Leasehold - water leak!

yunikon

Hello, I will try to keep this as short as possible.

I purchased a leasehold flat last year and there seems to be a water leak coming from the flat above. I raised this with the neighbour (she is a tenant, her landlord is the leaseholder and the flat is managed by a state agent) and the buildings freeholder which is the council. The state agents managing the flat above ignore the tenant and ignore everyone, they only sent a contractor once and he only said "It might be from the main pipe on the wall". That's it. I emailed them recently because I am fed up and I want written proof.

I have been going after the council to have someone come and have a look at my flat and instead, they keep sending someone upstairs who says "Can't do anything unless the owner's contractor removes the tiles". So the state agent from upstairs keeps not doing anything.

My bathroom tiles are broken because the water is pushing and finding its way out, it has affected the wall in the communal area and is affecting my downstairs neighbour now. She has been super understanding as I told her is not my fault, my bathroom is a mess as well. She has been calling the council as well who does nothing but send a guy upstairs for nothing.

I have resorted to paying for a water leak detection service that is over 1k so we can have in paper where the leak is to have it sorted. I said that if it is accessible from my flat they can go ahead and remove whatever part they need to stop. I am going to have to get those walls sorted and redo that side of the bathroom. My neighbour downstairs is obviously in a similar boat plus her ceiling is peeling and leaking! I haven't used my shower much to alleviate pressure on her ceiling. 

I have a theory. I think this is due to a blockage my neighbour upstairs had back in December. She said it took her agency two weeks to send someone to fix this, she had to pour water down the toilet while they didn't fix it and she has several other problems that are being ignored. She doesn't like confrontation so she doesn't push for what is right.

I feel these state agents and the landlord are being negligent and I want to take legal action once we have sorted the leak. I am still quite new to this leasehold archaic system so I am not sure how to proceed.

HampshireH

It's estate agent

Have you contacted the freeholder. Written a complaint to the letting agent about their management of the flat above an allowing it to cause disrepair to your property?

1k for leak detection is extortionate!