Problem with neighbour

Justme29

I have recently moved into a ground floor council flat, and have already had to call the plumber out twice.

The tnt upstairs(from what I can gather) has water all over his kitchen floor which is coming down the waste pipe into my kitchen.

This has happened for the past two nights, and it is really stressing me out.

I have spoken to the housing officer who is hopefully coming on Monday, but really need to know where I stand.

The plumber told me that he has been called to my property a few times because of the leaks, so the upstairs tnt has done all this before.

I am really getting upset about this issue and don't know what to do.

BitterAndTwisted

One you have a named contact within the housing office (get their postal and email address from them when they come round) you just keep communicating with them, preferably in writing which is much more effective. Social landlords have quite a bit more power to persuade their tenants to behave responsibly than private landlords do.

olias

Justme29 wrote: »

I have recently moved into a ground floor council flat, and have already had to call the plumber out twice.

If the problem is water on the upstairs tenants kitchen floor why have you called out a plumber? What are they going to do, mop up the water in your flat for you? Unless you have an accessible leak in your flat, then not sure what you expect them to do?

The tnt upstairs(from what I can gather) has water all over his kitchen floor which is coming down the waste pipe into my kitchen.

How have you gathered this? You are not clear on whether this is a leak, your neighbour being messy whilst bathing the dog or mopping the floor, or what? Again, if it is not a leak then why call a plumber, and if it is a leak, why has the plumber failed to fix it twice now and a few times previously?

The kitchen waste pipe surely comes from their sink and would ordinarily pass through the outside wall of the flat into a downpipe and on to the sewer. Not sure how water on their floor is getting into the waste pipe, and how that waste pipe is getting into your flat?

This has happened for the past two nights, and it is really stressing me out.

I have spoken to the housing officer who is hopefully coming on Monday, but really need to know where I stand.

How you even spoken to the neighbour?

The plumber told me that he has been called to my property a few times because of the leaks, so the upstairs tnt has done all this before.

Done all what? Are you saying the neighbour is deliberately causing leaks? How? by deliberately undoing pipes or what? I can't see any other way someone can deliberately engineer numerous water leaks time after time.

I am really getting upset about this issue and don't know what to do.

All sounds a bit odd.

Olias

Mrs_Arcanum

If you can, keep communicating through your Housing Officer as this will give them more power to do something about the problem from upstairs.

olias - justme29 is talking about the plumber provided through the Housing Association not some random plumber. Where the water gets into the waste pipe is what really needs to be sorted. How it gets there is surely supposition.

Sometimes a fault right from the build stage is the problem.

olias

The point is, the plumber (whoever he is) has, according to the OP, been out twice for them, and 'several times' previously. If the problem was with the waste (or any other pipework) and the plumber has failed to solve the problem on at least 4 occasions that we know about, then either the plumber is completely useless and the HA need to be made aware of this, or there is no leak in the first place to deal with and the problem is due to something like the neighbour being clumsy with water (overzealous mopping etc), or the neighbour is deliberately engineering leaks by damaging pipework and/or undoing joints etc.

Olias

theartfullodger

Yup, communicate (polite, calm but very persistently.. ) with Housing officer and also councillors (normally contact details of council website) and (just in case) and tenant's association.. Put everything in write/email & KEEP A COPY and a log of when there are problems (handwritten if fine..).

Hope it works out. Upstairs sounds V weird..

Errata

If your upstairs neighbour is flooding your kitchen, call the emergency 24 hour repairs nunber in the tenancy pack the council gave you.

Justme29

theartfullodger wrote: »

Yup, communicate (polite, calm but very persistently.. ) with Housing officer and also councillors (normally contact details of council website) and (just in case) and tenant's association.. Put everything in write/email & KEEP A COPY and a log of when there are problems (handwritten if fine..).

Hope it works out. Upstairs sounds V weird..

I think this is the best course of action I can take,am going to see the housing officer today, and explain it all to her.

My boyfriend said he spoke to the tnt upstairs, who said they will try and rectify the problem from their end, but I think that's all pie in the sky, as they would've sorted out whatever is happening up there by now.

Will just have to speak to the housing officer today, and see what she says.