Plumbing advice needed urgently!! Please help!!

[Laura 87]

So my downstairs neighbours came up last night said they have water coming through their bathroom ceiling.

I checked under bath panel, nothing, but under bathroom sink is wet all round under flooring. Think it's due to me having a blocked bath tub plug the other day and using a plunger forcefully (bath is right beside sink), it seemed to clear at first but then block again and that's when they got the water coming through.

I can't get a plumber yet due to the circumstances. I've tried, landlord tried and will keep trying, he lives in a different time zone so may be days.

We need water to cook and drink and wash!! but don't want to flood them further in the meantime. Don't have any basins or big pans unfortunately (just had a big clearout), and don't know how long it's going to be til landlord gets a plumber.

My question is -

Is it still ok to use my kitchen sink in the meantime whilst waiting on plumber?? and toilet?? Or will that flood them more??

I'm in a flat in the UK.

Please help

 

[SimonG]

Depends on how the waste and soil pipes are ran.

 

[townfanjon]

Usual landlord problem, if you were my customer I would sort of class that as a emergency
“ of sorts “ , get him to try harder .

 

[steadyon]

If plunging the bath waste is what caused the problem, then:
1. The issue is likely to be with drainage pipes, not the hot or cold water.
2. You should be able to use the kitchen cold as a source of drinking water.
3. You should avoid running the bathroom bath or basin wastes.
4. If flushing the toilet doesn't cause further problems, use the WC bowl to dispose of waste water for now.
5. The landlord is legally obliged to have a UK contact address, and it must be shown on the letting agreement. Write to that address as well as any more direct contact you may have with the landlord. I'd suggest pointing out that, unless there is action within the next day or two, you will have to take the matter up with the local environmental health department.
6. Since it was your plunging the bath waste which caused the problem, I think you will be expected to contribute at least some of the cost of repairs.

 

[Ric2013]

6. Since it was your plunging the bath waste which caused the problem, I think you will be expected to contribute at least some of the cost of repairs.

I think a tenant is entitled/required to clear blockages in waste pipes caused by the waste the tenant puts down the pipes and I suspect using a plunger to clear a bath waste constitutes 'behaving in a tenant-like manner'.

Cost of repair would be on tenant only if tenant has carried out the clearing work in a manner that is likely to cause more than fair wear and tear. It would require examination of the failure of pipework to be able to decide whether the pipework was already in poor state/ badly executed and if use of a plunger has merely pushed the situation over the edge, or if the tenant has done something silly.

I wouldn't start on the assumption that this leak is the tenant's liability because I have seen so much waste pipework that is not to industry standard. That said, as a former landlord, I accept that tenants often do silly and unpredictable things. Personally, I think it would be fair to make no assumption whatsoever until such time as the problem has been identified.

 

[oz-plumber]

Plungers used under any circumstances should not damage any waste pipes - no matter how aggressive you are.
The Landlord should look on the optimistic side that the Tenant was 'efficient' enough to use a plunger to try and unblock the drain.
There would be a major percentage of Tenants that would expect the Landlord to supply a plumber to do exactly that - use a plunger to clear a blockage.

I recently had a Tenant that needed a new cooker.
They wanted me to do it after hours due to both working and kids in Daycare.
Requested I turn up after 8:00 PM, after evening meals was cooked and the kids bathed and in bed.
Contacted the Landlord to let him know the price had tripled due to Tenants request - haven't heard back as yet