Associate
- Joined
- 5 Mar 2015
- Posts
- 47
Hi all!
I suppose this is more of a rant than any thing. Though advice and input would be great
About a year ago i moved into a new flat. Small basement property, under about 10 other flats. It was cheap so we thought **** it.
Within the first month of living here, it stank. Stank like sewage non stop. Complained, though nothing happened. A few weeks go bye, and me and Mrs are feeling ill. Lung infections, throwing up, sinus infections and so on. Then one evening, we woke up to find our bathroom floor and living room carpet were soaked.
Confused, we pulled up the carpet to find a manhole cover. At the time we were sleeping above this manhole cover without knowing it was there. The bathroom had the same manhole cover.
Turns out we have two manhole covers that were not sealed. Screwed down though that doesnt stop sewage leaking.
We were put in a hotel, and i was taken to hospital due to my lung infection.
My land lord (estate agents), sent in plumbers/specialists to investigate. They found right outside my back door, the drain (soil stack that takes the buildings sewage) had gotten blocked. Though they claimed countless times, that it would be impossible for sewage to end up in the drains in our house (there are special things to prevent sewage coming in).
We were ill, and we disputed that explanation. Of course it was sewage. They explained the man hole cover in the living room, only took water from the kitchen sink and washing machine, then that runs into the bathroom and out of the property.
Then i questioned the man holes them selves. Why were they not properly sealed? I had a crap response (they didnt know they were there). An engineer covered the man hole covers and put glue (mastic) around them, to prevent gas or water coming through again.
Though this didnt seem right. After reading online, it states they have to be mechanically sealed if inside. Mastic was not good enough. Mastic though good at sealing, is not 100%. I also contacted the manufacturer's of the manhole covers, and gave them the product number of the man hole covers. They were shocked they were being used inside a property (specially a basement flat), as they are designed for outdoor use (like you see on the street).
So i contacted my local environmental health and building control. They came and looked, and were apparently satisfied with how they were sealed. (Even though i gave them evidence from the manufacturer's, sighted building regulations H1 to them, and paid for a independent specialist to also say they are not safe for use indoors). After that, they refused to talk to me, and only talked to my Landlord.
My land lord threatened me with a law suit. And gave me a awful ultimatum. Move out within the month, of stay, but by staying, i agree i am happy and safe. Unfortunately a month was far too little time, and with money and so on, we had no choice but to stay.
Fast forward to now, my neighbour (who also lived in an adjacent basement property) has just moved out. She has a child of 6 years old. And had been living in the property for 3 years. The past year her son kept getting ill. Hospitalised on occasion. She too had sewage smells, and complained to the land lord about dampness and so on. Well she left, and decorators have come in to fix the place up.
Guess what they found? A man hole, non sealed, in her living room. That takes her bathroom waste, which flows into MY living room next door.
It is worth noting my landlord told building control and environmental health that sewage does not flow into my living room. They also failed to mention to Building control about the manhole cover my neighbours flat.
Trying to communicate with the building control officer and my landlord, they are both blocking me from pursuing. Neither will investigate, and i have been threatened with legal action again. I have also been told i cannot speak of this to any one, nor can i contact independent specialists to investigate. WTF do i do?
Sorry for the length to any one that has read this. I can go on with more input/evidence and pictures. But i feel i have written far to much already.
Kind regards,
I suppose this is more of a rant than any thing. Though advice and input would be great
About a year ago i moved into a new flat. Small basement property, under about 10 other flats. It was cheap so we thought **** it.
Within the first month of living here, it stank. Stank like sewage non stop. Complained, though nothing happened. A few weeks go bye, and me and Mrs are feeling ill. Lung infections, throwing up, sinus infections and so on. Then one evening, we woke up to find our bathroom floor and living room carpet were soaked.
Confused, we pulled up the carpet to find a manhole cover. At the time we were sleeping above this manhole cover without knowing it was there. The bathroom had the same manhole cover.
Turns out we have two manhole covers that were not sealed. Screwed down though that doesnt stop sewage leaking.
We were put in a hotel, and i was taken to hospital due to my lung infection.
My land lord (estate agents), sent in plumbers/specialists to investigate. They found right outside my back door, the drain (soil stack that takes the buildings sewage) had gotten blocked. Though they claimed countless times, that it would be impossible for sewage to end up in the drains in our house (there are special things to prevent sewage coming in).
We were ill, and we disputed that explanation. Of course it was sewage. They explained the man hole cover in the living room, only took water from the kitchen sink and washing machine, then that runs into the bathroom and out of the property.
Then i questioned the man holes them selves. Why were they not properly sealed? I had a crap response (they didnt know they were there). An engineer covered the man hole covers and put glue (mastic) around them, to prevent gas or water coming through again.
Though this didnt seem right. After reading online, it states they have to be mechanically sealed if inside. Mastic was not good enough. Mastic though good at sealing, is not 100%. I also contacted the manufacturer's of the manhole covers, and gave them the product number of the man hole covers. They were shocked they were being used inside a property (specially a basement flat), as they are designed for outdoor use (like you see on the street).
So i contacted my local environmental health and building control. They came and looked, and were apparently satisfied with how they were sealed. (Even though i gave them evidence from the manufacturer's, sighted building regulations H1 to them, and paid for a independent specialist to also say they are not safe for use indoors). After that, they refused to talk to me, and only talked to my Landlord.
My land lord threatened me with a law suit. And gave me a awful ultimatum. Move out within the month, of stay, but by staying, i agree i am happy and safe. Unfortunately a month was far too little time, and with money and so on, we had no choice but to stay.
Fast forward to now, my neighbour (who also lived in an adjacent basement property) has just moved out. She has a child of 6 years old. And had been living in the property for 3 years. The past year her son kept getting ill. Hospitalised on occasion. She too had sewage smells, and complained to the land lord about dampness and so on. Well she left, and decorators have come in to fix the place up.
Guess what they found? A man hole, non sealed, in her living room. That takes her bathroom waste, which flows into MY living room next door.
It is worth noting my landlord told building control and environmental health that sewage does not flow into my living room. They also failed to mention to Building control about the manhole cover my neighbours flat.
Trying to communicate with the building control officer and my landlord, they are both blocking me from pursuing. Neither will investigate, and i have been threatened with legal action again. I have also been told i cannot speak of this to any one, nor can i contact independent specialists to investigate. WTF do i do?
Sorry for the length to any one that has read this. I can go on with more input/evidence and pictures. But i feel i have written far to much already.
Kind regards,
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