...
Cheers
markbigears said:
The landlord cannot take anything from your deposit without going through a third party, assuming he has used a deposit protection scheme. Whats constantly blocking the plumbing or is it design issue?
And if he hasn't gone through the deposit protection scheme you can take his pants down AFAIK.Sounds like there is trouble with the design/layout of the drains causing them to block up regularly which needs to be sorted by the landlord.
Although, technically, the blockage should be sorted by the landlord, we used to work on the 'do the small things, keep 'em sweet and create about the big stuff and remind them what we do' system when in rented.
Have you tried clearing the drains yourself? Start with drain clearer or tiny rods if its inside or lift inspection covers and use big rods or hose if outside. If the blockage moves you may be able to work out what's causing it. It mays be something as simple as washing capsules not dissolving properly or babywipes down the toilet, which can be addressed by the users, but bad runs/bends/tree roots need to be sorted by the landlord.
Although, technically, the blockage should be sorted by the landlord, we used to work on the 'do the small things, keep 'em sweet and create about the big stuff and remind them what we do' system when in rented.
Have you tried clearing the drains yourself? Start with drain clearer or tiny rods if its inside or lift inspection covers and use big rods or hose if outside. If the blockage moves you may be able to work out what's causing it. It mays be something as simple as washing capsules not dissolving properly or babywipes down the toilet, which can be addressed by the users, but bad runs/bends/tree roots need to be sorted by the landlord.
I gave it a good try, so now the pipes that lead up to the problem one are lovely and clear, but the problem is in an inaccessible pipe that looks to just collect everything...
Someone came to look and said it looks bad. didn't shift much at all with rods / some nice sulphuric acid.
It appears to have happened after 10 days of non use while no one was here around Easter - as though it all settled in nicely and now won't budge.
Someone came to look and said it looks bad. didn't shift much at all with rods / some nice sulphuric acid.
It appears to have happened after 10 days of non use while no one was here around Easter - as though it all settled in nicely and now won't budge.
A lot of landlords will give you the automatic "it's cooking oil, your fault, you pay" every time drains get a mention, sometimes it's true, often they're just keen for someone else to pay to keep in working order the product of half assed jobs, poor maintenance etc.
My own landlord recently tried this when I pointed out the drain in the garden was backing up every time we have a shower- really must stop washing in mazola huh? Apart from that, because it's backing up in the garden the blockage must be external to the house
My own landlord recently tried this when I pointed out the drain in the garden was backing up every time we have a shower- really must stop washing in mazola huh? Apart from that, because it's backing up in the garden the blockage must be external to the house
Speaking as a landlord, I more often than not pay for waste blockages irrespective of whether it is due to a tenant using the kitchen sink as a waste disposal unit.
However, I do warn them about it and one particular tenant is on his last chance.
Usually, though, the problem isn't internal. If it is, it's often due to a combination of poorly designed pipework and abuse. So 50:50 really.
Our most common source of problems is main drains and interceptors.
Oh, that and ballet shoes obviously.
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