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Hi All
I hope you're doing well.
Firstly thanks to anyone who reads this, it's not a particularly exciting post but i'll try to keep it as brief as I possibly can.
I returned to my flat on the day before NYE after 2 weeks away for the xmas period with family, to be greeted by the fire brigade outside my flat - turning the water off at the Water Main (located in the communal area, in a cupboard) - essentially a slow-leak had occurred out of the pipe related to my flat and it had essentially dripped through some light fittings on the floor below me, been reported and that resulted in this repair/turn off.
I spoke to the Fire Marshall who said that he would contact the property management company and get someone out to repair it. I assumed, as he clearly did, that this was the responsibility of the property management company and I just assumed that he would contact them to sort it and I essentially left it.. for a few hours. Until my gut told me to call the Management Company. I did and was greeted with the rather surprising news that they were closed as an entire organisation from 24th December to 2nd January. Anyway, long story short (i wont bore you with how terrible the OOO service were) I spoke to the OOO service who said they had been told by a Property Manager that the repair of the communal area piping is the Tenant's responsibility and not that of the Property Management Company, supposedly, 'as per our lease'.
I immediately did not believe this but I needed to get my water back on, so on NYE - to the wonderful tune of £300 - i got it fixed.
The property management company are now in the office and I asked them to explain to me, via lease proof, how I am responsible for the communal area water meter pipes and they have sent me the attached Scan of the lease which supposedly dictates that I am responsible for this fix. Scan is available here: https://i.ibb.co/qWh39tg/image-2025-01-02-152046659.png as I could not attach for some reason.
Just some further information:
- I am in a community group with other owners in our flat block and nobody in that group has any idea that we are liable to fix the leaks in this area.
- I have reached out to my insurance company, whom i have contents insurance with, and they have said that the lease would need to specifically name/explain that these pipes in this communal cupboard are our responsibility
- I have done a little digging online and can see that sometimes Property Management Companies put a line in a lease/agreement that says something like "...any pipe that is exclusively serving a flat is that flat owner's responsibility' - that is clearly not what has been laid out here.
- In terms of 'stop taps' (as I know this can sometimes come down to where these are) - There is a stop tap for water located in my flat in the room where my boiler is. There is also a stop tap on the water meter pipe in the communal area.
My question is.. does anyone know if based on the information here, that I am responsible for repairing the water meter pipe for my flat in the communal area cupboard? If i am, how the hell would I insure myself?
I plan on putting a complaint in to the property management company re: the customer service and OOO service, but I would also love some clarity on this legal question before doing so too.
Thanks so much in advance and apologies for waffling - let me know if you need any other info>
BW
O
I hope you're doing well.
Firstly thanks to anyone who reads this, it's not a particularly exciting post but i'll try to keep it as brief as I possibly can.
I returned to my flat on the day before NYE after 2 weeks away for the xmas period with family, to be greeted by the fire brigade outside my flat - turning the water off at the Water Main (located in the communal area, in a cupboard) - essentially a slow-leak had occurred out of the pipe related to my flat and it had essentially dripped through some light fittings on the floor below me, been reported and that resulted in this repair/turn off.
I spoke to the Fire Marshall who said that he would contact the property management company and get someone out to repair it. I assumed, as he clearly did, that this was the responsibility of the property management company and I just assumed that he would contact them to sort it and I essentially left it.. for a few hours. Until my gut told me to call the Management Company. I did and was greeted with the rather surprising news that they were closed as an entire organisation from 24th December to 2nd January. Anyway, long story short (i wont bore you with how terrible the OOO service were) I spoke to the OOO service who said they had been told by a Property Manager that the repair of the communal area piping is the Tenant's responsibility and not that of the Property Management Company, supposedly, 'as per our lease'.
I immediately did not believe this but I needed to get my water back on, so on NYE - to the wonderful tune of £300 - i got it fixed.
The property management company are now in the office and I asked them to explain to me, via lease proof, how I am responsible for the communal area water meter pipes and they have sent me the attached Scan of the lease which supposedly dictates that I am responsible for this fix. Scan is available here: https://i.ibb.co/qWh39tg/image-2025-01-02-152046659.png as I could not attach for some reason.
Just some further information:
- I am in a community group with other owners in our flat block and nobody in that group has any idea that we are liable to fix the leaks in this area.
- I have reached out to my insurance company, whom i have contents insurance with, and they have said that the lease would need to specifically name/explain that these pipes in this communal cupboard are our responsibility
- I have done a little digging online and can see that sometimes Property Management Companies put a line in a lease/agreement that says something like "...any pipe that is exclusively serving a flat is that flat owner's responsibility' - that is clearly not what has been laid out here.
- In terms of 'stop taps' (as I know this can sometimes come down to where these are) - There is a stop tap for water located in my flat in the room where my boiler is. There is also a stop tap on the water meter pipe in the communal area.
My question is.. does anyone know if based on the information here, that I am responsible for repairing the water meter pipe for my flat in the communal area cupboard? If i am, how the hell would I insure myself?
I plan on putting a complaint in to the property management company re: the customer service and OOO service, but I would also love some clarity on this legal question before doing so too.
Thanks so much in advance and apologies for waffling - let me know if you need any other info>
BW
O
