If anyone's got a moment I'd appreciate comments/advice on the following situation. I'll try to be brief and succinct but there's lots of info so thanks for your patience!
We had kitchen fitters in removing our old kitchen last week. We left happily in the morning to go to work, leaving the fitters fiddling around with the water system. Our boiler is in the loft so they were up and down the loft ladder etc. When we left the house all was well but we received a phone call a couple of hours later saying water was pouring through our lounge ceiling.
I called our insurers who sent an emergency team and they found no leak. The water had stopped but a substantial amount had made its way through the lounge ceiling, splitting the plaster in the lounge ceiling, ruining my bedroom carpet, and wetting the lounge carpet.
The fitters alleged they had no idea whatsoever where the leak was but had actually taken it upon themselves to pull up the carpet in my daughter's bedroom which has not long been laid??
I decided to get a second opinion and paid for another plumber to come out who again said there was no leak evident that would have caused so much damage. The smell of the water was absolutely dreadful.
Nothing more has been said and we have left the fitters to carry on with their work. However, I have reflected on how the damage could possibly have occured, it appears to be a mystery.
When we left the house to go to work on that day both the water and electricity were turned off. I contend the fitters turned the water back on and made their way into my bedroom and turned the tap on in the handbasin. (they had been turning various taps on and off all morning and my bedroom door is at the foot of the loft ladder).
Unbeknown to them the basin is drained via our saniflo system which of course would not have been working as the power was off. The water must have backed up and overflowed onto my bedroom floor and through the lounge ceiling, bringing any stagnant water with it from the saniflo.
The extent of the wet in my bedroom was such that my duvet was barely touching the carpet and it ended up wet due to it "hoovering" up the moisture from the floor. We have had floorboards up and everything and do not have any leaks. Moreover we have been unable to recreate the leak since.
We plan to let them finish their work and then speak to them about the incident as I am sure they have put it behind them and think they are going to walk away. I understand they are obliged to show us their liability insurance which we will pass to our insurers. Am I able to withhold any money until this is sorted? Is it best to pay them and then let the insurance fight it out? Is the onus on the fitters to prove I have a leak or is it on me to prove the caused the damage?
They must have known what they had done as there was a strange towel down the side of the handbasin which was absolutely sodden. Why did they pull my daughter's carpet up if they weren't the cause of it?? We were not in the house at the time, have been told by two professionals that no leak exists and our home has suffered considerable damage. Potentially we have to pay £300 excess as the incident straddles both our house and contents insurance. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Many thanks.
We had kitchen fitters in removing our old kitchen last week. We left happily in the morning to go to work, leaving the fitters fiddling around with the water system. Our boiler is in the loft so they were up and down the loft ladder etc. When we left the house all was well but we received a phone call a couple of hours later saying water was pouring through our lounge ceiling.
I called our insurers who sent an emergency team and they found no leak. The water had stopped but a substantial amount had made its way through the lounge ceiling, splitting the plaster in the lounge ceiling, ruining my bedroom carpet, and wetting the lounge carpet.
The fitters alleged they had no idea whatsoever where the leak was but had actually taken it upon themselves to pull up the carpet in my daughter's bedroom which has not long been laid??
I decided to get a second opinion and paid for another plumber to come out who again said there was no leak evident that would have caused so much damage. The smell of the water was absolutely dreadful.
Nothing more has been said and we have left the fitters to carry on with their work. However, I have reflected on how the damage could possibly have occured, it appears to be a mystery.
When we left the house to go to work on that day both the water and electricity were turned off. I contend the fitters turned the water back on and made their way into my bedroom and turned the tap on in the handbasin. (they had been turning various taps on and off all morning and my bedroom door is at the foot of the loft ladder).
Unbeknown to them the basin is drained via our saniflo system which of course would not have been working as the power was off. The water must have backed up and overflowed onto my bedroom floor and through the lounge ceiling, bringing any stagnant water with it from the saniflo.
The extent of the wet in my bedroom was such that my duvet was barely touching the carpet and it ended up wet due to it "hoovering" up the moisture from the floor. We have had floorboards up and everything and do not have any leaks. Moreover we have been unable to recreate the leak since.
We plan to let them finish their work and then speak to them about the incident as I am sure they have put it behind them and think they are going to walk away. I understand they are obliged to show us their liability insurance which we will pass to our insurers. Am I able to withhold any money until this is sorted? Is it best to pay them and then let the insurance fight it out? Is the onus on the fitters to prove I have a leak or is it on me to prove the caused the damage?
They must have known what they had done as there was a strange towel down the side of the handbasin which was absolutely sodden. Why did they pull my daughter's carpet up if they weren't the cause of it?? We were not in the house at the time, have been told by two professionals that no leak exists and our home has suffered considerable damage. Potentially we have to pay £300 excess as the incident straddles both our house and contents insurance. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Many thanks.
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