Underground leak on 34 month old property

sbs_2014

Hi - I hope this is the right section to post in. Sorry if this is a little long winded.


We bought a new build in May 2013 and we lived in it until January 2015 (we still own it, it is rented out).


When we moved out in January 2015, we had a very high final water bill (it's on a meter) which led us to discover that we had a water leak. Our monthly direct debit had also been high for the entire time we lived there (£75 a month for 2 adults and a baby).


I reported this to Severn Trent and in February 2015, they came out to do some work, dug up all the pavement and then left - so my tenants rang me and said the water leak must have been fixed so I rang Severn Trent, got a claim form for our overpayment, received a refund and we thought that was the end of that.


However, in November 2015, the tenant phoned to say they had noticed their bills (they pay every 6 months) were still high - in excess of £300 for 6 months for 2 adults who are both out all day.


So, I had Severn Trent out again, on the premise that they must have never fixed the leak as the bills were still high. Severn Trent came out again, did investigatory works up to our border and didn't find anything so they replaced the meter but the leak has continued. They then said that as the leak was proven to be on our boundary then we had to fix it. They told me that when they initially came out in February 2015, I phoned them to say the leak had been fixed - which I did - but apparently they interpreted this as me saying the leak had been fixed by me privately. Besides, they said this is irrelevant as it is now proven that the leak is on my boundary therefore they wouldn't have fixed it anyway.


My next step was to phone the NHBC - they flatly confirmed they only deal with structural issues and anything to do with waterworks was not within their remit.


So next I contacted the builder, Gleesons. The house was under Gleesons warranty for 2 years so it expired in May 2015, however, I made it very clear to them that the issue started before then and that it could be proven by my dealings with Severn Trent. They came back with a definitive - we will not help, your warranty has run out' answer.


Finally, I contacted my insurer who sent out a private contractor yesterday (after I paid £100 excess). The contractor did a few hours work and was able to confirm that the leak was on the pipe under the house - somewhere between the internal garage and the kitchen sink. I am yet to receive the final report, but the engineer said my insurer (Direct Line) would more than likely only cover up to a certain amount and the shortfall would have to be covered by me. I asked for hypothetical figures - he said the works could cost around £2k.


Perhaps I am wrong, but I can't help but feel like everyone is passing the buck. I bought a new build so that I didn't have the same maintenance problems that come with older houses, yet here I am, having to pay for the cost of rerouting an underground pipe less than 3 years after the house was built.


Does anyone think Gleesons should be helping? Or that the NHBC should? Or is it really just down to me and it's just one of those things?

Smiley_Dan

Perhaps I am wrong, but I can't help but feel like everyone is passing the buck.

At the risk of sounding flippant, that's what you get when you purchase a house from a large-ish housebuilder.

You might want to follow https://twitter.com/myhousesucks who might provide some other avenues to complain.

The NHBC are paid for by the builder - don't expect them to actually help.

Furts

Smiley Dan is correct and I second this.

The issue is your failure to notify Gleesons within the two years. From their perspective you were given copious time yet failed to act. This has conveniently let them off the hook. They will not want to get back on the hook, regardless of your arguments, because any work will dig into their profits and their personnel's time.

To move forward you have to prove you claim, and this will mean effort on your part. You cannot rely on the insurance contractor because they have a vested interest in milking the insurance company of everything they can get away with. To give an indication of this you will note that the leak has been located to the most inaccessible. and most costly location. Be realistic here - how can they locate a leak there without digging up your floor to support their judgement?

Then consider the pipe. It will be MDPE which is robust and almost indestructible. This should be laid in a continuous length. Leaks most often occur on joints yet there should be no joints on your pipe except at each end.

On balance your leak may be under your garage floor but on a statistical basis this is unlikely.

The pragmatic way forward is to expose what is accessible out side your home checking for joints that should not be there, and for any leaks.

Ultimately the cheaper option would be to re-route a new pipe, or connect onto the existing pipe and run a new piece, insulated, boxed and to Regulations, through your garage. You will, of course, have a joint on this but make sure it is either accessible or watertight, or both!

A typical cost of this is peanuts if you do it yourself. A groundworker, and handyman/plumber could do this work for a fraction of the £2000 you imply.

Hope this helps.

phil24_7

Some plumbers may be able to install a new water pipe for a lot less if they have a mole. You will only need to dig a hole at either end and the will use the mole to dig a hole between the two that they can run their pipe through.

southcoastrgi

The blue water main will or should be in a duct from where it enters your house to where it comes up to the main stop tap, therefore it should at most be a case (if it needs replacing) of a hole outside, disconnecting from the stop tap inside & pulling out & a new pipe inserting, if the pipe isn't in a duct then this has been installed incorrectly & you need to make this very clear in no uncertain terms to Gleesons