Landlord is not fixing broken flush

maddy1026

Hi all,

I have been a good tenant who pay rents on time and keep the place extremely tidy (this was even remarked by the landlord's agents).

I have an issue now, my flush has been broken for the past two months. The agent sent a plumber to look at the issue and plumber mentioned that it would take two weeks to source a new part and fix the issue and this was two months ago. Every time I contact them to enquire why it hasn't been fixed, they say that the part is difficult to source. I live in an apartment block with at least 100 apartments of similar build. It is difficult to believe that sourcing this part is an issue for them as they are well established agents.

Could you help advice what action I can take in this regard. I am tired of phoning and emailing them and receiving the same standard response. Any suggestion is appreciated, thank you.

Samuel T. Cogley

Write to the agent giving them 14 days to resolve the issue or you'll be fixing it yourself and making a claim for reimbursement, through the RTB if necessary.

ibFoxer

I'd love to know what part is so difficult to source that it's taking 2 months.

the_pen_turner

tell them that if the part cannot be scourced then they will have to replace the unit.

i presume its a toilet we are talking about here. have you pic of the toilet and internals of cistern. you would make a new one fit fairly easily unless its a really odd ball set . in that case replace
give them 14 days notice that you will be getting some else to fix it ad that they will have to pay for it

maddy1026

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Write to the agent giving them 14 days to resolve the issue or you'll be fixing it yourself and making a claim for reimbursement, through the RTB if necessary.

Thanks, but is it legal to do this? Another friend had mentioned the same but he didnt know..

maddy1026

the_pen_turner wrote: »

tell them that if the part cannot be sourced then they will have to replace the unit.

i presume its a toilet we are talking about here. have you pic of the toilet and internals of cistern. you would make a new one fit fairly easily unless its a really odd ball set . in that case replace
give them 14 days notice that you will be getting some else to fix it ad that they will have to pay for it

Please see attached pics.. it's the pressure pads to the flush that's broken.. the agency sent a plumber who made a make shift temporary arrangement which helps to keep the flush going.. but that is an eye sore and can break any moment

the_pen_turner

thats fancy set up. . try the plumbing sevtion. they will know better than me

Sleeper12

the_pen_turner wrote:

thats fancy set up. . try the plumbing sevtion. they will know better than me

Funny I deleted a post after I saw the photos. I originally said that there are only two main parts in a cistern & both can be replaced rather than repair for under 100 euros unless it's a very fancy cistern. I deleted when I saw that it was ind a fancy cistern

The_Conductor

Ditto- I wasn't expecting a setup like that.........

10pennymixup

Not exactly "bog" standard is it?

Samuel T. Cogley

maddy1026 wrote: »

Thanks, but is it legal to do this? Another friend had mentioned the same but he didnt know..

12(1)(g) RTA 2004.


It will not apply if you can somehow flush the loo by reaching in to it though. It's not for purely cosmetic issues.

Edit: rather hilarious puns aside, neither is it that out of the ordinary it's just a wall hung toilet.

ibFoxer

maddy1026 wrote: »

Please see attached pics.. it's the pressure pads to the flush that's broken.. the agency sent a plumber who made a make shift temporary arrangement which helps to keep the flush going.. but that is an eye sore and can break any moment

Off the top my head, Sonas Bathrooms should have what's needed. You can go direct but i reckon if you can find a merchant that deals with them, and direct your agents towards them......

troyzer

How have you been taking a ****e?

dennyk

Sounds like nonsense, assuming you're talking about a normal toilet and not some crazy electronic Japanese gizmo or something. The internal siphon mechanism in the cistern is dead simple to replace entirely if need be, and a new one is not very expensive at all; they can easily be had for €10-€20 retail. If it is indeed a bog standard toilet, there's zero reason that it can't have been fixed long ago except that the agency is being absurdly cheap and insisting on replacing some impossible-to-source part rather than just swapping out the entire siphon.

I'd contact the plumber directly and ask if he can explain to you exactly what's broken and whether replacing the entire mechanism would be an option, and if there are any issues with your toilet that would make such a replacement difficult. If it is an option, then tell the agency that waiting any longer for some part is unacceptable and you want the siphon mechanism replaced immediately, or you'll be arranging to have it done yourself in 14 days and demanding reimbursement. (Incidentally, if you do replace it yourself, make sure the new one is a three-piece siphon; the most common failure on a siphon toilet is the diaphragm valve that starts the water moving tearing or falling apart, and with a three-part siphon you can simply remove the top of the mechanism to replace the diaphragm while it's still in the cistern, without having to take the cistern tank off the toilet, making it an easy five-minute fix...)

Edit: Ah, just saw your other post...yeah, unfortunately you've got one of those fancy in-the-wall setups. That could legitimately be a part supply problem, then, and unfortunately there's not really anything you can do; those are not simple to fix without the exact parts and would probably be quite difficult to simply replace. As they've got the thing functioning for you, there's no habitability issue either. Unfortunately you're likely going to have to wait for them to get the part. (And having a hundred units in your place doesn't really make a difference; the original developer still may have chosen the cheapest possible vendor of bathroom fixtures and equipment to supply them and ended up with some ****ty parts only made by some random Chinese manufacturer or something who's since gone out of business, and thus it may literally be impossible to source replacements now...)

Sleeper12

dennyk wrote:

Sounds like nonsense, assuming you're talking about a normal toilet and not some crazy electronic Japanese gizmo or something. The internal siphon mechanism in the cistern is dead simple to replace entirely if need be, and a new one is not very expensive at all; they can easily be had for €10-€20 retail. If it is indeed a bog standard toilet, there's zero reason that it can't have been fixed long ago except that the agency is being absurdly cheap and insisting on replacing some impossible-to-source part rather than just swapping out the entire siphon.

I thought this too but after seeing the photos I realised that it's a Consealed cistern. While not rare these aren't that common either. It seems to be the flushing mechanism outside of the cistern. There are several brands & I can see how it could be a part that needs to be imported in. During the boom builders imported in stuff from all over the world (China mostly). There might not be any agents in Europe let alone Ireland. Many taps, shower valves etc fitted in building estates during the boom can't be repaired as no one knows what country they were made in

maddy1026

the_pen_turner wrote: »

tell them that if the part cannot be scourced then they will have to replace the unit.

i presume its a toilet we are talking about here. have you pic of the toilet and internals of cistern. you would make a new one fit fairly easily unless its a really odd ball set . in that case replace
give them 14 days notice that you will be getting some else to fix it ad that they will have to pay for it

dennyk wrote: »

Sounds like nonsense, assuming you're talking about a normal toilet and not some crazy electronic Japanese gizmo or something. The internal siphon mechanism in the cistern is dead simple to replace entirely if need be, and a new one is not very expensive at all; they can easily be had for €10-€20 retail. If it is indeed a bog standard toilet, there's zero reason that it can't have been fixed long ago except that the agency is being absurdly cheap and insisting on replacing some impossible-to-source part rather than just swapping out the entire siphon.

I'd contact the plumber directly and ask if he can explain to you exactly what's broken and whether replacing the entire mechanism would be an option, and if there are any issues with your toilet that would make such a replacement difficult. If it is an option, then tell the agency that waiting any longer for some part is unacceptable and you want the siphon mechanism replaced immediately, or you'll be arranging to have it done yourself in 14 days and demanding reimbursement. (Incidentally, if you do replace it yourself, make sure the new one is a three-piece siphon; the most common failure on a siphon toilet is the diaphragm valve that starts the water moving tearing or falling apart, and with a three-part siphon you can simply remove the top of the mechanism to replace the diaphragm while it's still in the cistern, without having to take the cistern tank off the toilet, making it an easy five-minute fix...)

Edit: Ah, just saw your other post...yeah, unfortunately you've got one of those fancy in-the-wall setups. That could legitimately be a part supply problem, then, and unfortunately there's not really anything you can do; those are not simple to fix without the exact parts and would probably be quite difficult to simply replace. As they've got the thing functioning for you, there's no habitability issue either. Unfortunately you're likely going to have to wait for them to get the part. (And having a hundred units in your place doesn't really make a difference; the original developer still may have chosen the cheapest possible vendor of bathroom fixtures and equipment to supply them and ended up with some ****ty parts only made by some random Chinese manufacturer or something who's since gone out of business, and thus it may literally be impossible to source replacements now...)

hmm that does make sense..they said they needed the part shipped from Italy. but 2 months does seem to be a lot of time..

maddy1026

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I thought this too but after seeing the photos I realised that it's a Consealed cistern. While not rare these aren't that common either. It seems to be the flushing mechanism outside of the cistern. There are several brands & I can see how it could be a part that needs to be imported in. During the boom builders imported in stuff from all over the world (China mostly). There might not be any agents in Europe let alone Ireland. Many taps, shower valves etc fitted in building estates during the boom can't be repaired as no one knows what country they were made in

yes, they need to import it from Italy is what I have been told.. although find it hard to believe it takes 2 months.

Addle

Is this not something you'd just fix yourself as user and resident?

Masala

Jeez.... have you to sit alongside that mophead when u doing the business???? uuuuuugggggghhhhh!!

KevinCavan

Be glad to have a roof over your head and that he doesn’t up your rent. We don’t want another landlord leaving the rental market. They are leaving in their droves you’ll be told on boards. Buy a sturdy bucket and be a better tenant.

JTMan

I think can add a lot to this discussion ...

I recognise those flush panel photos! I recognise the bathroom image! I have experience of ordering flush panel parts from Italy! I bet I know where you live (well, it is 1 of 2 different apartment blocks)!

I documented some of my experience in this thread.

This is NOT the landlords fault. It does take ages to get those toilet parts from Italy. This is the fault of Bernie McNamara who used highly niche crap toilet parts.

@OP - Did the landlord go to Bathsystem.com and place an order for the White Flush Plate Oliver (placca 10)? Are Bathsystem.com holding their horses because they are looking for a larger order? If so, you might need to order in conjunction with a neighbours, that is what I had to do in the end. (BTW, I would be open to buying 1 spare part as part of a larger order)

Sleeper12

maddy1026 wrote: »

yes, they need to import it from Italy is what I have been told.. although find it hard to believe it takes 2 months.

I've read many threads in the plumbing forum about homeowners wanting to import bathroom furniture from outside Ireland. I always think they are mad.
I would never supply & fit something that doesn't have an Irish agent.

JTMan

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I've read many threads in the plumbing forum about homeowners wanting to import bathroom furniture from outside Ireland. I always think they are mad.
I would never supply & fit something that doesn't have an Irish agent.

They had an Irish agent. The Irish agent went belly up in the recession.

s7ryf3925pivug

Tradesmen are difficult to get right now especially for small jobs. They're in demand because of the HRI. It sounds like the plumber is the one jerking you about, not the landlord.

Still his responsibility, just saying I don't think he's taking the p!ss, which you might assume to be the case.

Sleeper12

1. JTMan wrote: »

   They had an Irish agent. The Irish agent went belly up in the recession.

I also only fit well established brands. If the brand was a good seller they would have gotten another Irish agent within weeks.. Typical boom time setup. Many homeowners getting stung because of this

maddy1026

JTMan wrote: »

I think can add a lot to this discussion ...

I recognise those flush panel photos! I recognise the bathroom image! I have experience of ordering flush panel parts from Italy! I bet I know where you live (well, it is 1 of 2 different apartment blocks)!

I documented some of my experience in this thread.

This is NOT the landlords fault. It does take ages to get those toilet parts from Italy. This is the fault of Bernie McNamara who used highly niche crap toilet parts.

@OP - Did the landlord go to Bathsystem.com and place an order for the White Flush Plate Oliver (placca 10)? Are Bathsystem.com holding their horses because they are looking for a larger order? If so, you might need to order in conjunction with a neighbours, that is what I had to do in the end. (BTW, I would be open to buying 1 spare part as part of a larger order)

ha I see it there in your thread.. I dont know where the landlord (in this case it is an agent) has gone for the parts.. they wont reveal these details.. I'll ask them if they are interested in combining our orders.. I'll let you know if they are open to thi.

maddy1026

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I also only fit well established brands. If the brand was a good seller they would have gotten another Irish agent within weeks.. Typical boom time setup. Many homeowners getting stung because of this

totally agreee. they should just source irish brands ..helps local business and we wont be in this mess today!

KevinCavan

KevinCavan wrote: »

Be glad to have a roof over your head and that he doesn’t up your rent. We don’t want another landlord leaving the rental market. They are leaving in their droves you’ll be told on boards. Buy a sturdy bucket and be a better tenant.

That was tongue in cheek obviously, I’m a tenant myself and just mimicking the general tones on discussions of the property crisis in Ireland.

maddy1026

Update : Landlord finally fixed the flush. They found the last remaining part according to them in Ireland.thank you all for the suggestions, advise. cheers !i