Money Moral Dilemma: Should I ask my friend to help pay to clear the drain I think she blocked?

MSE_Sarah

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

 I recently had a friend stay in my spare room for three weeks while she was between homes, and as it was for such a short time, I just asked for £100 to cover the extra bills. When she'd gone, I discovered the drain in the bathroom she was using is blocked (there are two bathrooms in my home, so I don't use this one). I now need to pay someone to unblock the drain as I'm not good at DIY. I obviously can't prove she blocked the drain, but should I ask her to pay towards the cost? 

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Ditzy_Mitzy

Whilst not a pleasant task, unscrewing and clearing a U-bend shouldn't be beyond the wit of the average man or woman.  Get a DIY book and learn to do the job yourself.  

The friend may or may not be responsible for the blockage.  You don't know what actually happened, so have no evidence that her actions directly caused it.  To assign blame on assumption isn't fair and she'll quickly stop being a friend if presented with a plumber's invoice for an entirely needless callout.  

n.b.  have you chucked some unblocking solution down there?

lincroft1710

Buy one of the various drain unblocking liquids on the market and use that.

comeandgo

Now is a good time to learn some diy.  You tube is brilliant for being shown how to do things.  You could ask your friend to help you, she may actually know how to do it.

pickledonionspaceraider

No. 
I think you may find yourself friendless if you throw around unfounded and embarrasing accusations over the sake of a £5 mr muscle unblocking agent

Pfft im sure this is a wind up

Annemad

Go to the pound store and buy a drain unblocker. Pour it down the drain and then send your "friend" the £1 bill!

Obird63

I agree with what's been said so far. If it's the sink that's blocked, I can highly recommend Aldi's own sink unblocker. It works like magic and is way better than the much more expensive branded products which do the same thing. I also agree that you don't need to be an expert to unscrew a U bend - if it comes to that, just get on YouTube and follow along. That said, I notice you so say 'drain' and not 'sink' so I am wondering what is actually blocked... Perhaps you could casually ask your friend if she had any issues while she was there and see what comes of that conversation... I really don't think you can ask her to pay for it outright since there is no evidence she did it although... I do wonder why she didn't bring it to your attention if there were issues... As usual, the post raises more questions than answers! 

jonnydeppiwish!

Eh, no. if someone has blocked a drain in 3 weeks I’d suggest something was wrong with your drains in the first place.

Martico

I'd try a plunger and then a snake before any chemicals

ThisIsWeird

"I now need to pay someone to unblock the drain as I'm not good at DIY. I obviously can't prove she blocked the drain, but should I ask her to pay towards the cost?"

No.

Why? Well:

1) "I now need to pay someone to unblock the drain as I'm not good at DIY". No Poo Sherlock. That's exactly what folk need to do if they cannot DIY it. So either learn some basic DIY skills, or dig into your pocket.

2) "I obviously can't prove she blocked the drain..." Precisely. And what are the chances that she did, after only three weeks? I mean, did she need her own drains cleaned out on a monthly basis before she moved in with you? No. So you cannot prove it, and it's unlikely she did.

If you still think you should bill her, well...

hill_ekaterina

This is completely wild. Just buy some Mr Muscle, absolutely no need to call someone for such a simple task. You are old enough to own a property therefore you should be able to do basic DIY.