To ask how you get water out of carpet after flood?

[ForeverSausages]

So we have a hole in our roof above the bathroom. It's leaked through to the downstairs room and completely soaked the carpet. I reported it to the managing agents 2 months ago, chased it a month ago and again a week ago but apparently the roofer is very busy . Now I've been putting towels where it comes through the upstairs bathroom, but water is still coming through to the room underneath. It's coming in at the side of the wall so unfortunately a bucket doesn't actually contain it. Sorry rambling. Been a stressful time.

What is the quickest way to get the carpet dry? We've got 4 days of dry weather ahead apparently and really want to get it dry before it stinks/mould etc.

Sorry posting here for traffic. Thank you in advance .

Thank you @YelloYelloYello. I have been really patient as I didn't want to cause a fuss/didn't know if I should be causing a fuss as the managing agents said last week "well Dave is very busy at the moment but we'll get him to give you a call" made me feel like ahhhh this isn't too bad. Not urgent or anything.

I would call the agents first thing to inform them that you will be calling
Environmental Health/Shelter/CAB/your MP/the council (any /all of them) about this issue and then do it. Don't wait for them to start acting first, they've had 2 months! If you have contact details for the landlord (sometimes it's on your contract) I would ring them too.

Oh thank you loads! I wish I had the LL's contact information as I'm sure he'd be horrified by this but I don't have anything. I'm wishing I hadn't sent the email this afternoon giving them until Friday though as I feel a little stupid now. Thank you for making me realise that actually this really isn't acceptable.

Do I just say that actually I will not be paying for a roofer as it's not my responsibility but will be contacting the council?

Yes, definitely. Call in the morning and ask them what they’re doing about it. They’ll respond with ‘X’. Then you respond with “The way you’ve handled this has not been acceptable, I’m contacting the council today.”

Contacting the council is not you threatening them. It’s you responding to the length of time they’ve taken to deal with this and their general neglectful shitty attitude.

when we had a flood the people the insurance company sent out lifted the carpet up and pointed a blower and dehumidifier under the carpet not across the top and then re-fitted it after. Tt took about a week on full blast so they gave us money for our electric too.

You’re allowed to change you mind about the Friday thing. Just say “upon reflection this issue is too urgent to leave any longer”.

If they pull any crap like “we’ll get Dave to give you a call later” then ask for a specific time frame (ie after lunch) and then call them as soon as that time frame as passed if they didn’t contact you. Don’t let up.

@ForeverSausages

Oh thank you loads! I wish I had the LL's contact information as I'm sure he'd be horrified by this but I don't have anything. I'm wishing I hadn't sent the email this afternoon giving them until Friday though as I feel a little stupid now. Thank you for making me realise that actually this really isn't acceptable.

You were trying to be reasonable, problem is you don't seem to be dealing with reasonable people! Don't worry about saying they have until Friday. If they question it just say you've had 2 months to sort the issue and you didn't feel there was anything to be gained by stringing it out any longer as your house is not actually fit for occupation.

Presumably the water coming through the ceiling means there is water in the electrics also? That is a fire hazard.

I would phone EH in the morning and see what they advise. They usually have a two tier system, so call handler will take details then allocate to EH person, who'll call you back. They know the law and will be able to advise you the best way.

Honestly guys I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments. I've been close to tears every day this week with towels and water coming through and waking up at 2am to change towels. It's honestly been awful. I'll do exactly as you say @YelloYelloYello.

Yeah all the lights in the bathroom have blown. Weirdly we have an electrician coming Monday to case the wires apparently due to the water . It's so weird.

Floods are the worst, but I can't begin to imagine how awful it is if they've not stopped the leak. I hope you get some help soon.

Dave the busy reasonably priced roofer will not be the only roofer in town and his busy-ness is not your problem. If he’s not available then the landlord will have to claim on his insurance and/or shell out for an overpriced emergency roofer out of his own pocket. Expensive, but them’s the breaks - it’s his risk as the building owner, not yours.

I think you use a carpet shampooed but without water.

Then hire an industrial dehumidifier.

@Mugsen

Floods are the worst, but I can't begin to imagine how awful it is if they've not stopped the leak. I hope you get some help soon.

Thank you so much. I felt like I've been a bit silly as so many people have so much worse going on. Thinking well it could be worse. But it's just been so stressful.

@MaloInAnAppleTree I've been far too allowing and understanding. Not any more.

I think you've been given some very poor advice here, op. Unfortunately, while complaining to the landlord and council might seem like (and should be) reasonable things to do, they could be risky. Will you be okay if the landlord gives you notice as a result? If so, go for it; but if not, be extremely careful not to rock the boat. You're in a very precarious position as a tenant. I know several families who've been kicked out by spiteful landlords for asking for reasonable repairs/upgrades.

A carpet cleaner won't leave it dry, but it'll remove a substantial amount. Most modern models don't require you to put any water in; you'll be able to use the vacuum function independently. A dehumidifier will help with what's left and reduce mould.

Have a look at Shelter's website . It's got loads of information on both tenants and landlords rights and responsibilities.

@Thenose thank you. I've ordered a dehumidifier and my friend has a carpet cleaner I can borrow. Is there nothing I can do to fix the leak? I've lived here 7 years and paid my rent every month on time (I have a few £k in savings but obviously not enough to buy). I'd be really surprised if my LL gave me notice, and like I said above I'd be really surprised if he even has any idea that the problem is still ongoing but maybe I'm being naive.

@MrsMoastyToasty

Have a look at Shelter's website . It's got loads of information on both tenants and landlords rights and responsibilities.

Thank you .

After a flood you need to replace the carpet. In the meantime I would hire a dehumidifier

We have occasional leaks here. It's a PITA, but if you can raise the carpet on eg lots of baked beans tins, then it will dry from underneath without staining

Just wanted to update you all. The roof got fixed today 🎉🎉🎉. Threatened environmental health if Dave hadn't booked it in by the end of the day and sent lots of photos and videos to the estate agents. I did the towels constantly and the carpet is finally dry and doesn't stink anymore. Got a dehumidifier running at night and doors open during the day. Hoping problem is solved. Thank you all again 😊.

Try a place like HSS hire, you might be able to hire both a wet vac and an industrial dehumidifier far more reasonably than buying one.

Oh glad to see you have it resolved.

That's great OP! We had a flood (burst pipe) in our basement living room recently. The carpet was sodden and it stank! We used the dehumidifier for several days and astonishingly the carpet recovered. Hope yours does to (or that your landlord replaces it).

@honeylulu

That's great OP! We had a flood (burst pipe) in our basement living room recently. The carpet was sodden and it stank! We used the dehumidifier for several days and astonishingly the carpet recovered. Hope yours does to (or that your landlord replaces it).

Oh it's awful isn't it?! I'm amazed by how much better it is already. Had mould all up the wall but HG mould spray has gotten rid of it. Will need to repaint but waiting for a lot of rain to make sure it's actually fixed first 🤞.