Plumbing & Drainage Disrepair Claims
Blocked drains, faulty toilets, or leaking pipes can make your home unsanitary. Your landlord has a duty to ensure proper sanitation.
Start Your ClaimWhat is a Plumbing & Drainage Issue?
This category of disrepair covers any issue with the installations for sanitation and the supply of water. This includes blocked or broken toilets, leaking pipes, blocked drains, faulty sinks, and problems with baths or showers. These problems are not just inconvenient; they can lead to foul smells, water damage, and serious health hazards from overflowing sewage or waste water.
A Risk to Health & Hygiene
Your Landlord's Legal Obligations
Duty to Provide Sanitation
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 explicitly states that landlords must keep in repair and proper working order the installations for sanitation, including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences. This also covers the pipes and drains. If you report a blocked drain or a broken toilet, your landlord should treat it with urgency to prevent health risks.
What a Successful Claim Provides
A claim ensures your home is made hygienic again and compensates you for the disruption and any financial loss.
Compensation Award
For the inconvenience, stress, and inability to use basic facilities. You can also claim for any belongings damaged by leaks or overflows.
Order for Urgent Repairs
A legally binding order that forces your landlord to fix the faulty plumbing or clear the blocked drains promptly and properly.
Evidence You Should Gather
To strengthen your case, try to keep a record of:
- Photos of the blockage or leak
- Copies of messages to your landlord
- Receipts for any plumbers you've hired
- Note of how long the issue has lasted
Plumbing & Drainage FAQs
This depends on the cause. If the blockage is due to flushing inappropriate items (like wet wipes), it is usually the tenant's responsibility. However, if the blockage is due to underlying issues like damaged pipes or tree roots, it is your landlord's responsibility to fix.
If it is the only toilet in the property, it is an emergency and should be repaired within 24 hours. A lack of basic sanitation facilities makes a property unfit for habitation. For less urgent issues, a few days to a week may be considered reasonable.
Your claim is for the disrepair and losses you have suffered. Your neighbour would need to pursue their own landlord or insurer for the damage to their property. However, your landlord's failure to fix the leak in your flat would be a key piece of evidence for them.
Yes, it can be. If the low pressure is due to faulty pipework within your property that your landlord is responsible for, and it significantly impacts your ability to wash or use facilities, it could be grounds for a claim. Issues with the mains supply outside the property boundary are typically the water company's responsibility.
This would be handled as one single housing disrepair claim. The landlord's failure to fix the primary issue (the leak) has led to a secondary issue (mould). The compensation you receive would reflect the severity and impact of all the problems combined.
Tired of Plumbing Problems?
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