wet.damp wall after sky installation. Any recourse?

debbie6899

Hi there- i live in a rented property and when i moved in in April i had sky fitted to the living room. This is to an old stone property and i have never seen such a long drill bit in my life, the walls are really thick. Anyway the engineer never had a problem where i wanted the wire to come in to the property, nor did he give any indicaition that it could be a problem but ever since, and this started about 3/4 weeks after installation there has been small wet patches appearing- now 6/7 months later this is really noticable and the wall is wet to touch. This has only occured on the patch of the wall where the wire enters, with about a 10 inch square around it. I cant see any problem with the seal on the outside but im wondering if the wire could be the cause. Im scared to tell the landlord in case he says its my fault, and if that is the case would i have any luck with Sky sorting the problem out? I cant proove it is them, im not sure it is, but it seems probable. Anyone had any similar experience, and also what i should do next. There is no black damp at present, it is just wet patches on the painted wall paper. Thanks.

texranger

I know this is bad with damp, but your comment as below made me laugh

debbie6899 wrote: »

Im scared to tell the landlord in case he says its my fault,

if you were not scared to tell the landlord what do you think he would say.

i dare say it was not the landlord who contracted sky to drill a hole in his wall. i assume this was you, so the fault/blame would lie with you and it is you who will have to sort it.

but if i were you i would mention this to the landlord and say you are getting it sorted as it will be best you telling him rather than him come to inspect and see this damp patch on the wall

mattyprice4004

If the landlord finds out, he won't be impressed.

How would you like it if someone came and drilled a hole in a house you own?

Zandoni

Is the hole for the cable drilled through the cement between the stone?

How is it sealed outside does it have a plastic plate or silicone sealant?

DVardysShadow

Zandoni wrote: »

Is the hole for the cable drilled through the cement between the stone?

How is it sealed outside does it have a plastic plate or silicone sealant?

And the other question - was the hole drilled slanting up into the building?

Oliver14

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

If the landlord finds out, he won't be impressed.

How would you like it if someone came and drilled a hole in a house you own?

Not very helpful. The landlord in all likelihood gave permission for sky to be installed.

I would get a reputable builder around to look at the problemand assess how to fix itand costs etc. Once you have that information you will be able to decide on your next move.

bod1467

Oliver14 wrote: »

Not very helpful. The landlord in all likelihood gave permission for sky to be installed.

So why is the OP scared to tell the landlord? Your assumption is as equally right/wrong as matty's.

Hintza

In our new build the waterwas tracking down the cable into the house. Hopfully the plug of Silicon has stopped it.

neilmcl

OP, not only check the entry point is fully sealed with silicone, especially round the cable itself but also, as it's a stone building, check round the surrounding area for any cracks that may allow water ingress.

Did you actually clear it with your landlord for you to get Sky installed?

debbie6899

Hi sorry for the late reply, yes I did get the landlords permission to have sky installed. It is a silicone seal and it's in the middle of a stone block, doesn't seem to be a gap or any cracks/splits near it. It doesn't seem to be on a slant. I guess I'm scared to tell the landlord as I will then most likely have to pay, even though it's not totally my fault, which is why I'm querying if it could be the fault of the engineer. It never entered my head, nor was I told that this could cause a problem with the wall. Obviously I won't leave the problem I was just wondering if I would get anywhere with sky if I went down that route, thanks.

texranger

debbie6899 wrote: »

I guess I'm scared to tell the landlord as I will then most likely have to pay, even though it's not totally my fault

well the landlords not going to pay is he as its your fault as you had the work done, so its up to you to pay to recify this.

Have you called the engineer who did the work and ask their advice, but after so long i think you will have to pay for some one to rectify this.

if you dont inform your landlord and he spots this on an inspection then he could have you remove the sky kit, rectify any damage this has caused exterior and then have you pay to plaster and decorate the whole wall the damp is showing.

the landlord may be in the building trade or know of someone who could fix this problem quickly, but the longer you leave it the more damage the damp will cause.