Estate Agents Blaming Me

gary224

Thanks for the advice, espeically edddy and serialrenter

the extension is similar to the one in the picture.

A plumber came for 15seconds to the bathroom to view it and said instantly its the shower that causes it etc....

I had already explained the details and the girls who work their react with angrily at any suggestion that they are wrong. However i put in writing all the suggestions from the forums today.

My concern now is based upon the fact that even if the estate agent are wrong, they just write me invoices with charges of 70pounds, 150pounds etc...for all this. and i have a 1900 pounds deposit with them, so concerned about them removing this money from deposit. plus they add fines if i dont pay their invoices within 30days

dimbo61

Make it clear how long the " plumber" was in the property.
If the leak has not been repaired you will get you own plumber and electrician in to inspect both the plumbing and electrics to check they are safe.
There is a fault with the pipework in the property and this is the Landlords responsibility full stop.
Are the Letting Agents part of any body or just cowboys ARLA ?
Any further threatening letters will be passed onto my solicitor

societys_child

chris_m wrote: »

In theory it could cause a bit of back pressure, increasing the overall water pressure in the pipe slightly - but if that caused a joint to start leaking, I'd say that joint was pretty well ready to leak of its own accord.

Really? In that case, wouldn't simply turning the tap off cause far more back pressure than a shower head on the end of a flexible pipe ?

googler

gary224 wrote: »

A plumber came for 15seconds to the bathroom to view it and said instantly its the shower that causes it etc....

Absolute drivel. flexible shower heads don't cause leaks in fixed pipe work, whether that pipe work has compression, solder or push-fit fittings.

If the leak is in the flat's fixed pipe work, look elsewhere for the cause. And hire another plumber for a second opinion.

kirkbyinfurnesslad_2

they can't add any fines on. they are not the police, courts etc

moromir

If the flat was provided with a bath with there being no intention that it would be used to house a shower - its very likely that one of the following may have occured -

- The bath may have been installed with a view to someone sitting down in it - someone standing at one end may be causing the bath to flex and thus not be sealed to the wall, allowing water down the sides when you use it with the shower and/or moved the waste pipes under the bath causing the leak?

- The walls may not be water tight to shower height allowing water down the sides (i.e. maybe only tiled to half height?).

- Is there a shower curtain or shower door to stop water going over the side and under that way?

- Did you have consent from the Landlord to install and use the shower attachment?

googler

moromir wrote: »

The bath may have been installed with a view to someone sitting down in it - someone standing at one end may be causing the bath to flex and thus not be sealed to the wall, allowing water down the sides when you use it with the shower and/or moved the waste pipes under the bath causing the leak?

How does someone get into the bath other than be stepping in and standing in it, and doing the same in reverse when exiting? If standing in it for more than a few minutes causes it to flex, it's either not built properly or not properly installed. What does a bath full of water weigh? If it flexes under the weight of a person, what happens when it's full of water plus that person?


- The walls may not be water tight to shower height allowing water down the sides (i.e. maybe only tiled to half height?).

- Is there a shower curtain or shower door to stop water going over the side and under that way?

- Did you have consent from the Landlord to install and use the shower attachment?

... but the OP says the plumber fixed a leak "in the pipe", not a spillage of water over the edge of the bath.

starfish_chimp

Get a qualified, professional plumber's opinion. You may have to pay for this expert opinion, but it may be worth it if you are getting huge bills from the Agent. If your plumber supports your case, you will have a stronger position.

moromir

googler wrote: »

How does someone get into the bath other than be stepping in and standing in it, and doing the same in reverse when exiting? If standing in it for more than a few minutes causes it to flex, it's either not built properly or not properly installed. What does a bath full of water weigh? If it flexes under the weight of a person, what happens when it's full of water plus that person?

You're missing the point... when being used as a bath this wouldn't matter because theres no water being directed at the area where the flex would happen (where the bath meets the seal) like there is when theres a shower.

Moreover you're not considering that a bath full of water is a distributed weight, that same weight concentrated onto the size of two feet exerts a much more concentrated pressure.

googler wrote: »

... but the OP says the plumber fixed a leak "in the pipe", not a spillage of water over the edge of the bath.

Some of the phrasing the OP has used suggested either English wasn't the first language or there were some comprehension issues (as far as technicalities with plumbing were concerned) which is why I have offered some suggestions as to the cause which are more likely to result in the landlord blaming the OP

Tenyearstogo

moromir wrote: »

- Did you have consent from the Landlord to install and use the shower attachment?

Is this something that requires a landlords permission?