Advice for small business

JoshuaBell · Aug 23, 2010

Hi,

I am writing this thread on behalf of my girlfriends parents who own a small sandwich shop. There is a rented flat located above the shop which is owned by the same private landlord whom they rent the shop floor space from.

The issue is that the tenants above have partly flooded the back of their shop for the fourth time in the past ten years, the recent one being last week. They had to close the shop for an hour to clean up the mess, also where the water comes through it drops onto the fuse board. In the past it has blown the fuse board but her dad is a former electrician so he managed to fix the problem.

I was wondering if there is any steps or legalities they can take against the tenants.

Any help provided will be appreciated,
Josh

P.s: My business may not be accurate in the above. Sorry for any mistakes

consultantUK · Aug 23, 2010

Why is it flooding?
Is it that the tenants are being stupid or the landlord not doing maintenance?

Hold whoever liable for the damages / costs even if its only £100. It will make then thing twice before doing it again.

JoshuaBell · Aug 23, 2010

It's flooding because the tenants above are up to something, there isn't anything wrong so the landlord had no need to be called they are just doing something. The thing is too is the man and women aare lates 60's early 70's and the husband that decided to do some home DIY came out of hospital 2 week ago from having a heart attack.

The damage is covered but its the hassel thats the problem. Even if it's anything legal to say the the landlord would be helpful to know the rights that we have.

Billmccallum · Aug 23, 2010

JoshuaBell said:
Hi,

I am writing this thread on behalf of my girlfriends parents who own a small sandwich shop. There is a rented flat located above the shop which is owned by the same private landlord whom they rent the shop floor space from.

The issue is that the tenants above have partly flooded the back of their shop for the fourth time in the past ten years, the recent one being last week. They had to close the shop for an hour to clean up the mess, also where the water comes through it drops onto the fuse board. In the past it has blown the fuse board but her dad is a former electrician so he managed to fix the problem.

I was wondering if there is any steps or legalities they can take against the tenants.

Any help provided will be appreciated,
Josh

P.s: My business may not be accurate in the above. Sorry for any mistakes

Depending on the terms of the lease, the tenant or landlord is liable for any damages (and possibly loss of trade). Simply put it to the landlord and see what they say.

If someone does the work (even if its your dad), invoice them at an hourly rate plus parts (my electrician charges £20 an hour) and make sure that you include the cost of repairs, replacements and cleaning.

jules12345 · Sep 3, 2010

JoshuaBell said:
It's flooding because the tenants above are up to something, there isn't anything wrong so the landlord had no need to be called they are just doing something. The thing is too is the man and women aare lates 60's early 70's and the husband that decided to do some home DIY came out of hospital 2 week ago from having a heart attack.

The damage is covered but its the hassel thats the problem. Even if it's anything legal to say the the landlord would be helpful to know the rights that we have.

are they bathing naked together ?

LawHound · Sep 3, 2010

It is likely the landlord will be carrying insurance for the problems and can claim against the policy, it is normal for all tenants to contribute to this. The sooner your parents talk to the landlord the better and it need not be confrontational, just to point out the problems being caused and the hassle. Most landlords will be concerned and get it sorted.

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