Leaking showers. Who do I call?

[SundayMorningResearch]

I need some advice. We moved into a new house just over a week ago. The building survey said that the tiling in both the first floor shower and loft-room shower needs to be re-grouted, and there was evidence of historic leaks below that had been painted over. Sure enough, 5 minutes into using the first floor shower, water started dripping through the kitchen ceiling below. We all started using the loft shower instead, which seemed fine, but yesterday we noticed a dark stain on the ceiling of the room below - so that is leaking too, but more slowly. I'm hoping both issues are tiling-related rather than plumbing-related, but I suppose that will need to be verified somehow.

Question is, do I phone a plumber or a tiler or a general builder? I have a couple of heating engineers coming this week to quote for another job, and they both say they do general plumbing work, including bathroom installations, so I will ask their advice, but will they be a relatively expensive option for fixing shower leaks?

Ghostbusters!

...sorry.

If you have a leak, regrouting will not solve the problem. I would get a plumber.

It depends where it’s leaking. If the sealant around the shower is broken, then water is getting down the side and dripping down. Re-sealing with bathroom sealant is a straightforward DIY job you can do yourself.

If water’s going down the plughole then dripping out then you might need a plumber if it’s not a joint you can access. If you can access it then some PTFE tape or the rubber pipe sealing tape stuff might mean you can sort it yourself.

Re-grouting won’t do anything about your leak - unless the tiles are literally falling off the walls and water’s getting behind them and somehow dripping all the way to the ground, but this seems really unlikely. It’s more likely that because of the leak it’s damp behind the tiles and they’re lifting.

Also - GHOSTBUSTERS!

A plumber. You need to find and fix the source of the leak. Then a ruler or whoever to sort out the mess it's going to leave.

Then find out where the previous owners moved to and poke smelly fish through their letterbox.

• a tiler ffs not a ruler. Don't think her maj is going to nip round and redecorate your bog

@SundayMorningResearch

Fuck doing it myself! I bet you paid big dollar for a new house.

Call the people you bought it from and tell them to come fix their shitty, shoddy workmanship!

I know at LEAST half a dozen people who bought a new-build home, and they had issue after issue and problem after problem. Every week they were contacting the people they bought the house from. Not ONE did anything themselves. Why should they, when there is a guarantee on the house? (often for 10 years! Sometimes more)

Don't let the fuckers get away with it, and don't you do fuck-all yourself.

Contact the people you bought the house from.

@katielouise3 OP doesn't say it is a new build. The reference to historic leaks supports this.

OP you need a plumber.

Thanks all. It's a 1940s house, but the bathrooms are renovated - probs around 5 years ago.

Obviously I realise it depends on the source of the problem, but who investigates and determines the source of the problem? I guess it's the plumber initially, but he may just investigate and say "call a tiler", and then I'll need a plasterer/decorator once it's fixed.

How much access do you have? When we moved into our last house we discovered that it rained in the kitchen when we showered, but we were able to take off the side of the bath and see where the leak was coming from. Can you take off the side panel of your unit easily?

You knew about the problem before you moved in - I don't really think you can contact the seller about it. Presumably you took it into account when you made your offer on the house?

We had this situation last year, I got a plumber who was fairly certain it was a due to the sealant failing. But he did recommend all the tiles came off as the wall behind was probably wet - and he was right. But the plumber didn't really want that job so I had to get a decorator in - all a load of hassle really. Why aren't there people who do the whole thing?

You knew about the problem before you moved in - I don't really think you can contact the seller about it. Presumably you took it into account when you made your offer on the house?

I don't think 'evidence of historic leaks' is the same as 'these showers both leak'

Perhaps employ some common sense?

To be clear, I have no intention of contacting the seller. They patched up the problem cosmetically without fixing it, and I despise them for that, but we have no comeback against them. Buyers beware.

Now we just need to get it fixed before more damage is caused, and just want to make sure we do that in a efficient, cost effective way.

Thank you @Bombardier25966

Sorry, I read the OP OK, but didn't read it thoroughly enough. I just saw 'we moved into a new house,' and instantly thought it was a newbuild. I did read most of the post, but didn't the notice 'historic leaks' bit.

Apologies @SundayMorningResearch. Hope this is sorted. Not sure what you can do about it though. (I mean legally.) I think you may have to get someone in to do it if you can't do it yourself.

I have no intention of doing it myself - that's why I wanted to know who to call.