insurance guru?

[REDSAW]

been to a grade 2 listed flat today subbing for national firm, tennant reported blocked sink serving dishwasher and washing macine on a 40mm 7m internal run=all blocked, been like it 3 weeks!.

filled the sink with inch or two of water and tried plunging it. unbeknown to me it started coming out off the hocky stick, (about a half a bowl) behind dishwasher.

downstairs tennant came home this evening and called me that the ceiling has a bulge, the wall papers stained and the childs bed bellow is wet. she wants to know whos paying for it and the mattress?

problem is, i dont know if its a direct consequencs of plunging or it just added to the saturation allready in the ceiling but it is the first time it showed downstairs today.

i di say to the tennant above that i am unable to clear it and it would be reported back to the office to call in dyno rod as the pipes were inacessible. i also mentioned that a few kettles of boiling water may clear it but would take me too long to do (tried a couple why i was there), but dont use it untill they have been. she called me later in the day and told me she was going to be charged for it by the landlord and told me she had poured boiling water down the sink because i said it might work!

there after my bum?

what do you guys think

 

[Leo21]

They haven't got a thing on you mate. You told her something might work, and not to do it "apparently"?
The blockage was there before you started, how can a ceiling and a bed get soaked by half a bowl?

 

[tamz]

The problem with subbing to national companies is the people think they are claiming Big Pumb /Gas whoever, but as you are about to find out they will move it straight to you quicker than shyt off a shovel, no questions asked, it will be your problem.

Wore that T shirt a few times :wink:

 

[REDSAW]

They haven't got a thing on you mate. You told her something might work, and not to do it "apparently"?
The blockage was there before you started, how can a ceiling and a bed get soaked by half a bowl?

bed directly beneath the upstasirs kitchen sink.
might have been a bit more that half bowl as i was there a while and as you do when you pull a joint some comes out before you get a towel and bowel around it!.
theres all holes on the floor boards too, skirting missing leaving a gap!!
i reacon shes been lobbing boiling water down to avoid the bill from landlord?. nice people though wich makes it worse along with the barking woman below.......

 

[REDSAW]

got to see the downstairs landlord tomorrow to see the damage and whos paying for it?
think 2 tennants are going to side up here?

 

[Leo21]

Stick to your guns, it's not your fault.

 

[tamz]

You are gonna get landed with it whatever you say.
Take your cheque book with you. An offer of cash straight away can nip it in the bud.
Make them an offer and if they accept get them to sign a receipt (on the back of a *** packet if you like) saying payment of £*** acepted in full and final settlement for damages to blah blah blah
Date it sign it and get them to sign it.

 

[REDSAW]

earnt bugger all for job too!.

cheaper to send through insurers is it not?

sure the woman above as had a go flushing it with boiling water!

 

[lame plumber]

If it were me, I would point to the landlord of the above property and tell those below to sue him after all, it was his blockage that caused the problem, his faulty plumbing etc, you only inspected and found it needed a more extensive solution to the problem, you neither caused or added to the problem and it is up to them to prove otherwise, admit nothing and be a coke bottle, no shoulders not my fault

 

[tamz]

earnt bugger all for job too!.

cheaper to send through insurers is it not?

sure the woman above as had a go flushing it with boiling water!

You will have an excess then next year you are on record as having a claim so your insurance will bump up.
If she is reasonable just deal with her direct. Once upon a time £50 covered most things but it is a couple of hundred min. these days.
Just play it by ear. If she is a greedy bstd let her deal with the insurance.

 

[tamz]

And as lame said admit to fk all. If you do pay her anything it is as a goodwill gesture.

 

[REDSAW]

the fact is, if you run the tap now, then the water will eventually come out of the hockey stick!.
so that could be proven before it gets fixed that its blocked and faulty causing flooding downstairs right?

 

[REDSAW]

my excess is £250!
wrong place at wrong time me thinks?

 

[lame plumber]

the fact is, if you run the tap now, then the water will eventually come out of the hockey stick!.
so that could be proven before it gets fixed that its blocked and faulty causing flooding downstairs right?

so as i said, not your problem, landlord issue!, just take some pics, prove your point and stiff letter in response if needed. Worked for me when my neighbour accused me of flooding him out due to my building works. Told his insurers to poke it, cited the fact the **** lifted his manhole cover when it rained as his drains were blocked at the gulleys, hence why during a deluge the manhole backed up and diverted through his backdoor (on the 2nd floor) and ran down stairs out his front door!! Pleasures of having a house on a hillside, you can still get flash flooding, me I installed kerb stones to keep that nasty muddy water out, which worked

 

[tamz]

Probably.
Try arguing your case but if they get on to the co. you were subbing to expect them to tell you to get it sorted. They couldn't gaf whose fault it is.

 

[lame plumber]

in most situations, the person with the most persuasive, loud and persistent case normally wins Forget the company subbing to you, they probably only employ monkeys on the cheap and will fold against a decent case put in your favour.

 

[REDSAW]

office asked me to pay a visit today so wrote a report.......

then it dawned on me 2-7pm

I have attended Springfield court today to inspect a report of water damage in flat #2 below #5 where the kitchen blockage report.
Upon arrival I was photographed by a lady in a grey citroen picaso style vehicle registration number fe59 ahz, I have later been told by the tenant at #2 it is their landlord! They did not seem to want to see me but just drove off!
I entered flat #2 with the tenant to inspect the damage as the tenant at #5 was not answering the door.
In #2, a child’s bedroom directly below #5 kitchen sink has evidence of water spillage to the coving, a small blistered piece of wall paper and a damp infants bed. The tenant also informed me that the wall light fitting has been disconnected as it had got wet. She also told me that the bucket placed to catch the water had around 2’’ of water in it from the leak. The tenants concern is that it may happen again and cause worse damage. She then goes to tell me that about 7pm she thought she heard the tenant at #5 use the shower when or just before the leak started. The tenant at #5 told her they do not use that shower above the damage area!, but #2 concerns is that it will continue to leak below when using the bathroom above. What I believe is, the tenant at #2 heard was water hitting the floor boards and onto the plaster ceiling above which gives a similar running water sound as a bath/shower tray. It is therefore in my belief the tenant at #5 has run water into the sink above perhaps trying to unblock it with boiling water to which during a phone conversation that evening, she had told me they had poured hot water down because I said it might work, which I did mention it sometimes is a good sink un blocker. However I did also tell the lady at #5 not to use the sink and a drain specialist will be called out to solve the issue which was reported back to office.
The tenant at #5 also called me around 4pm on the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] nov, telling me the land lord wants her to pay for the work as its her coffee grinds that has blocked the drain. This only leads me to believe a self-remedy has been attempted at flat 5?
The fact is, I had left the #5 flat at around 2pm. At 7pm the tenant at #2 was able to collect 2’’ of falling water into a bucket/container below and it had completely stopped flowing by later that evening!. On today’s visit at 10;45am, there is no water leaking into #2 flat but is actually in the drying out phase. So therefore if water was leaking from 2pm until 7pm there would have been extensive damage to the #2 flat giving evidence that water has since been discharged down the blocked drainage pipes!!.
So to summerise;
All work was done at a controlled level during the visit at #5 using a bucket and towels to collect any spillage.
The pipe work was left as was & intact.
The pipework is blocked with fat and coffee grinds backing up water to the sink.
A mention that hot water flowing through the pipe is usually enough to clear some blockages and may work but in this case a specialist will be contacted to solve the problem and the sink, washing machine, dishwasher is not to be used until sorted, as original report.
I left the address at approx. 2pm that day.
The tenant at #2 at 7pm that evening heard running water thinking it was the shower in the above flat.
Flat #2 tenant had collected 2’’ of water from the leak that evening between 7&9pm assuming they had pierced the coving to release water (see pic).
Today, there is no evidence there is any water entering the flat below.
The water leaking into the flat below has appears to have occurred between 6pm and 7pm based on the discussion with the tenant at #2 and a phone call I received from the tenant at #5 around 7;30pm.
If water had been running from 2pm there would be no ceiling left in flat #2 over 6 hours therefore it is evident it had been a flash flood during the stated time.
Pictures show #2 flat, there is a small blister of paper to the right of the light fitting approx. 300mm from the corner of the wall.
The coving is shows dampness beneath the paint exterior.
The coving looks like where it has been pierced with a blade approx. 5’’ to release water.
There is slight dampness to the kiddie cot bed that has been drying out and reported by tenant that it is no concern.

most damage was caused by them hacking at the coving to release the water!
small melon shaped blister in wall paper & light fitting disconnected for safety...

jog on lol

 

[lame plumber]

more effective if you try to keep it short and concise is my only thought.

 

[REDSAW]

more effective if you try to keep it short and concise is my only thought.

cheers lame
true, but got straight back, slapped it down then sent it to office. not really proof read it but more concerned getting it in.
the diction is karp lol