Neighbour wants access to prove damage

[Fresharmpits]

Hopefully this will be short!

My neighbour thinks my bath leaked downstairs to her. I've checked, i really don't think I have. She is requesting I allow a plumber to come in and look. I don't get on with her at all, she's a nosey Parker!

Legally, do I have to let her in? I've already sent photos, I think this should be enough!

Legally no.

She can pay for you to hire your own plumber if she won’t take your photos as evidence

What has happened? If she's had a water leak through her ceiling then what else is it?

have you actually properly checked around and under your bath? Often the first sign of a leak will be when water goes through a floor, with your bathroom appearing bone dry

Is the leak she thinks you have still coming through? If not and you’ve not had anything fixed then the leak wasn’t yours in the first place!

What did you send photos of? You often have to take up floor boards to actually find a leak from piping.

Does she have water coming through her ceiling? If so, it is very likely coming from yours. A photo won't prove that it isn't coming from yours. In our block of flats leaks to the downstairs neighbours are often caused by things that can't be seen at first glance. Sometimes even not spotted by a plumber.

These have included bath overflow pipes not connected properly, leaks from underneath shower trays and most often, sealant on the bath or shower being inadequate and causing leaks when used.

If you don't want to let anyone you could be adding to any bill for damage.

Even though YOU can't see a leak, it doesn't mean there isn't one

Our bath leaked and we only realised when the kitchen ceiling was flooding and falling down

Can you ask her to prove she has a leak and if she can say you will investigate your end.

If she's below you, and water is entering her flat from above, then chances are it's coming from your flat, even if you can't see a leak...

It needs investigating somehow.

It doesn't seem unreasonable for her to want a professional evaluation.

Yanbu to not allow her to have access but I would allow the plumber to look so that this matter could be put to rest.

My bath developed a leak and I only knew when the ceiling below started to show water marks. I touched the floorboards around the pipes and found it wet so called a plumber to fix it.

Does she w as nt proof that you caused the damage, so expects you to pay?

With house insurance, she has to claim of her house insurance, not yours, even if you bath did cause the problem.

Do you own or rent? Either way you can't allow a leak to continue unchecked into a neighbouring property, that's not right.

Why can't you let the plumber in but not your nosy neighbour? If it's a man and he is anything like most men, he won't notice anything about your flat worth reporting back to her anyway!

We only found our bath leak once it had come through to the room next door, it wasn't visible until it had travelled through the wall/floorboards, under the cupboards and the carpet started to show damp patches 🫣

Don't let her in. Do let the plumber in, if only for your own information.

Our bath leak was entirely under the enclosed tub. We didn’t discover it until water was dripping out of the ceiling below.

there was no visual evidence from above, but the contractor did have to rip out our tub to fix the leak.

I had a recent sub-bath leak myself, and there was nothing to see directly under the bath; in fact, it was pretty dry and dusty under there. It wasn't a major repair or decoration job, as it was caught quite early. It's probably best if somebody takes a look.

She doesn't need to come in. One of you can ask a plumber to inspect both flats.

She’s not asking to come in and be nosy, she’s asking for a plumber to be able to come in to prevent damage to both your homes.

stop being difficult just for the sake of it.

Yabu you don't always see an obvious leak with baths

Water was dripping into the kitchen from the bathroom. Turned out the over pipe wasn't connected properly. You're not going to see that by having a look at the actual bath and. Have you taken off side panels and things?

At this stage no you don't and her claim for damages will be against her insurers. If there is a leak from yours, now you've been notified of it, failing to take proper care of the leak could make you liable.

As pps have said a leak isn't always obvious, even to plumbers.

If part of your property goes over the top of hers you may have a flying freehold or similar agreement. Check all your docs from when you bought the place as she may have a legal right to check if a leak from your house is damaging hers.

Saying that, it would need to be a reasonable request with enough notice given etc

I don't think this is an unreasonable request at all - if she's had a leak downstairs, it is highly likely to be from your flat?

Reasons for water coming through the ceiling/ light fittings in previous ground floor flats I've lived in have been a washing machine fitting coming loose, cracked sealant grouting in the shower (in two different flats), a leaky condensation pipe in a boiler - all issues that needed to be investigated and fixed?

I really dont understand people these days. Someone is pointing out that you 'potentially' have a leak. You may not see it but there is a good chance it is. They have offered to send around their plumber to check for the leak as it is also effecting their property. If he does find a leak it most probably is effecting your property too.

Regardless of relationships etc, why on earth would you not want to find a water leak in your property?