How long can you be left without a working toilet ?(housing association)

[lulu55xxx]

Hello
So about 1 am I was awoke to a really loud banging noise from the bathroom.
The toilet cistern was vibrating (not sure what the inside bit was called ) it was full of dirty water and the noise was like it was going to explode.
I had to tie it with string to stop it vibrating and I couldn’t get any water from the taps .
I turn the taps on and it’s a forceful gush and a trinkle of water .
Also when attempting to turn the taps the pipes make a loud loud noise.
So I have no toilet and no water.
Rang housing association and they’ve said it’s a 24 hour call out and they are quite busy so can’t say it will be today.
Its the only working toilet as well
Can they really leave me 24 hours with no toilet ? Or water ?

Also bathroom stinks because it’s full of waste water in cistern and toilet bowl

This is appalling. I would ask Shelter and Citizens Advice what to do if it isn't fixed today. You need a supply of drinking water at least. Meanwhile perhaps a neighbour could let you fill some containers. Find a public loo nearby to take the pressure of yours.

Could you stay with family for a day or two?

They can only work as fast as they can work. I don’t think 24 hours is that bad. It’s the same as most people would have to wait even if they own their house. In the meantime, buy some bottled water or go over a family or a friend.

Unfortunately they can long as they get to it within the 24 hours. Do you have any family or friends nearby?

I don't know about housing associations but when we had our last bathroom fitted our plumber told us it was illegal to leave us without a working toilet. So he took the old one out and put the new one in the same day. The plumbing wasn't plumbed as such but we put buckets of water down.

You need to call Shelter. This seems unreasonable.

When I worked for council housing this would have been a same day repair. If you could pour water Dow the wc instead of flushing then maybe they would leave it overnight if excessively busy but as you virtually have no running water it should be a same day repair

24 hours without being able to use the toilet isn’t that bad ?
My family and friends like around 40 mins drive away plus I need to be in to let in the plumber when they arrive as they can’t give you a time…they just turn up
I wouldn’t mind just water as I’m using bottled water etc but I need to obviously use the toilet

Is this due to the weather? Are the pipes frozen?
It is an emergency call out as you can't be left without a toilet, should be fixed as a priority - so if someone else has called who has two loos and one has broken you'll jump the queue - but there maybe others with only one loo and its broken so they'd get done in order.

I’m not sure the water that was pouring in was black waste water so not sure if the waste pipe is blocked
The noise was really bad it was so loud
i honestly thought the tank was going to explode

Would you be happy to be without a toilet and drinking water for 24 hours? What if op doesn’t have family or friends close by? Or what if they have mobility issues and can’t just nip out? I think it’s pretty shocking tbh. Water and toilets are basic human needs.

Is it blocked or is the sewage outflow pipe frozen?

Do you have severe weather warning where you are? This may obviously delay things but you should be top of the list in with anyone else with the same type of situation. Do you have a neighbour you can knock and ask to use their loo as its an emergency?

I have no idea if it’s blocked tbh
All I know is the cistern was loudly vibrating and filling with the dark waste water and the water not coming through the pipes at all
Like the pressure was off

What do you think people who own their own homes do?

What we certainly don't do is 'order' tradespersons out to our own schedule.

Plumbers have likely been very busy with backlogs of work due to being unable to travel due to snow and high workload due to burst pipes.

It does sound as if your pipes are frozen - but if its obviously 2 degrees - thats possibly not the case - its 2 degrees where I am and so my pipes have not frozen today - they did on Monday night as it was -7 and I didn't have water in the kitchen due to the pipes freezing - I heated the pipes with a hairdryer and got them running again

@Periperi2025homestly don’t really care ,my issue is what I’m concerned about and I know for a fact my friend (home owner ) when had a pluming issue had a emergency plumber out in a few hours
So no I don’t think most homeowners would have to wait 24 hours for a plumber

@MikeRafoneyeah it’s 4 degrees here this morning (or so my phone says ) not sure if connected but yesterday when using washer there was a foul smell coming from my sink in the kitchen too

I work for a HA, this repair will be attended WITHIN 24 hours. They will get to you as soon as they can.

No, I wouldn’t be entirely happy but you can’t force them to come any earlier if 24 hours is the time frame that they use for trying to get these things done and that’s their timeframe. She’s probably not the only person, they can only work as fast as they can work. Shouting and screaming about it isn’t gonna get it done any faster.

That will be 100% dependent on the issue and whatever cover she has in place so she probably pays a premium to ensure that she will have a plumber within a certain few hours

So no I don’t think most homeowners would have to wait 24 hours for a plumber

You"ve not been told you have to wait 24 hours

you"ve been told it will be within 24 hours as not having a toilet working is an emergency

It doesn't sound like it is frozen pipes - but possibly the weather has created a problem?

Hopefully the plumber will be with you very soon and unfortunately you'll need to use a bucket and cover it with a towel - needs must

if you have cat litter, then pop some in the bucket

I own my home so I’m fully aware of what people do. You try your best to get an emergency tradesperson out. When you are HA you are relying on someone else to make these arrangements for you. I get that you can only work with what’s available but saying ‘it’s not that bad’ isn’t true or helpful. It is bad to be without a working toilet and drinking water.

do you have a baby or toddler? disabled person or someone elderly in the house? I might be wrong but if you do they should be a priority and move you up the repair list. trouble is this time of year they are probably up to their neck in burst pipes etc. i appreciate you dare not go out but bottled water aside just to spend a penny have you a bucket and some bleach for a temporary measure?

Where did i say "it's not that bad". The entire UK has been under severe weather warnings this week (including amber ones), i was snowed in for 4 days, things are only just getting up and running again in much of the UK. Plumbers will be playing catch-up and dealing with a massive workload.
OP will unfortunately have to wait her turn, hopefully she will be prioritised due to no toilet, but there will be other people who've had water pouring through the ceiling due to burst pipes, so they may feel their needs matter too.