So how many of you wander round checking your ceiling every day?

[doonhamer]

Because according to Modern Housing Problems Solutions, I should have noticed the water mark on my kitchen ceiling - "how can you possibly not know how long it's been there, don't you check your ceilings"
It is in the kitchen , which is below the bathroom, and i only noticed it becasue I was getting something from the top of a cupboard, and it's the length of the wall and is soaking wet to touch.!

Guess what "its not an emergency because there is no water dripping into kitchen and no obvious leak from upstairs ".

Oh you mean you don't do a White glove inspection of the whole house everyday modern housing problems - got to love 'em otherwise you would go mad! Any idea where leak is?

Check it doesn't affect any electrical sockets if so it is definitely an emergency

We had that in our bedroom (it was actually dripping onto the furniture and coming in from flat turret-type window roof and running along and down into the bedroom.

The woman said that as it hadn't actually flooded the bedroom, then it wasn't classed as an emergency! So I said:

Okay - I'll wait until Monday and then send you the bill for the damaged sofa and chest of drawers. The guy turned up late that Friday night and did a quick bodge job until the Monday.

It (the water mark) has got considerably bigger (I marked it on the ceiling with a pencil last night) and there is now water coming intot eh bathroom from under the bath, which is obviously what's causing the water mark on ceiling. But I was told
"well just put some towels alongside the bath, and because there is no dripping water in the kitchen it's not an emergency".

The mark is now the width of the kitchen ceiling, and is approximatel 45 cm in width- compared to 18 cm in width last night.
Still, if the ceiling comes in, not my problem is it

.............unless it hits someone on the head.

I would ring them on the hour every hour and tell them it's health and safety and if it suddenly drops through, then it could hurt someone (or something along those lines).

Think is, if it's an energency, they'll only bodge it until someone can come out and do it properly. A friend had a broken garage door and so the guy came out, hammered it shut with wood and nails so they couldn't get into it!!! Sometimes, you're better off just waiting until the send someone properly (obv. not when it's dangerous though).

We didn't notice the mark on DD's bedroom ceiling until she pointed it out to us, she's only 1. She pointed at it and went 'uck' . My husband put a finger up to check it (ceiling was buckling ?sp) and it went straight through. Took them two weeks to come out. Then they sent a plumber, even though I told them it wasn't a plumbing problem as there were no pipes above it, but there was a hole in the roof! (and the plumber said 'you don't need me, looks like a roofing problem' oh really!) Then sent a roofer guy who turned up an hour early (at 0830!). Aah, wonderful

Anyway, no, I don't check my ceilings ever every day.

I called to get someone out to unblock the gutter/drain pipe on the HOUSE they sent a man who looked and then told me he would be back in an hour as he would need a ladder. Now in my mind the words gutter/drain pipe and house would suggest the need of a ladder.

Home I had someone come out to loose tiles on the roof (different roof problem from above) and had to sign two of the pink sheets. One for the man who fixed the damaged tiles, and one for the man who held the ladder.

I once had a electrical problem with a cooker ...................................................................................they sent a Gas man.

someone should write a 'downstairs loo book' with all of these little anecdotes

the ceiling fell in in my living room on christmas eve. i think it was fixed by, um, february? we had christmas surrounded by buckets catching dripping water. it was very festive. if you looked up you could see anyone in the bathroom through the floorboards.