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

[Isleepinahedgefund]

Surely the blocked (or not) overflow/drain doesn't matter, your husband left the tap on. The overflow won't mitigate that for any length of time so flooding is inevitable. I'm surprised the LL is even entertaining the sink, and you've already admitted the fault on your DP's part. You need to pay.

[OKBobble]

Of course they have to pay for the damage to the other flats - her husband caused the damage by acting negligently . It isn't the people who live in those flats fault and neither is it the landlord's fault!

[CluedoAddict]

Your husband caused the damage so you should pay up.

[deste]

The apartment above us had a leak down through our DDs apartment and the one below her and the one below that cause £75.000 worth of damage so think yourselves very lucky.

[MidniteScribbler]

The 500 sounds like the insurance excess. I had an incident at my place a few years ago where a tap got broken while I was out (dog jumped up at the window next to it and snapped it!), and the total insurance claim was $85,000 Australian (walls had to be repaired, floors replaced, repainting, kitchen cabinets replaced). Water damage is ridiculously expensive.

[BMW6]

Sorry OP but I think this is entirely your husbands fault, you need to cough up and I'd say you are very lucky it's only £500. It could have been shedloads more.

[Mehaveit]

But it doesn't matter whose fault it is, it should be covered by building's insurance. You may need to pay the excess for the policy but no more. If that's £500 that will be where that figure has come from. You will have details of the building's insurer as part of your service charges.

[Meandwinealone]

All these people talking about fault. It’s irrelevant. Totally and utterly.

This is an insurance job. And as a landlord, guess what...that’s their insurance! That’s what landlord insurance is for.

I don’t understand how it’s so complex to understand.

Go to your landlord now. Read your contract now. (You may have a clause that says you cover excess)

£500 seems fuck all for 2 floors of damage.

[Meandwinealone]

And I say this as a landlord who’s tenants flooded the bathroom. I claimed on my building insurance
End of

[CordeliaEarhart]

But it doesn't matter whose fault it is

It does matter. If it is solely the tenants fault why should the landlord claim on the insurance, presumably losing any no claims discount? Equally, if the sink wasn't draining properly due to inadequate maintenance then why should the tenant cover the excess? And 14 days to pay £500 seems unnecessarily harsh. The OP should seek proper, informed advice.

[Stargazer888]

Unfortunately it is your responsibility and 500 sounds reasonably cheap considering the damage done. The fact your dh is spending money getting drunk to cope with this is a huge issue. I would focus on that more than this bill.

[JustTwoMoreSecs]

You're ignoring the point that this was your fault as tenants, and looking for some sort of loop hole
This.

[SD1978]

Unfortunately- just because your landlord didn't seek money for the water damage to their house, doesn't mean other residents are oblidged to do the same. The damage was caused by you, not so the noise to pay is on you as not an insurance issue.

[Lellochip]

If it's just £500 in total, I'd just pay it (if you can afford to) to avoid insurance hassle. If that is the cost so far, and it could potentially increase if any repairs/decorating need doing downstairs, then your contents insurance should have liability cover for this sort of thing.

(Not an insurance expert but a leaving-tap-running-and-flooding-neighbours expert 😶)

[honeylulu]

Morally I can see why the landlord is pissed off. Legally, refer to my earlier post and read your lease.

[greathat]

Surely it's better if it was caused by a blockage as the alternative is that your husband is exclusively at fault... I don't get it

[Meandwinealone]

My god. Are there so many morons in the world.
Clearly some people have never been landlords. If you’re a landlord you get landlord insurance. For exactly this occurance.

If your tennant set fire to your house, would you just charge your tenant for a new house? No you would claim on your insurance.

Do none of you understand the concept of insurance.

I literally despair with the utter stupidity of some people.

[Meandwinealone]

@SD1978
They would claim against landlords insurance. Fact

@CordeliaEarhart
Again. As a landlord you have buildings insurance. This is what things like this are for.

If you're renting a property, you don’t need buildings insurance because this is a type of policy designed to protect the building itself, which is your landlord’s responsibility

[Meandwinealone]

If the tenant has been negligent then it’s the landlords insurance that will try and claim back money from the tenant. But it pretty much has to be malicious for that to stand up in any court.

[m0therofdragons]

I don't understand this at all but I don't rent I have a mortgage. Accidents happen and I overflowed the bath a year ago (started running it for dc then got caught up doing dinner. Water came through the corners of the ceiling and all the light fittings on that side of the house! We managed to dry it out amazingly but if we'd needed to claim then it would have been on insurance so just the excess to pay. Have you spoken to your insurance or is the landlord asking you to pay his excess? What does your contract say?

Unhelpful now but may be worth investigating insurance policies for future.

[orangejuiced]

I think YABU. Your husband caused the damage and you're being expected to pay for the repairs. Presumably you're grown adults? Why wouldn't you pay? Next time be more careful.

[Meandwinealone]

@m0therofdragons
You can’t get house insurance if you don’t own the house.
🤔

[babysharkah]

For two floors worth of damage £500 is cheap. It's your husbands fault for leaving the tap running. You need to pay it, nothing to do with the landlord.

[Mehaveit]

@Meandwinealone the landlord will have buildings insurance on the flat which the tenant pays for through the service charge.

[Ariela]

If you are a tenant you can take out insurance cover for your contents that also includes tenant liability insurance to protect you from any accidental damage to your landlord’s property.
Your landlord should have insurance for the building, and could also insure the contents and including accidental damage cover. Are you sure the £500 isn't just his excess?