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That pesky water damage... Council edition

Started by lexentine, July 29, 2020, 10:02:51 PM

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lexentine

Hi guys, I'm not a landlord but the tenant - though very curious if I can get advice on this.

The flat I stay in suffered a water leak from upstairs a few days ago. Stained ceiling, peeling paint & wallpaper, hideously reeking soggy carpet - the works. Trick is, the flat upstairs is unoccupied with repairs underway that are done by the council. I know this because I phoned the council emergency repair line to report this and they confirmed they have things going on under that address and promptly sent a plumber up to fix it. The nice chap arrived a couple hours later in a shiny council van, fixed the leaking pipe upstairs and bid adiĆ³s.

Now, because of covid, getting through to the council on the phone was nothing short of a nightmare. My landlady finally got through to speak to them today (her insurance company was notified a few days ago, pretty much after I told her about it).
She texted me earlier today with news that the council folk apparently told her to get stuffed - that they won't do any repairs or cover any costs, she will have to pay the insurance excess of 600quid.

Now, I know, technically I shouldn't be worrying about this because it's not my bill to pay. But it still doesn't sit right with me - if the council (who presumably owns the flat upstairs) is responsible for the water leak, how are they not liable to even partially cover the cost of damages?

I'm curious what the learned folks of the internet would advise in this situation 😅

Hopefully the place will be fixed up as soon as possible, though I still feel bad for my landlady to have to take it on herself if it's not her fault.

What do you think?

Hippogriff

It's your home, but - really - you're not involved in this... leave it in the hands of Others.

It's part of the boon of being a Tenant (that freedom)... also part of the Trial (as you have to wait for something you might quickly resolve yourself)... but it's not up to you, you're just being a nosey-parker. You don't need to feel bad for your landlady... she's making money from you... you're paying her mortgage (I hope)... you're being exploited by the landed gentry... if you feel she needs perking-up then give her a cuddle - but with consent, not in a Ted Baker kind of way. That's wrong.

Why are you laughing about your comment regarding "learned folks"? That's what we are here... well, most of us, some of us... maybe.

lexentine

Thanks for swift response, even if full of sarcasm  ;)

I guess I should have been more clear about why I asked in the first place - I'm just curious! I have no intention of fighting someone else's battles, whether my landlady decides to squabble it out or she just waves it off because she's got enough money coming out of her every crevice - that's up to her and I know that.

What I don't know is if I live in a country where this kind of thing is legal, that the council can shy away from the consequences of damage from their side. It just seems very counter intuitive.

I guess I shouldn't feel too bad for asking the learned people, even if they don't know their way around emojis 😳

Hippogriff

Don't feel too bad about anything, not even your [sic] stained ceiling... worry about things like this when you're a home owner, or a Landlord, not now. Move on, 'cos it's time to groove on...

lexentine

Thanks for your valiant gatekeeping. Commendable.