Not allowed to flush loo roll

[userc]

Looking for advice please.

Live in a rented apartment, there are ongoing issues with drainage which management have largely ignored for the last couple of years (i.e., dealing with emergencies and then not taking advice that proper maintenance was needed). Big flood yesterday. Pipe is "compromised" and apparently is a big job to replace due to various structural issues.

Have now been instructed that toilet paper must not be flushed down and instead must be taken to general waste, which is down 6 flights of stairs and across the road for people on the top floors. Email breezily states other countries do this as a matter of course, and that we need to adjust our habits. They do not give a date as to when this is fixed, but it is likely to be months (I heard six).

AIBU to think this is crackers? You have a guest round, you insist they must put toilet roll in a bin and if it's a poo you'll just nip out across the road?!

If I was in a big family home that I owned I'd move to something like reuseable cloths or installing a bidet, but this is something I can't afford nor feel like I should be forced to. E.g., I run my washing machine twice a week (& don't have a tumble dryer) and it's already incredibly expensive.

Any advice?

Are you in England?

could your local Environmental Health dept advise maybe?

Thought this was going to be about Greece as it puts us off returning that wherever you go you can't put toilet roll in the bin. So in a way he is right other countries do it, but I hate it and would want it fixing pronto

It's common practice in plenty countries

Report them to environmental health

Just ignore it, it's not enforceable and in any case in a block of flats it would be difficult to tell who the "culprit" was.

In Greece they have a sanitary bin in the toilet yo put the roll in that is emptied each night. Still not great but prevents a trip for every toilet break

In developed countries they often use a bidet instead of loo roll. We don't have that kind of setup in the UK. I'm also paying a fortune in rent, to live in a country which has good sanitation & plumbing.

Would you honestly be happy with this for an indefinite period of time?

Live in a rented apartment,

Report them to environmental health.

Are all your neighbours renting or are some of them owners/leaseholders? If so mention to them any water/sewage issues in your individual apartment as they don't want sewage coming down their walls.

Finally as soon as you can get out of your rental contract - MOVE.

If this is a temporary measure while they get it sorted, YABU. If they are suggesting this instead of getting it fixed, YANBU and they are bang out of order.

Some countries don't flush tissue etc because they have narrower sewers but in the UK that's not the case and they are BVU to suggest that you adopt this as a long term solution.

Is there a residents' group that gets together to discuss this sort of stuff? I'd expect them to be really angry about this and be getting themselves organised to put pressure on the freeholders/managing agents.

That rule in Greece has put me off going back. The EU with all their draconian rules allowed this disgusting vile practice. It is unsanitary.

I think I would enquire with CAB or the local environmental health team. I would be prepared to accept it for a matter of a few weeks as problems take time to fix but not months.

Well if you take the advice of PP and ignore the request its likely your pipes will block again and you will have no toilet at all for a while......crap advice (pun intended).

Have stayed in Greece many times where loo paper is binned not flushed. Never a problem. Get yourself a little bin and bin liners (biodegradable) every couple of days tie up the liner and take down to normal bin.

It's no more disgusting than binning shitty nappies surely.

Tip - when you have wiped fold the paper in on itself iyswim. Then you're not looking at the evidence....

I would 100% be putting in a complaint, to either environment health or the agency!

It's not part of your daily life to expect to go down six stories of a building to bin toilet waste! I would be trying to break my lease / move / ask for a huge rent reduction. I really don't care if it's common in other countries, I don't live in another country where it's necessary. Lots of things are commonplace in other countries but not in the UK, it's not a good argument. It shouldn't take 6 months either!

if its that bad I suspect poos will block the damaged pipe - report to environmental health as pp have said. In the mean time run some hot water each time & pour into loo before you flush if you have a motion.

Also let local MP know.

the whole must be furious, surely?

I had no idea this was a thing anywhere. I feel like I've wandered into another century.

*whole building

I think it's one of those things we need to get used to.
A lined bin with paper that's been used for wee isn't offensive.
Faeces would be harder to tolerate, though some people end up with cleaner paper than others!

I don't think I'd ask guests to change their habits, I'd assume the system can cope with occasional use.

Cloth Nappies were the norm until relatively recently, before washing machines. It's not exactly impossible.

Yes I suspect this too, but I guess if they said we couldn't use the toilet at all that would mean there would have to be immediate action and rent reductions.

Not flushing loo roll seems to be a grey zone, as I can't find anything specifically that says you must be able to do it (just that you must have a functional toilet & sink)

Good tip on the hot water - thank you.

This isn't a cheap and cheerful package holiday hotel room, though, it's the OP's home, and somewhere that was rented (and a contract signed) on the grounds that the toilet could be used in a specific way. If the roof had blown off, the landlord couldn't cover it with a bit of corrugated iron and say that 'it's common practice in lots of countries'.

I would be just as concerned about the problems of regular flooding and the idea that a waste pipe is 'compromised' as I would be about not flushing loo roll.

OP - contact these people

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/health_and_safety_standards_for_rented_homes_hhsrs

And discuss it with all the people who live in the building. Joint negotiation is always stronger.

We do not need to get used to this FFS!

We live in a country with plumbing - I would be incandescent at this and expect it fixed in weeks not months.

@JamSandwich89

Yes, but we don't live there, we live in the U.K. & it's NOT common practice. So what they do overseas it irrelevant

@userc

I would be asking Environmental health where you stand. Other than that I suppose you have to decide whether you want to stay or give notice. I would think whatever contract you have, you'd be able to get out of and only give a very short notice period.

I hope someone can tell you who can help.

best of luck!!

OP years ago a landlord told me that if he rented out one of his places without a usable toilet in it then it wouldn't be habitable.

It's not ideal but it's not that bad for a short time whilst the problem is fixed. We are on a septic & don't flush loo roll. We have a lided bin & take out the bin bag probably a couple times a week. It's no big deal.

That said. 6 months to fix a plumbing problem is taking the piss

@Megapint but are you taking it down 6 flights of stairs and across the road? In a RENTED flat?