Rented property and flooded cellar - who pays?

MoneyHoney

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone on the forum has experience of the following issue and any knowledge on where I may stand on the ongoing costs to pump water out of a cellar in a rented property.

I moved into this rented house in Sept, it’s one of about 200 properties owned by a country estate. It was marketed as with a cellar, this was specified in the details and has lights and electricity and I was shown it by the internal agent of the estate when viewing who said "it's really useful, the previous occupants used it as a play room". The cellar has 2.5 rooms (length of downstairs i.e. dining room/lounge/hallway but not kitchen).

The cellar was bright, clean and airy in Sept and I have used it to store removal boxes (10 folded and stacked upright in each box), Christmas trimmings, toys, 'want to keep' items etc and being practical I put everything on pallets to help alleviate any possible damp from the floor.

The cellar flooded over Christmas to about 2ft deep. Since then I have discovered the estate/Landlord absolutely knew about a flooding issue in the cellar of the property but at no point did they inform or warn us. We now have a pump that has been working 24hrs a day since 3rd Jan, 9 days so far with no sign of stopping. The water has leveled between 2 inches and pallet level but water is constantly pouring in along the base of the walls.
The only update I have been given was by an estate workman who advised they will bring dehumidifiers once the water clears.

The cellar is clearly of minimal use, the Christmas trimmings have remained in the hallway and once I can remove sodden boxes and retrieve damaged items I will be unable to safely use it as storage space etc.

Given the estate/Landlord definitely knew about the flooding issue and did not inform us; my question is who is liable for the electricity costs of this pump and the dehumidifiers? As with most families, I’m so careful of costs; turning off lights and appliances and switching to a better supplier deal as soon as I moved in. I did not expect or budget for the added cost of a 24hr electric pump, particularly in rooms we can not use. We’re trying to save up for a house deposit and I can’t afford to move…no boxes now anyway :doh:I have asked for the appliance power consumption details but have not been informed, if it stays on 24hrs per day for a month, I think this could be at least £50 upwards.

I am also curious as to who is liable for the damage to items, although this does feel like a minor concern at the moment.

I hope I don't come across as trivial....yes the water is being pumped out and I know others have come off far worse with flooding (it is ‘only’ the cellar/stored items) but I feel this wealthy Landlord should seal his cellar or be responsible for the ongoing costs of emptying it and drying it out?

princeofpounds

The landlord is certainly responsible for the costs of fixing the problem, and that would include draining it and tanking, if necessary.

The damaged goods I am less certain about.

Fluff15

The landlord should be responsible for the damage to the building, and you are responsible for damage to your belongings.

http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/landlords-flood-insurance-flood-damage/

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/home_safety/flooding/if_your_home_is_flooded

AdrianC

MoneyHoney wrote: »

The cellar flooded over Christmas to about 2ft deep.

Not, as you might have noticed, an unusual occurrence in the last few weeks. Even in places that don't normally have a flooding issue.

Since then I have discovered the estate/Landlord absolutely knew about a flooding issue in the cellar of the property...

Given the estate/Landlord definitely knew about the flooding issue...

"Definitely" "Absolutely" - very strong words. Do you have any evidence to back them up? Seems to me that, unless you do, it's your word against theirs, with the onus on you to prove that they could predict the result of unusually extreme weather conditions.

Guest101

The ll may be responsible for belongings. It's to do with negligence. If they didn't know and took reasonable steps to prevent then they are not liable. However if the neglected their duty they are. So how do u know they knew about it?

MoneyHoney

Thank you for the replies, all appreciated. It's helping me get an idea of what to do next and how to approach the issue.

Yes, "definitely and absolutely", two specifically chosen accurate words of description. There is no doubt they knew and in the words of my elderly neighbour "did they not tell you when you took the property?".

Without going into too much detail, it's happened before with previous occupants and also to the adjoining property.

My annoyance is they knew, marketed the property with the cellar (not indoor paddling pool :rotfl:) and didn't notify us of the issue. All they had to do was say. However, my gripe is I'm the one paying the electricity to keep pumping out the water with their pump. It would seem there will be an expectation for me to do the same with dehumidifiers...damp patches are appearing.

fairy_lights

Moneyhoney, you have my sympathies, my flat flooded recently so I know how stressful and upsetting it can be.


Our Landlady hired several dehumidifiers to dry the flat out, they were running 24/7 as was the central heating, and as our gas and electricity are on key meters it cost a small fortune.
We initially paid to top the meters up enough to keep them running, but kept a record of how much it was costing and were later reimbursed by the landlady.
We had to move out while the flat was drying out though so it was easy to work out much the dehumidifiers had cost to run, as you're still living in the rest of your house it might be difficult to calculate how much energy the pumps are using and prove how much it's costing you.


If you raise these concerns to the landlord/estate you might be able to come to an arrangement, they are certainly responsible for the costs of repairing damage to the building and that includes the cost of getting it dried out.

Yorkie1

The pump is probably likely to have a label on it somewhere which shows its vital statistics including how much electricity it draws. Have a look and post back on here to show what the label says.

sprulsheryl

I think it's the landlord's responsibilty to take care of what you are paying for.