water flooding from house and cannot find tenant

ukstocks5

I am a landlord and i have been round to my property i rent out and tenant is not about and water is flooding out of the upstairs bathroom overflow pipe, i am worried the inside could be damaged or flooding, can i force entry into the property to address this problem if the tenant is not about.

thegirlintheattic

How long has the tenant not been about?

If it is coming from the overflow pipe it is likely that the inside is not damaged as that is what they are there for.

If you still consider this an emergency, use your key to let yourself in, do not break down the door. Also have a third party with you to avoid accusations of stealing etc.

Benji

Yes you can.

Section 16 of the 1988 Housing Act says:

It shall be an implied term of every assured tenancy that the tenant shall afford to the landlord access to the dwelling-house let on the tenancy and all reasonable facilities for executing therein any repairs which the landlord is entitled to execute

ukstocks5

the tenant has changed the locks since moving in so i would need to break in somehow

Werdnal

ukstocks5 wrote: »

the tenant has changed the locks since moving in so i would need to break in somehow

If T has changed locks, then they should be liable for damage caused by your forcing access, or price of a locksmith if you would rather not damage the door. Or you could just ignore the situation, and charge them for repairing any water damage as you could not gain access with your key.

T is perfectly within their rights to change locks, but this is the result!

pararct

Can you not contact the tenant by any and all means you have? I would try this first if no joy then and only then force an entry. Be aware though that overflow pipes are simply that they are for carrying away overflowing water. It is unlikely to be an emergency situation so you will need to consider the liability for any damage caused in negotiating entry.

Almost certain a ball valve has failed, very simple to change and a five minute job. Consider learning how to do it yourself as it will keep your costs down and enhance your plumbing knowledge. It will either be the toilet cistern or the header tank for the heating/hot water tank depending on your heating setup or not at all if you have a combi boiler installed.

Werdnal

OP, just out of interest, how did you become aware of the overflow running? If someone told you about it, how long has it been this way? I would agree, if everything is working properly, it is very unlikely to cause damage inside, but if T is on a meter, they are paying for this lost water anyway!

ukstocks5

will not force entry then till i have tried to get tenant again over the weekend, thanks all for your replies

starlight_xx

If the water is purely on the inside I wouldnt worry it could happily run like that for ages with no damage

If the water is getting into the property and youre concerned about damage then get yourself a plumber and joiner.. .get the joiner to get into the premises and the plumber to sort it.

You can also phone the police and ask if, resources permitting. theyll send someone to standby while this is done - purely as witnesses to the fact you or the plumber didnt take the 60 inch plasma telly off the wall

Owain_Moneysaver

If there's an outside water stopcock you could just turn off the water to the house (you might need a crutch key) and leave a note through the letter box saying what you've done.

G_M

This is not an emergancy. The ball valve in one of the cisterns/water tanks has jammed, so water is continuing to fill the tank. Instead of overflowing inside and damaging the property is is flowing down the overflow pipe.

If left running long enough (days/weeks) it can cause damp to the external wall which will can penetrate through, but otherwise not.

It is a simple DIY job to fix (or here), or £50 to a plumber.

Suggestions of breaking the door down (with or without a police presence!) are way over the top.