Tenant With High Water Bill

sterobbo99

Hi all,
I've got a quick query with regard to a leaking water pipe. The tenant who is in my house has just found out that the outside tap in my house has been leaking. He only realised it was leaking recently and isn't sure how long it has been like that. The problem is it has run his water bill up to the tune of 2k!! :eek:

Now i'm obviously responsible for the repair of the pipe but i was just wondering if i had any obligation for the water bill? Also, would this bill be covered at all by either my buildings cover or his contents cover?

Thanks in advance.

poppysarah

2k worth of water and no one noticed?

I'd ring the waterboard as they may have a leaks policy.


Seriously though 2k of water is like an ocean.

1,048,544 Litre
(according to figures from uswitch for cost per l)

1000 m3 of water. A whole swimming pool
Check where the water went... your cellar might be a bit damp.

G_M

I would think you are only responsible from the moment the tenant brought this to your attention. Tenants have a duty of care and the LL cannot be responsible for issues he's not aware of. Once you've been informed, LL has a duty to fix in a resonable period, and compensate the tenant for failure to fix.

First thing is to get it fixed asap.

Check with the water company too - I had a leak and they had a policy of undertaking one repair free on the domestic side of the stop !!!! (er.. c**k), so they fixed it free (they won't next time) AND they re-imbursed my water charges.

Some insurance covers 'loss of water'. Impossible for anyone here to say - read your policy document!

£2K? I agree. Ask to see bills. This implies the tap was left fully open all winter with water constantly running, or an equivelant leak!

sterobbo99

2k worth of water and no one noticed?

I'd ring the waterboard as they may have a leaks policy.


Seriously though 2k of water is like an ocean.

1,048,544 Litre
(according to figures from uswitch for cost per l)

1000 m3 of water. A whole swimming pool
Check where the water went... your cellar might be a bit damp.

Ha ha i know i thought the same. It's even more bizzare as it was on an outside tap and he claims not to have been in the back garden for ages! The tap is just below the kitchen window so its not exactly out of the way!

Thanks for your reply i'm just after some clarification for who is legally responsible.

sterobbo99

I would think you are only responsible from the moment the tenant brought this to your attention. Tenants have a duty of care and the LL cannot be responsible for issues he's not aware of. Once you've been informed, LL has a duty to fix in a resonable period, and compensate the tenant for failure to fix.

First thing is to get it fixed asap.

I was told at 9 this morning and it will be fixed by 3 this afternoon. I have read elsewhere that i'm only really responsible for the costs AFTER i have been informed. I don't want to be an !!!! about it because they are good tenants but i don't think i am responsible for them not noticing.

poppysarah

Waterboard may let it go... fingers crossed they do.

maninthestreet

Once the leak has been repaired, the tenant will probably now report to the LL that the pond in back garden has started to disappear.....

casper_g

Is it possible to isolate the outside tap? It usually is, and if it is I'd have thought the tenant would be doubly responsible, not only for failing to notice the river flowing across the back garden but also for failing to shut it off during the winter. Surely that would come under the heading of tenant-like behaviour you could reasonably expect?

sterobbo99

Is it possible to isolate the outside tap? It usually is, and if it is I'd have thought the tenant would be doubly responsible, not only for failing to notice the river flowing across the back garden but also for failing to shut it off during the winter. Surely that would come under the heading of tenant-like behaviour you could reasonably expect?

There is an isolation under the sink but he didn't know about it. There is something not quite right about all this. 2k worth of water is a phenomenal amount!

clutton_2

""There is an isolation under the sink but he didn't know about it.""

then he will claim that you should have told him about this isolator..... and indeed you should

g_attrill

That is a lot of water even over a year it is nearly 2 litres a minute which is about 10% of full flow.