Faulty water meter installation in Kitchen

[Shawki]

Hi. Severn water installed a water meter in our kitchen a year ago. The meter is in the cabinet under the taps. For a year it was apparently dripping. We went on holiday and come back to discover the dripping had made matters worse. The water leaked into the cabinets and ruined them. The floor wood panelling had swollen up and the concrete had also absorbed a huge amount of water. As a remedial they have installed 3 industrial strength dehumidifiers and are asking me to keep them on all day for 2-3 months. They have stripped flooring and exposed the concrete in the kitchen and the living room area. It will take 3-4 months to do all this up now i am told. I have a 2 yr old and have huge reservations having those humidifiers running all day in the house. She has dry skin and last week her lips and face were drying up all the time. Plus, the floors are exposed concrete so she will fall and get hurt. What can i do. Should i move out and rent elsewhere and expect Severn Water to pay. Should i get legal help. Does anyone have any ideas. For what it worth. Severn has said they will pay for the repairs, but not in writing yet. Any advice is appreciated. Cant believe we have to spend xmas holiday in a hotel or rental.

 

[Koolpc]

Seek legal advice

 

[Bosswhite]

Check with your home insurance policy as to what provisions they make for leaking pipes

 

[ETAF]

Severn has said they will pay for the repairs, but not in writing yet. Any advice is appreciated. Cant believe we have to spend xmas holiday in a hotel or rental.

I'm not at all Legal - BUT I would get the full compensation they are prepared to pay , including any compensation for stress/alternative accommodation etc etc in writing from Seven , dont agree to anything - if not forth coming,
contact your home insurance - see what they have to say
Do you have the legal help on your home insurance - usually you pay a bit extra for that - OR it maybe include - should be on the policy , so you dont need to dig deep into the small print

make sure you take photos of all the damage and leaking pipes etc

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Are you the owner or is it rented?

 

[Shawki]

Hi. I own the house.

 

[Shawki]

Are you the owner or is it rented?

Own it

 

[Shawki]

I'm not at all Legal - BUT I would get the full compensation they are prepared to pay , including any compensation for stress/alternative accommodation etc etc in writing from Seven , dont agree to anything - if not forth coming,
contact your home insurance - see what they have to say
Do you have the legal help on your home insurance - usually you pay a bit extra for that - OR it maybe include - should be on the policy , so you dont need to dig deep into the small print

make sure you take photos of all the damage and leaking pipes etc

Maybe up to 5k coverage all told. Local rent in the area is over 1,200 per month plus utilities. Will using it policy make my property uninsurable later.

 

[ETAF]

Will using it policy make my property uninsurable later.

do you mean if you claim on your insurance , then it will make it uninsurable in future - I would not think so - this is not like flooding , which would happen regularly
But your premiums may well go up, and the claim is on you , so if you move , they will ask if you have claimed before - NOT the property, also how long you have been claim free
But as i say not legal or knowledgable about your insurance - only way is to ask

Maybe up to 5k coverage all told.

What does that mean - you are only insured for 5K - or you think the claim will be 5K - seems quite low with the increased cost of materials and the labour rate at the moment
Also do you know the full extent of the damage ..... ie , if something is pulled up , that may reveal more work needed

 

[Bouy]

Made what matters worse? As for the child keep the door to the kitchen closed and keep the child out the kitchen, its not rocket science, a bit like if you have an open fire you use a fire guard or if you have a garden pond you keep it covered and you keep your garden gate shut to stop her wandering off and use stair gates to stop her falling down stairs, its called child protection.

 

[transam]

Made what matters worse? As for the child keep the door to the kitchen closed and keep the child out the kitchen, its not rocket science, a bit like if you have an open fire you use a fire guard or if you have a garden pond you keep it covered and you keep your garden gate shut to stop her wandering off and use stair gates to stop her falling down stairs, its called child protection.

Exactly

 

[Shawki]

Made what matters worse? As for the child keep the door to the kitchen closed and keep the child out the kitchen, its not rocket science, a bit like if you have an open fire you use a fire guard or if you have a garden pond you keep it covered and you keep your garden gate shut to stop her wandering off and use stair gates to stop her falling down stairs, its called child protection.

Living room floor is also gone as the water has seeped into the concrete .. So the whole downstairs has to be off limits for her... Concrete floor does get cold as well. Plus its completely unrealistic to expect a child not to stay downstairs while we prepare meals....Thanks for your advice.. but not looking for hunger games comparisons

 

[Exedon]

As a business we had over 10 years sub contracting to a specialist insurance contractor.
Unless you kitchen is huge 3 full size dehumidifiers seems over kill .
I've see properties totally flooded by plumbing leaks in roof space (every ceiling down)
Generally one dehumidifier and a couple of fans in every room to keep air movement sorted it.
I would strongly advise you look at appointing a loss assessor (totally different from a loss adjuster) assessors work for you.
They will handle claim for you at no cost to yourselves plus advise best way forward.

 

[Bouy]

Living room floor is also gone as the water has seeped into the concrete .. So the whole downstairs has to be off limits for her... Concrete floor does get cold as well. Plus its completely unrealistic to expect a child not to stay downstairs while we prepare meals....Thanks for your advice.. but not looking for hunger games comparisons

Apologies, didnt read your post correctly, defo can't keep a downstairs off limits to a kid. Must have been a hell of a leak and a rubbish plumber