External waste pipe in tenament flat

[crobar]

Hello,

I live in a fourth floor tenament flat (in Scotland). The external waste pipe from my flat has started (or possibly has always been) leaking, and now every time I flush my toilet a load of water escapes outside.

[code:1]
from my wall
o
\ This pipe leaks
\
o
|
| This is the main pipe for all the flats
|
[/code:1]

My question is, what is the most cost-effective way to get this fixed, and who would be the right person to get to do it? Does a plumber need to do it, or would, say, a steeplejack with general building repair skills be the right person to go for? Or is there another option? I'm guessing getting scaffolding in would cost a fortune.
Cheers

 

[HERTS P&D]

Have you tried to contact your managing agent, this could be down to your buildings insurance.

Andy

 

[OwainDIYer]

An alternative to scaff might be to get a plumber with rope access qualification (IRATA) eg
http://www.spider-tech.co.uk/

 

[SimonH2]

Have you tried to contact your managing agent ...

It depends on the terms he has the flat under.

If it's "just rented" then most likely it's the landlord's responsibility. If it's leasehold, then it's probably better getting it fixed himself. In the latter case, it may be something the freeholder is responsible for, but all that will happen is the freeholder will get someone in (without giving too much consideration to whether they are the best and/or best value) - and then add a markup before passing on the bill.

 

[crobar]

Thanks for the replies,

I own the flat, freehold, and there is no managing agent (there's a special situation where I live in Edinburgh which means this is common, but the council can step in and demand repairs, or do it themselves, ripping everyone off in the process).

I think rope access may be the way to go, I've noticed someone elses is also leaking, so maybe we could share the cost. I wil also check if my building insurance covers this, that was a good point!