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hello every one first time posting here but i want to make sure i go about all of this right. yesterday after getting home from work about 630pm i was met at home by the city water truck saying there was a major leak and he had to shut off the water and you could clearly see the street was flooded and driveways down the street full of water. after calling the landlord and filling her in i repaired the pipe that was broken by the lawn company she has come twice a month, they come about 930-1030am and apparently hit it with there weed eater breaking the pipe then attempted to glue it together with silicone with the water still on and then left without contacting anyone when that didnt work. so the water was pouring out of the main line to the house from about 10am until my neighbor got home at about 430pm.
so i know the water bill is going to be outrageous and im going to contact the water company to see what that can do to lower it but wont the lanlord be responsible for the bill (or her going after the lawn company) so im not stuck paying a few hundred dollar water bill?
Did the LL agree to your fixing the broken pipe when you called to advise the problem? Your LL is the person you should be talking to before contacting the water company and whatever's agreed upon should be confirmed in writing. If you were asked to fix the pipe and it was the LL's contracted help who broke it then it seems logical that this is a LL repair cost and then your LL will likely take it up with the lawn company. Call her.
When we had a pipe burst in the wall in our house, the landlord paid the extra, we just showed them the bill of what the previous months were for averages.
ya there was a plumber scheduled to come out sunday until i told her i can fix the pvc pipe with no problem and she was fine with saving the money and i didnt have to wait for 3 days with no water and 2 kids lol. i just want to make sure that it will be her responsibility aand not overstep my boundaries
well today i was finally able to get ahold of her and she came by to see the pipe and gave me a $30 dollar gift card for fixing the pipe. after i showed her what happened and how i fixed it and talking about how the lawn company is avoiding her in every way i get on the subject about the water bill and how its going to be outrageous after how much water leaked her exact words were well i cant offer to pay it since i didnt do it but heres the company name and number.....i then said theres no way im going to pay it.......so what do i do now? do i deduct it from the rent or do i have to actually contact her lawn ppl or what. im a little ticked off and freaked out about it all now cant afford to move right now or pay what that bills going to be
First lesson learned. When a water main or any major supply line is in need of repair - call a plumber. Shut the water off until they get there. You would never have to wait 3 days for a repair - plumbing companies have 24 hour emergency service, find one that offers such a service. That bill, should be your LL's to pay as it was her lawn company that caused the problem. But, you can't turn back the clock unfortunately.
Whose name is on the water account? That is who is ultimately responsible. Contact the water dept. and explain what happened. Our water dept will require you to first pay the bill, prove that the repair was done (invoice from plumber), then after 2 or 3 normal readings will issue a credit back to you for that large bill. Find out what their policy is.
Now as far as the lawn care people, that's where I would get a little more pushy if I were you. It was clearly their fault, they do bear some responsibility. You can send the LL a certified letter demanding some recompense for the water bill when you get it.
Now, welcome to the real world. I do not agree with your LL not helping you out (I would certainly advocate for a tenant in this case) but if you signed a lease stating the water is yours to pay, there's not much you can do about that.
the water is in my wifes name and we are going to call the water company tomorrow and see what all they say. i just offered so that the water would be back on much faster and save her the money since i had all the supplies left over from previous projects. as for the lawn ppl i was wondering do i start getting more pushy with her or actually go to there company myself ?
unfortunately were just in a month to month agreement with no real lease anymore so dont really know where that stands and ive never really had luck finding renters insurance here in florida that covered much
It's unlikely the water company will reduce your bill. It is NOT your responsibility to go after the lawn company. Your LL contracted with them and you have no legal standing to demand anything from them. For the time being and until this gets sorted out I suggest you don't use the $30 gift card.
The break of the water line and the responsibility for paying the excess water bill is entirely on the lawn company but it's the responsibility of your LL to deal with them. I agree with KonaKat that you send your LL a return receipt certified letter documenting the chain of events briefly, factually and in a business-like unemotional fashion and advising her that when you receive a water bill reflecting the additional charges caused by the lawn company's actions you will send it to her for her reimbursement to you and then she can deal in turn with the lawn company.
You're responsible for paying the water bill since it's in your name but it's up to your LL to reimburse you immediately and then collect in turn from the lawn company whose insurance will cover the claim. It makes no difference that you're a month to month tenant and don't have a term lease.
the water is in my wifes name and we are going to call the water company tomorrow and see what all they say. i just offered so that the water would be back on much faster and save her the money since i had all the supplies left over from previous projects. as for the lawn ppl i was wondering do i start getting more pushy with her or actually go to there company myself ?
unfortunately were just in a month to month agreement with no real lease anymore so dont really know where that stands and ive never really had luck finding renters insurance here in florida that covered much
You are most definitely in a lease. Just because it's on a month to month term, doesn't negate the terms of the written lease that you signed.
Some friendly advice, write the letter and ask someone to review it for you for spelling and grammar. Make every effort to come across professionally without threats or emotion.
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