D55
wibbled on Tuesday 29 June 2010 19:11

Hi all.
broken drains.
The drain repair company began work yesterday and what they say is usually
a 2 or 3 day job to fix these problems is going to take maybe 5 days.
They've already dug a hole about 4ft square and 12 feet deep and need to
dig
plenty more. The updates they've given me, describe the pipework beyond
the back door of my yard
as very poor and loosely connected.
The law seems to say that the pipework up until it reaches the main sewer
is my responsibilty.

But it can't be fair for a home owner to be held responsible for pipework
that is 8 or 10 feet below ground level
beneath layers of concrete!

It's your drainage system - who else is going to pay for it?

It might be different if your house fell over due to a disused and unknown
mineshaft...

I have a 6" shared sewer under my garden serving 3 or 4 other houses - and I
have to fix my section for my neighbours' benefit. In a way that's worse as
if it goes wrong I can't just stick a tent over the next pit down or borrow
a camping bog and DIY it over a few days - I'd have to get contractors in
fast.


Has anyone had any experience of insurance claims is situations like this/

As you've said they are in the loop presumably they have agreed to repair it
subject to any excess?

I had a flat flooded by the pillock above - they paid for a new ceiling
minus excess, which I got out of said pillock on pain of bad things
happening.

A neighbour in a previous village had a new kitchen due to drains failing
under the floor (newbuild as well!) and subjecting everything to water
unnoticed for weeks until it got bad enough to appear in a visible place.

Anyway, if in doubt ring them and talk it through.


Good luck

Tim

--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.