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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think 3 days minimum is a bit of a piss take?

17 replies

RaaRaaTheLion · 07/09/2015 09:09

Frances - grow
On Friday night, I went to grab a towel so I could have a shower ( towels are kept at the bottom of the immersion tank on shelves) only to realise that all of the towels and bed linen were wet. After a look, I spotted that the bottom port thingy with a cable coming out of it ( picture attached, I'm no good at water tank lingo) was leaking water at a constant rate onto the towels, the floor and the wooden shelves. We are privately renting, so I rang the office which put me through to an out of hours maintenance man who told me to turn the trip switch off ( all electric, no gas in property), turn all the hot taps on to drain the tank and then turn the red stop valve on the side of the tank. I managed to do the first two, but when I went to turn the stop valve, the tap went round and round, seemingly not attached to anything. I was told I'd be called back that evening and someone would be out to fix it, yet was called at 11pm saying no one was available and that someone would be out tomorrow.

Saturday morning came and went, despite me making phone calls from the moment the office opened - someone finally made contact at 12.30 and said they'd be round within a few hours. At 3pm, someone turned up and after poking around for a bit, told me that the tank had split and would need replacing but that as it was the weekend, it wasn't going to happened and if I 'hadn't heard anything by Monday evening' then to chase them up as well as instructing me to turn the water to the property off until that point ( something to do with the water level gauge in the tank not working) which wasn't an option as no water and a 9 month old DD doesn't really work.

AIBU to think that given it was branded an 'emergency' by the management office, and that I have a baby in the property, that 3 days minimum for this to be fixed is a bit crap on their part?

OP posts:
TheRealAmyLee · 07/09/2015 09:23

So they want to leave you 3 days without water? Yes that is totally unacceptable!

addictedtosugar · 07/09/2015 09:39

I'd chase them this morning. I suspect you are going to be a few more days without water, as they will need to buy and fit a new tank. Get them to make it OK for cold water this morning. That should be just manageable. Kettle for washes, and take DD swim ng if you can.

LadySheherazade · 07/09/2015 09:39

It is VERY crap!

It was hard enough when we were without water for a morning - but even then the waterboard supplied bottled water. I think we would have got compensation had it gone on longer, luckily it didn't.

They are taking the piss, you should be put up in a hotel or something.

Junosmum · 07/09/2015 10:28

Call shelter for advice but I believe in your circumstances (child unerring 1, no water) you can go in to a hotel and deduct a 'reasonable amount' from your rent. A premier inn or similar price, not the 4 seasons!

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 07/09/2015 10:37

I had no electricity at my flat on Friday night, turned out a carpet tack had gone through a wire and due to some previous dodgy fiddling had blown the main fuse so no power getting into my flat (neither carpet tack or fiddling were my fault btw). I had two electricians sent on Saturday and luckily they were able to fix it with a fuse one of their colleagues happened to have in their van. If he hadn't had if they wouldn't have been able to get the part until Monday. It's not the engineers fault the part can't be got at the weekend but your landlord should do more to give you s workable solution til it's fixed, even if you only have cold water or something. Don't wait til the end of today, get onto them this morning to chase.

RaaRaaTheLion · 07/09/2015 11:44

Thank you for your replies. I've called this morning but have been somewhat fobbed off by them and told to wait in all day for someone to turn up. Will call shelter in a moment and see what they say; I did think it was a bit unusual that no one had mentioned any compensation/ alternative place to stay.

OP posts:
GloGirl · 07/09/2015 11:57

One day you will look back and wonder how they fobbed you off. Don't take no for an answer.

Phone landlord, letting agent, plumbers, etc repeatedly till you get it fixed

GloGirl · 07/09/2015 11:59

Obviously speak to Shelter. Lay it on extra thick how much you need the water for.

Can't make the baby any milk. Can't wash his bottles. Can't give him a bath, can't wash his shitty clothes etc.

MrsToddsShortcut · 07/09/2015 12:41

I would ring your Agency and calmly inform them that as you have been x amount of time without water and have an infant, you will be moving to a reasonably priced local hotel until the problem is fixed. You will be deducting the cost from your rent, as they are currently in breach of your tenancy agreement. While you understand that this is unforeseen, you cannot put the health and safety of your baby/family at risk while they sort it out.

Seriously, you need to do this. Flowers

RaaRaaTheLion · 07/09/2015 12:51

I've spoken to the agent now. Apparently they instructed the trades person to fix the problem, regardless of cost eg replacing if needed. They claim that they haven't had his report back and assumed it had been fixed. I told them I'm giving them until 3pm to send someone round otherwise I will be calling someone myself and billing the landlord and if that isn't possible, we will be checking ourselves into a hotel.

OP posts:
GloGirl · 07/09/2015 12:52

Good for you Raa Raa. Good luck Brew

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 07/09/2015 13:20

Good luck op, hope it's fixed today for you!

19lottie82 · 07/09/2015 16:24

MrsTodds The OP may not be entitled to her money back from the rental payments if she does this, so I wouldn't advise this until you have had permission how to proceed from Shelter.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 07/09/2015 16:35

You are not allowed to deduct money yourself from rent. It has to be refunded by the landlord. We had no water for 10 days earlier this year, then the water was brown, then it carried on going on and off intermittently for the next month until they finally managed to plumb us into a main. During this period we had to boil all drinking water until they could organise testing. The landlord brought bottled water (it was a private water supply) and organised a water bowser which was a tank in the drive. You had to fill buckets at the tank and heat the water in the kettle/on the stove. The landlord refused to put us up in a hotel, despite the fact we had a 3 yo and a 9 mo, on the basis that it was always just about to be fixed the next day...well, the day after...well, should be tomorrow, despite the plumbers telling us that was crap. They did refund the rent for the days we were without water altogether, and paid for laundrette bills, but they refused to pay anything for the faff of having to boil all drinking water for 6 weeks, and having to constantly be in to admit plumbers. I threatened to withold the rent until it was fixed but was advised that this would place us in default so I didn't quite dare.

CheesecakeDreams · 07/09/2015 19:50

How did you go? Did they sort it?

MrsToddsShortcut · 08/09/2015 13:26

Fair enough 19. I just get so cross when Agencies/landlords drag their heels about this stuff (renter here!).

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 08/09/2015 16:06

Fingers crossed you're soaking in a lovely bath op!

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