We have a flat in Edinburgh where an overflow leaked water down the exterior of the building causing some damage to the plaster in the flat below.

It is let through a property agent. They contacted us to start the process of its repair. We were keen to simply pay for the repair rather than increase our premiums.

They came I initially with an astronomic estimate of £1800, then claimed a lintel may need replacing too. They demanded cash up front before starting.

We replied saying we’d not entertain a single estimate and gave details of plasterers we had had recommended to us.
Nor would we pay cash for any work up front.

They’ve claimed that they have been unable to organize quotes from them but supplied a second quote £800 higher than the first.

The are requiring plastering is no more than two sheets of 8×4 plasterboard. The plasterers we had quotes from said it would cost around £40 per square metre to replace and reskim. That sounded much more realistic.

I am minded to bypass the agent and attempt to contact the property owner directly.

Would this be the best course of action?

Can you write to the tenants and ask if they would mind allowing your preferred company to quote for the work?

Is this your property or are you the tennant?

If you are the tennant contact the owner direct. The letting agency work for the landlord and any costs will more than likely be passed to them. (landlord)
If it is your porperty and tha agency have quoted that, tell them to do one.

From what I can tell, McMoonter owns the upstairs property. This has had a water leak which has damaged the plaster in the property downstairs.

The property downstairs is managed by a letting agent who are taking the piss with the price of the repair.

Sobriety has it.

We have the property above. We caused the leak which caused the damage to the flat below. That flat is let through a property agent.

Where could we find contact details for the owner rather than asking the agent?

Ask the current tenant?

Mmm, my sister flooded a downstairs neighbour a while ago causing a massive amount of damage to the neighbour’s flat. She contacted her own insurance to try and sort out a repair and they insisted that it was up to the flooded flat to sort themselves out. Even though she was accepting liability for the flood and the damage caused.

She gave the neighbour money as a good will gesture but never paid a penny for repair on her insurance.

Maybe give your landlord insurance company a bell – certainly don’t pay anything until you know where you stand. Sounds a bit cheeky of the agency I’d say…

Stick a letter in the letterbox and/or write to them. Or if you want i can drop it in the postbox for you seeing as I am in Edinburgh.

Tell the letting agent to go through their flats buildings insurance.
Chances are that with the damage being minimal the insurers won’t bother pursuing you!

I’ll give the guys in our flat a call this evening and have them nip downstairs and see if we can’t get directly to their landlord.

Thanks so far.

they should have the landlords details on the tenancy agreement.

It’s difficult – for the landlord there’s really no mileage (other than doing you a favour) in bypassing the agent and, from their perspective, if they let your workers in and they break things they’ve got a major headache – so they’ll probably refer you back to the agent for their own security/peace of mind.

or the landlord there’s really no mileage (other than doing you a favour) in bypassing the agent

I disagree, you probably find the LL is being done over by the agent too. Most LL’s hate their agents after the first month but have to stick with a neccesary evil. It sounds like the agent are on the make here as they often “manage” the repairs and take a huge fee.

and if the agent arranges it then it will probably be a substandard job.

You would probably get a much better job done and a lower price sorting it between you

So water has leaked outside and ran down an outside wall, managed to get inside the property downstairs?
Like rain blowing in the right direction? Sounds like the property may not have been adequately sealed/pointed to protect it from the elements?

That is a good point. We had a flat with a leaking overflow in the building where I rent a flat out. The owners were repeatedly told and told to get it fixed. Eventually it caused damage due to getting in but now it’s the responsibility of the management to sort out and we all have to pay.

Which is a good point – do you have a management company? they should be the ones sorting out any external stuff and stuff resulting from external problems.

The flat downstairs should claim for this on their own insurance, any payment you make is goodwill only. The letting agents may well operate a maintenance company in another name and they know if they go through their own insurers that the work could go elsewhere.

How can it need a new lintel? What’s it made of paper mashe?
If it’s an old property, internally it’s prob wood or nothing at all, held up by the window/plaster.
If it’s new it should be concrete or steel.

It’s a double upper flat at the top right of this block.

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/images/buildings/sc/028/028798-9688-800.jpg

There is a management group for the whole block. The rear of the building was restored about twenty five years ago so the pointing should be pretty good.

I have no idea how long the overflow leaked for. It bypassed our flat then hit the wall of the flat below. When I first saw the leak it was minuscule. A drip every thirty seconds or so, but I think it could have leaked for years. How the water found its way in is anyone’s guess. Having said that, there is a cast iron pipe the water could have traced its way down.

The external lintel is stone, there may be an interior wooden lintel, but I’d imagine it would be equally robust.

I think the agent is trying it on.

I’ve contacted our tenants, they are going to get some contact details (for the landlord) from the tenants in the flat below.

We will talk it through directly with the owner. The agent isn’t even allowing our plasterers in to quote.

In my experience house insurance isn’t the same as car insurance where you get massively loaded for making a claim. Just let the insurers sort it out

I’d tell the agent to do one and to go through their insurance, Thier insurance will contact you if they need to.

freehold or leasehold flats?

Our flat got flooded by a leaky washing machine from the flat above while the flat was unoccupied for a week. £8k damage that was sorted through buildings insurance policy of the block. That insurance was paid for through the monthly service charge payments.

Agree with the other comments to let insurers sort it out. If you don’t have an insurer to use then I would insist on choosing the contractor. You get a quote or two and the flat below gets a quote or two – go with the lowest.

Agents are all on the fiddle and appointing ‘trusted’ contractors does them very nicely.

The flats are all freehold.

It’s pretty obvious the agent is on the make. The guys we recommended have been in business for twenty years. Really good tradesmen. When we told them the initial quote they just laughed and rolled their eyes. It sounds like a common agent tactic.

Update – we managed to get a contact for the landlord, bypassing the agent. He wasn’t best pleased. He is instructing the agent to appoint our contractor to do the job as soon as they can fit us in. Result!

Excellent, I regard letting agents in a similar vein to estate agents and recruitment agents. i.e. pretty low.

Which agent was it ?

Edinburgh you say…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statutory_Repairs,_Edinburgh

Which agent was it ?

Rydens – Belvoir.

Got an email from them today to say that our first quote ‘from someone recommended on here’ was around £300. That’s a quarter of what their contractor came in at for the plastering.

When we contacted the landlord we pointed out that their agent was demanding cash upfront for the repair, we said that we would never enter into any dialogue with an agent who operated on those terms.

I used to live round the corner from there – Gayfield Square – across from the Polis Station – not that this is of help to you of course.

Agents are clearly taking the proverbial – owner should see sense and let you fix it with your own tradesmen.

I’ve been renting for 14 years. When I’ve rented direct from the Landlord, repairs etc have been sorted ok. When I’ve rented through an agent there’s been dishonesty and lies all the way through.
Assume as a starting point that everything they tell you is a lie and you’ll not go far wrong!
Good that you’ve been able to expose them this time…