Water supply cut...what do I do?

O'Doodle

Hi there

I was wondering if anybody could give me some advice. I am living in an apartment in Dublin city and the water supply to my block has allegedly been cut by the Dublin City Corporation according to my landlord. I don't believe this at all because I friends living in other block which are having no problems whatsoever.

I'm in the situation of what are my rights (i.e can I stay in a hotel and send the bill to my landlord) and what do . Can I tare my contract up with my landlord or?

Thanks very much.

Cathmandooo

Ring the Dublin City Corporation yourself and find out?

If they have no idea about it ring your landlord back and tell him what you've been told from the corporation.

Does the apartment have no water left? Have you asked your neighbours?

O'Doodle

I rang the water supply and they told me the water hasn't been and cut it is something specific inside your apartment block, eg pump failure due to low water pressure due to low temperatures.

My understanding is none of the 40 apartments have water at all.

I rang the management company asking for clarification on why the water isn't working on the advice of my landlord and to tell the management company it is totally unacceptable to have no water for a week (WITHOUT NOTICE) and I was accused of being abusive and bullying. The women told me I should be lucky to have water at all because everyone in Dublin is having these problem which I think BS because I don't know anybody else who's' water supply has been turned of.

I can't even flush my toilet it is that bad.

So if the water hasn't been cut by the corporation/council and it appears the management company are refusing to fix the problem blaming it on the cold weather what rights do I have?

O'Doodle

I would love to name and shame the block. It's absolutely terrible. The same company/block refused to fix a lift for 8 weeks.

athtrasna

As a tenant you have no right to contact the MC at all, and most MCs won't entertain tenants. Your issue is with your landlord. Contact Threshold to see what your rights are regarding dealings with your landlord, it is up to him to sort it.

O'Doodle

Yes however I was given the MCs number by my landlord because I was getting fed up with lack of action or notice. We've had no notice to why the water has been cut, no signs, no letters.

My landlord is saying I am going to have to wait until the cold weather goes

Thanks for the information for Threshold, I have contacted them.

athtrasna

O'Doodle wrote: »

Yes however I was given the MCs number by my landlord because I was getting fed up with lack of action or notice.

Which is your landlord passing the buck and not facing up to their responsibility. I re-iterate my point, you have no right to contact the MC or MA. The landlord has to, as they are a member of the management company. Your gripe here is with your landlord not the MC.

O'Doodle

What can I do though?

The MC and Landlord are blaming Dublin city council for cutting the water which is lies as the water supply confirmed to me the water was not cut and the problem lies inside the block.

The water supply told me this happens in blocks and you need an engineer out to reset/fix the pump. The MC and Landlord are denying this saying the council cut the water to perserve it and you will have to wait until the thaw.

I don't think the MC want the cost/ hassle of paying to fix it and are blaming the cold weather at all costs. This is the same block that took 8 weeks to fix a lift and we have elderly people living in the block who struggle to use stairs. We get no notification of work, we have had no explanation why the lift was broken, we had no explanation of why the water is off.

AND when I say management company, it is essentially one individual running the show , not a maintenance company or whatever.

Regardless of all this crap, I have no water, my toilet won't flush, the smell is unbelievable and I am getting fed up. I'm sure people living in social housing get treated better and I am paying a considerable amount of money for this crap.

Tomorrow I will be seeking further advice to see if this is a breach of my contract.

ztoical

Stop dealing with the MC, your contract is with the LL. If the LL keeps trying to fop you off to the MC refuse and keep bugging them. They are obligated to provide water so tell them to get off their ass and sort it or they are not full filling their side of the lease and you will be moving out.

Make sure to speak with someone at Threashold.

djimi

athtrasna wrote: »

As a tenant you have no right to contact the MC at all, and most MCs won't entertain tenants. Your issue is with your landlord. Contact Threshold to see what your rights are regarding dealings with your landlord, it is up to him to sort it.

I have contacted my management company several times, both in my current place and in my last place, and neither have had any problems talking to me. Maybe it is the landlords job to deal with them but whats the point in ringing the LL, waiting for them to call the MC then waiting for the LL to call back when a quick phonecall directly to the MC management company will achieve as much in a fraction of the time?

00112984

Could you knock on the doors of your neighbours who are also without water, tell them what you've learned and see if you can get any (ideally all) of them to commit to ringing the management company several times a day until it's sorted. It might be easy for the MC to ignore one phonecall but not 30 or 40 several times a day!

athtrasna

djimi wrote: »

I have contacted my management company several times, both in my current place and in my last place, and neither have had any problems talking to me. Maybe it is the landlords job to deal with them but whats the point in ringing the LL, waiting for them to call the MC then waiting for the LL to call back when a quick phonecall directly to the MC management company will achieve as much in a fraction of the time?

Because the Management Agents are employed by the Management Company and are only answerable to the members of the management company ie your landlords.

djimi

athtrasna wrote: »

Because the Management Agents are employed by the Management Company and are only answerable to the members of the management company ie your landlords.

That may be the case and Im not disagreeing with you, but from my experience they will not necessarily ignore renting tenants, and if they are willing to talk to a tenant then it is better (in my opinion) to deal with the them directly and cut out any potential bull**** of dealing thru a landlord who may or may not care too much about the issue. We have had a couple of issues sorted out within 48 hours each by contacting the management company directly that would probably have taken a week each had we gone thru the landlord.

O'Doodle

Ok so an update…..

My landlord and management company are refusing to take responsibility for this at all and are blaming the water company supply at street level.

SOOO, I rang the water company and they denied there is a problem with the supply to the block and said they said the issue lies inside the block, most likely with the pumps. AND they said it is the management companies responsibility to get an engineer out to fix it.

I rang my landlord back explaining what the water supply company told me and she did not believe me!! She claimed EVERYTHING including the pumps in the block were in working order and the problem was not hers. She basically told me if I'm not happy then MOVE OUT and LEAVE! I felt this was totally unprofessional because I have paid her this months rent (€700 Euro including 1 months advance/deposit) so there is no way I am moving out and breaking the contract.

She said there is nothing I can do for you and you will just have to sit it out. She said I pay the management company alot of money to sort problems like this out.

So I rang the Citizens Information and they said it is the landlords and management companies responsibility to supply running hot and cold water. They said you should ring the management company and tell them you are going to put in a compliant to the council which I will do tomorrow.

I feel like I am being completely walked over by the landlord and the management company. Every time I ring the landlord or management company I get excuses, lies and accused of bullying. My father has even rang the management company on my-behalf and the women threatened him with legal action and accused him of bullying too.

As you can tell i am very upset about this. I cannot flush my toilet, the smell is terrible, I cannot wash or cook.

Is there anything I can do at all? I feel like this could on own for weeks while the management company and landlords decide who's fault it is.

This is the same company that took 8 WEEKS to fix a lift and blamed the reason for it not being fixed on the residents.

I would to love name and shame the block and the people responsible but I will refrain from doing so until the time I find appropriate.

athtrasna

Did you ring Treshold? They are the best people to help you.

Otherwise your best bet is to put it in writing to your landlord that they are in breach of their reponsibilities to you as a tenant in failing to provide water. Tell them you will be referring the matter to a solicitor if they do not address the situation within 48 hours. A solicitor's letter should cost under €50 and would be money well spent.

You are confusing the Management Company and Management Agents now, which isn't helping but again, all your correspondence needs to be with your landlord and in writing, forget the Management Company, they are the landlord's problem.

djimi

Accused of bullying? Is the management company run by 5 year olds? If someone in there doesnt like problems being brought to their attention then ask to speak to whoever is in charge of the place.

kirving

Thats absolutely terrible.

DCC can't really lie about the problem. The low pressure may cause the pumps to automatically cut out to stop them damaging themselves and haven't been reset.

Either way, the management company should get a water tanker to provide you with water, no matter where the fault lies. (my opinion, not law)

The_Morrigan

OP, I can't comment any more than other posters on your rights or what to do to get this fixed, however, just a quick piece of advice with regards the toilets.

We had no water earlier this year during the other big freeze - again, we couldn't flush toilets...we went outside with black bags and collected snow/ice and left that in the bath to melt and just topped up the cistern so we could flush the toilets.
We bought cheap bottled water for cooking/drinking too.

O'Doodle

Hi everyone...

Nothing much has changed today. Landlord didn't even bother to ring me back or answer my calls. I text the landlord this evening and told them, it's now 12 days without running water and if it's not fixed by the weekend I will be seeking legal advice and making a formal complaint. The landlord texted back saying "large areas of Dublin City and and County are without water due to Arctic weather conditions and that I should watch the RTE news!!! I then texted back quoting the literature from the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 saying it is the Landlords responsibility to ensure that at all times during occupancy the accommodation is in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 specifically section 18.7.e regarding the provision of water supplies, sanitary facilities and drainage. I never got a reply.

I accept some areas may not have water for short periods of time but NOT for 12 DAYS for christ sake.

I was speaking to residents on the floors beneath me and they all have running water and when I told them I haven't had water for 12 days they were completely shocked and urged me to ring the management company!

The council have confirmed that there is nothing wrong with the water supply to the block and that it is the internal water pumps inside the block!!! The management company and my landlord are denying this and blaming the cold weather and the council.

I am not allowed to speak to the management agent ever again because I was accused of bullying and intimidation for simply stating that my water isn't working and asking what is being done about it. She threatened me with legal action for ringing her…she said things are desperate in Dublin with this cold weather, everyone in Dublin is facing the same thing are you should count yourself luck the army aren't on the streets. At this point I just hung up…what a complete fool!

There are only four apartments on my floor so we don't particularly have strength in numbers.

The situation is pretty desperate now and I can't really go for much longer so if it's not fixed by the weekend every tenancy organization/charity and government body in Dublin will know about this and how we have been treated. It will be of little comfort because I just want the water working again but if it means filling dozens of forms out and seeking legal advise to get water going again I will do it.

Victor

Talk to the housing and water departments in the council explaining that you have had no water for so long. They'll light a fire under the management company.

They should also be able to provide a water tanker.

Initiate a complaint with the PRTB now.

Kimia

That is absolutely shocking OP, sorry for you. I can't believe they don't care that you have had no water for almost 2 full weeks! :eek:

I would lodge a complaint with everyone and anyone who is relevant and I would move out immediately the next chance I got without losing money. Shocking. See if she can get new tenants with no running water!

gurramok

This may sound paranoia but take a video of you trying to flush the toilet and also running a tap to prove there is no water in case you have to prove it.

Also, get onto a TD. Political clout can help when an election is up the road. Having no water is breach of the lease, i'd move out and lodge a case with the PRTB to get my deposit back.

the_syco

O'Doodle wrote: »

I am not allowed to speak to the management agent ever again because I was accused of bullying and intimidation for simply stating that my water isn't working and asking what is being done about it. She threatened me with legal action for ringing her…she said things are desperate in Dublin with this cold weather, everyone in Dublin is facing the same thing are you should count yourself luck the army aren't on the streets. At this point I just hung up…what a complete fool!

Ask Threshold if they could ring your landlord or yer wan above on your behalf?

Ask the LL for a statement, as you're thinking of going legal. See if that "moves" her along?

convert

I've been staying with a friend in Dublin city centre for the last 12 days (got stranded in Dublin and couldn't get home) and there's been running water. The local council have turned off the water for the last few evenings/nights, but there's definitely been enough water to flush toilets, do washing up, etc.

Have you contacted threshold/citizens' information to seek advice as to how proceed with your complaints? 12 days seems a little excessive to be without water in the city centre. Even when our water pipes froze at home last year, we were only without water for 3 or 4 days, and we have our own well.

Kimia

Randomly the same thing has just happened to us. Apparently the problem lies with the pump that is in the apartment block and the management company should have turned this off when the water was turned off by the council. So the landlord is the only one that can fix this for you..

Kimia

Is there anything you can do to MAKE the landlord fix this mess? We have been without water for 5 days and now the heating has been gone for 2 days so we are literally sitting at home shivering. We have been on to the letting agency loads of times but they keep putting us off saying it's the same for loads of people. They also want us to be at home when the plumber calls but we can't just leave work with no warning! Is there anything we can do? :mad:

Victor

Kimia wrote: »

Is there anything you can do to MAKE the landlord fix this mess?

Be there for the plumber!

We have been on to the letting agency loads of times but they keep putting us off saying it's the same for loads of people.

Then they better do something about it.

They also want us to be at home when the plumber calls but we can't just leave work with no warning! Is there anything we can do? :mad:

Leave your mobile numbers with the plumber and let him phone X time before he expects to be dealing with your apartment, where X is the amount of time it takes to get home. Perhaps try to arrange it first thing / last thing in the day or at lunch time.

shoegirl

O'Doodle wrote: »

Ok so an update…..

My landlord and management company are refusing to take responsibility for this at all and are blaming the water company supply at street level.

SOOO, I rang the water company and they denied there is a problem with the supply to the block and said they said the issue lies inside the block, most likely with the pumps. AND they said it is the management companies responsibility to get an engineer out to fix it.

I rang my landlord back explaining what the water supply company told me and she did not believe me!! She claimed EVERYTHING including the pumps in the block were in working order and the problem was not hers. She basically told me if I'm not happy then MOVE OUT and LEAVE! I felt this was totally unprofessional because I have paid her this months rent (€700 Euro including 1 months advance/deposit) so there is no way I am moving out and breaking the contract.

She said there is nothing I can do for you and you will just have to sit it out. She said I pay the management company alot of money to sort problems like this out.

So I rang the Citizens Information and they said it is the landlords and management companies responsibility to supply running hot and cold water. They said you should ring the management company and tell them you are going to put in a compliant to the council which I will do tomorrow.

I feel like I am being completely walked over by the landlord and the management company. Every time I ring the landlord or management company I get excuses, lies and accused of bullying. My father has even rang the management company on my-behalf and the women threatened him with legal action and accused him of bullying too.

As you can tell i am very upset about this. I cannot flush my toilet, the smell is terrible, I cannot wash or cook.

Is there anything I can do at all? I feel like this could on own for weeks while the management company and landlords decide who's fault it is.

This is the same company that took 8 WEEKS to fix a lift and blamed the reason for it not being fixed on the residents.

I would to love name and shame the block and the people responsible but I will refrain from doing so until the time I find appropriate.

Your landlord is legally bound to provide you with both hot and cold running water. If not then the place is considered to be substandard. The council does the inspections and landlords are ordered to make improvements, usually within one week. Talk to Threshold about who to contact in the council. Only this week a slumlord was jailed for renting out substandard properties. This is being taken far more seriously than it was a few years ago. If there are multiple tenants in the block, then let all take this separately to the council, the landlords would be forced to go back to MC who is turn would be force to take some kind of action.