Big sewage problem

Sewage company? You mean the local water company or a private firm?

Is it purely your pipe or shared?

First of all, work with the sewage company as to how big the problem is, how long they need and how much the bill will be. A range is worrying but since you don't want to pay it, this is just information.

Next the insurance - this is covered? And is not your fault as you bought the place nor knowing they could chase the debt from someone else?

Once you know the size of the job & the likely bill, you can get the insurance to suggest how much they might pay for your inconvenience. This is admittedly the bit where the "I wish this could happen" kicks in & reality kicks back but this is more or less an ideal future scenario.

Once you have that, agree dates, book a holiday and let the company get on with it. Followed by another company to come in & do a deep clean while you're not there. Return and settle back. Look to being away, cats in care & you likewise properly looked after while it's done.
Very best of luck.

faerielight wrote: »

I mean a private company, I presume it’s my responsibility, not the water company . I’m waiting for a quote from the drain company. I don’t know if the policy covers drains, I paid my neighbor my share directly to her last year,but didn’t get a copy, so I will call the insurance co on mon.. it will be good once it is done, just wary of the process.

I'm concerned there is a very real danger you might be getting ripped off here. Do you have someone you could rely on to help you get better advice about the problem and what needs to be done to fix it?

Firstly, you say there is a "hump 3 1/2 mat underneath my flat". Do you mean 3.5 metres? And do you mean 3.5 metres deep (unlikely, but possible), or 3.5 metres measured in distance from the outside?

What you describe - a pipe which runs 'uphill' - is known as a "negative fall" or "negative gradient". It is unlikely the pipe was originally laid like this, although it might have been if the builders were particularly bad.

Usually a slight 'negative fall' is not a major problem. In normal use a domestic drain shouldn't block on a regular basis just because there is a slight 'negative fall'. That suggests to me that either you are putting things into the drains which shouldn't be going into them (like fat, or flushing inappropriate items down the toilet), or else the negative fall is quite bad.

If the latter, then you really need advice from a professional (not a drain company) as to what is causing it.

The next thing is that you shouldn't presume responsibility for the pipe. You should be advised by a professional whether or not you are responsible. It could be the responsibility of the local water company (water board) or the owner of the building (freeholder).

Private drain companies have a bad habit of not telling potential victims that the defective pipe is someone else's responsibility. They manage to do this because people don't know how drainage works, and the "yuk" factor makes them want to get the problem fixed with the minimum of personal involvement. That makes it a fertile source of income for scammers and the dishonest.

You can see the risk of that in your comment "it will be good once it is done" - the fear of the problem is making you willing to pay a potentially large amount of money and suffer inconvenience without really knowing what the problem is, and whether anything actually needs doing.

It is also a bit worrying that you paid money to your neighbour for an insurance policy, but don't know what the policy covers and don't have a copy. The neighbour is probably entirely trustworthy, but it is also possible that they are pocketing your money and crossing their fingers than nothing goes wrong with the flats.

The fact you are paying money to her suggests there might be a joint responsibility for things like insurance - which may mean there is joint responsibility when it comes to repairs to things like the drainage. Does your building have a management company or management committee?

If you have nobody else who can help you, it might be worth contacting the local council's trading standards department and ask them for advice. They will be used to dealing with complaints from 'private drain companies' and may be able to guide you to someone who can help before you have a problem.

Also, if the drain company is one of the large national chain companies, don't assume what they are saying must be right just because they are a large national company.

I hope I haven't alarmed or upset you with anything I've said above. That wasn't my intention. I'm hoping the comments will get you to ask questions and seek help which may prevent you from the cost and inconvenience of having possibly unnecessary work done. Good luck.

Read #6, from your description it sounds like you are on the ground floor which means you likely have someone above you & if that's the case then the likelihood is that flat uses the same drain, if so it is highly likely it's a shared drain which means it's the water boards responsibility, you need someone to advise you whether this is the case as you shouldn't be paying for anything

Sounds like a 'big job' to me.