Small leaking rust spot on bathroom ceiling

[fatbunny]

Hello,

I've just noticed a small rusty spot on my bathroom ceiling which is leaking water. It's leaking quite slowly, about 5ml an hour. I live in a flat so assume the leak must be a result of the upstairs flat's bathroom.

Is it my responsibility to call a plumber or should I inform the upstairs tenants that my ceiling is leaking? They are renting whereas I am the homeowner.

I'm also leaving the country for two weeks from this Friday and have no idea whether this kind of job is something that can take a long time to fix.

Thanks to anyone who might be able to help!

 

[stevetheplumber]

youneed to inform them and possibly the landlord so they can sort the problem if the damage increases you can claim repair costs but you must make them aware going away id leave a bucket underr it and arrange some one to come in and check

 

[jtsplumbing]

Yes leave a key and let your insurance Co know what is going on.

 

[petercj]

Definitely let the Landlord know asap - in writing by recorded delivery if they don't respond straight away.

Chances are the tenants are not responsible for such issues.

Personally, I wouldn't have peace of mind to go away and know water was coming through my ceiling, so I'd create holy **** about it, and do all that I could to get it fixed before leaving.

It might only be a trickle, but who knows how much water has built up across the ceiling?

First issue is to get the leak fixed. Second issue is to check if the leakage has caused any substantial damage or weakening to your ceiling. Is the leak near to any light fittings, which could be another issue.

Get on to the Landlord and let him know that you want it sorted yesterday!

 

[secret squirrel]

There is no drama with this really, everyone jumps on the negative side of things and in this job a lot of the time understandably.

I'd speak to the tennants who in turn will speak to the landlord, failing that get the details of the landlord and explain the situation to them.

I'm sure this will be dealt with promptly, no-one wants to allow the damage to continue

 

[petercj]

No drama, just use common sense....

1/ Always make sure that the actual person responsible knows of any risk being caused to your property by something they own...

2/ Your insurance company will expect you to take all reasonable steps to avert any incident...

3/ If you have to make a substantial claim on your insurance, chances are the company will up your premium next time you re-new - even though it wasn't your fault.

If you haven't heard from the Landlord within 24 hours of telling the tenants, then contact him/her yourself.

Simple as that ... "NO dramas" ...as the Aussie lads in the TV advert say!

 

[secret squirrel]

If it is only a small drip and very little or no damage, inform the insurance company?

Who realistically does that?

As a landlord, if I was informed that there was a leak in one of my properties I'd be round to resolve the problem. Most landlords would do this, the problem lies when there is a management agency involved and the tennant has informed them but the message doesn't get through.

IF someone was getting a bit stroppy with me I'm afraid I wouldn't rush.

With regards to the OP it isn't significant damage so why start recommending involving insurance companies which will only add the situation.

 

[Koogatubac]

I had a wierd mysterious leak in a block of flats, only the bottom flat soil stack boxing was getting water marks, ended up being 6 floors up, a set of shower valves above the bath, no marks and was really hard to spot

It leaked behind the tiles (no visual signs) and worked its way to the only concrete hole which was for the soil stack to go from bottom bathroom to the very top!

Took over a year since the bottom flat kept saying 'theres a puddle on the floor' when it was the customer urinating on the floor! :O

Didnt taste nice..... :S

 

[petercj]

If it is only a small drip and very little or no damage, inform the insurance company?

Who realistically does that?

As a landlord, if I was informed that there was a leak in one of my properties I'd be round to resolve the problem. Most landlords would do this, the problem lies when there is a management agency involved and the tennant has informed them but the message doesn't get through.

IF someone was getting a bit stroppy with me I'm afraid I wouldn't rush.

With regards to the OP it isn't significant damage so why start recommending involving insurance companies which will only add the situation.

Agree about not involving the insurance company before an incident - only likely to complicate things if a claim does follow.

I used to rent a property out through a letting agent, and they weren't the best at hurrying.

No need to get stroppy - unless they ignore a reasonable approach. Putting in writing is the most important thing to do if they choose to ignore a reasonable request to get it done asap. Any decent person won't ignore such a matter anyway, once they know.

I had a small leak in a hot-water cylinder some 20 years ago, and at the time of going up to bed the ceiling was fine, no sign of a leak. Very, very, oddly I woke up in the night feeling thirsty (something I never normally do) and as I walked past the lounge to get a drink I noticed a massive blister hanging from the ceiling, and I mean massive - at least a metre across, and best part of half a metre at its lowest point.

I was totally speechless, never seen anything like it before (or since). I stood looking at it for about thirty seconds trying to work out what was going on, then it burst, and water flooded down from the ceiling and within a couple of minutes there as half an inch of water right across the lounge floor.

I reckon they'd PVA 'ed the ceiling before artexing, and the barrier had held out until the very last minute.

 

[dontknowitall]

I must say I have to disagree.

Phone the fire brigade and they'll send out a couple of tenders and two or three commanders to assist. You might have to wait as they might be busy finding a cat that went up a tree last night but has since come down when no-one was looking.

Today we live in a sue and be sued for as much as possible by over zealous lawyers, backed up by a full blown health and safety culture and you just can't be too careful in case the insurance company finds an obscure clause buried in the tiniest print ...

Common sense would say, get a towel to catch splashes, bucket on top, then knock on your "neighbour's" door.

If it becomes worse and it's a hot water pipe, Tesco does a line in shower gel at a reasonable price ...

 

[petercj]

As the good Budda would say: "In the wider scheme of things, it's just a drop in the ocean!"

Hommmmmmmmmmmm!

If that Fireman from Corrie turns up, he'll probably fix the leak, empty the bucket, and hoover up before he goes!

:smug2: