to feel the landlord is being unreasonable?

[Yolo89]

So my husband left the tap running and the sink overflow failed, causing water to leak two floors below. They came and without really looking told us that the sink overglow was blocked. It isnt and there is no way they could know unless they took apart the sink. Now they are trying to charge us £500 for repairs for the leak in two flats.

There could be old leak damage from the boiler leaking too - how wpuld we know what is what?

They are also only giving us 14 dats to pay.

please help - what are my rights?

Qhen the boiler in the flat above leaked, they never came and fixed the leak damage.

Thet also tried to make us pay for our boiler when it leaked even though i found out it was defective. Funnily when I brought it up they never mentioned again.

Hence there is no trust

The landlord must have insurance- why isn't he claiming on it like any normal person?

no the overflow wont stop a constant running tape thats not what it does

he left the tap running i assume quite strongly and it flows over thats normal

You need to pay, but I'm sorry you've been hit with this, it's horrible when huge unexpected costs come out of nowhere. An overflow is only there to help, even if it's perfectly clear it can't be expected to contain fast running water for any real length of time. It was an accident, but it was an accident that was your husbands fault so the cost of repair is rightly going to fall on your household.

This is why people have insurance. They should be claiming on the insurance.

For the sake of £500 I'd assume the landlord probably doesn't want to put it on his insurance which would increase his premium all for the sake of the negligent husband. Sorry that sounds harsh but your husband is clearly at fault.

They are bloodsucking cowboys snd I dont trust them.at all

I understand how upsetting this must be, but would suggest you avoid sharing this view with the landlord - at least if you want to stay there

This is after all his property you've damaged and the cost sounds not unreasonable for the issues you described. Bear in mind too that, if he asks you to leave, he could well get the money anyway by keeping your deposit

Now they are trying to charge us £500 for repairs for the leak in two flats.

Ask for a breakdown of this. Do not pay for the other flats damage if this is what is being proposed.

The £500 could be the excess on the insurance policy, and they might have only been out for a few hours because the ceilings etc probably need to dry out before the decorating can be done.

I can't work out your comments about costs- is the £500 the cost of the repair or the insurance excess? I would expect the resident to pay the excess in the circumstances you describe because leaving a tap running will cause flooding. An overflow only deals with small amounts of water. TBH £500 is not too expensive - if the other flats need redecorating.

When I read things like this I can understand how landlords get frustrated and end up seeming unkind or unreasonable. Your husband damaged the property, he needs to pay to rectify that. That's the bottom line. We rent and I treat the place like I own it. By that I mean we respect it as if it was ours.

But once you've moved in, any blockages to drains, waste pipes and gullies through misuse will be the tenant's responsibility

Yes, but they'd have to prove that it was due to misuse (e.g. pouring fat down the sink or flushing sanitary towels down the toilet).

Surely a sink with the plug out and an overflow should be physically unable to overflow unless it was at least partially blocked? I've lived in quite a few places but never had a sink which could fill with the plug out.

OP, I'd contact shelter if I were you. They have pretty good guidance for renters.

I dont need harsh comments. Im.feeling utterly broken at the moment. My husband went out after this and got awfully drunk last night as a coping mechanism. Whole other issue. Just to say I'm feeling fragile. So please be honest but not harsh.

When we had a flood in the bathroom, caused by DS leaving the shower on, it was covered for by the insurance. (Although that was a house, not a flat, so maybe the insurance was different). The insurance company said a family member would be covered, but not a visitor.

I am calling them.cowboys by the way as they tried to blame us for a boiler exploding and leaking when they full well knew it was faulty. As soon as I mentionef this, I never heard from them again.

We were jist broken into and as I've asked for more security, feel like they are punishing me by going in hard. I am.dealing with a management company not the LL direct . He owns many properties and is avery hard man .

single - what type of insurance?

Do not pay for the other flats damage if this is what is being proposed.

The leak occurred due to her husband's actions. He is the responsible party in this therefore he foots the cost not other flats. If they claim off their insurance they will just come after him anyway.

OP the overflow is a red herring, a small amount of water leaking out yes, but enough to go 2 floors below is purely down to negligence. Generally overflows are intended to deal with small amounts of water, tap left running a small amount too long or a leaking tap, not left fully open and forgotten about. Regardless the outcome in this situation would have been the same. Ask for a breakdown of costs and providing that is reasonable you need to pay up.

You should have had tenant insurance. It covers you for damage you cause to the property and damage to any of your landlords possessions.

I think it’s tenants liability. It’s a while since I rented but I paid for that - contents and liability so that if I accidentally damaged the property I would have cover in place.

The £500 could be the excess on the insurance policy, and they might have only been out for a few hours because the ceilings etc probably need to dry out before the decorating can be done

Very valid points here ...

it is your husbands fault.... the overflow will not be able to take more than a trickle, if the flow is heavier than that then the sink will overflow basic common sense/physics...

I know you think the LL is a cowboy but imagine owning a property and then someone else damages it by being absent-minded. You wouldn't be happy at all

Sounds as though the water flow was too much and the overflow couldn't cope. I believe any decent plumber would have tested this when the sink was installed and adjusted flow accordingly.

£500 does seem oddly low if you have soaked two flats below you and may just be the landlords insurance excess.

If he has insurance they may chase you for causing the damage by frank negligence to recover the rest of the costs. I’d ask for a full and final bill then pay up unless you have an insurance policy you can claim on.