Who is responsible for utility bill caused by defective plumbling?

[maria_maria]

Hello,

I rent a 3/2 in Georgia. When we moved in one of the toilets immediately started having problems. Soon (within 2 months) It stopped working completely. We notified our landlord (verbally) that the toilet had ceased working. Nothing was done. 2 months later I recieved a water bill for the amount of $1300.00 for excessive water usage. This was from the broken toilet which had started to leak. I paid the bill but it was still another 2-3 months before a repairman came out to fix the toilet. In the meantime I had purchased the piece to repair the toilet and was not paid for it. I know the landlord must maintain adequate plumbing. If she did not is she then responsible for the bill that resulted from her negligence? If she wont pay the money is it possible to use repair and deduct to recoup the loss?

Thanks,
Maria

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

Your problem is that because you notified the landlord verbally you have no documentation that this was done. It is always far better to request that repair issues be done in writing so you have documentation of such. At this point the landlord can state that they were never notified of this and thus were unable to address the repair.

A toilet will typically leak when the flapper has worn out (the other method is if the bolts holding the tank to the seat or the bolts holding the entire toilet to the floor rust out but that would result in a significant flooding of the bathroom floor). A flapper typically runs under $5 to replace. You could, if you wish, deduct the cost of this from your rent but it seems like a fairly minor issue next to a $1300 water bill.

Gail