The apartments i live in are charging me for things i shouldnt be charged for who do i go to for help?

Question

About 2 weeks ago i was taking a shower and the water pressure got really low then the water pretty much slowly quit coming out. when i turned it on the pressure was already low but i didn't think much of it. well i thought my water was turned off so i called the office and they said they had a water emergency and they turned the whole complex off....WITHOUT warning they told me the water would be back on in about 2 to 4 hrs. so i left my apartment for about an hour and came back and almost the whole apartment was flooded. i must of not tuned the faucet off in the bathroom when the water quit working they turned the water on earlier than they expected i was not home. they gave us no warning before turning it off or before turning it back on and now they are billing me for the damages i dont think i should have to pay a $1500 bill. what should i do and who should i go to for help?

Answer 1

Go with what Debra G has told you. I am a landlord in Erie, PA.  

Answer 2

I'm sorry, I understand your frustration, but you are responsible for the damage because you simply Failed To Use Your Head.

In an emergency, there is not enough time to inform tenants about repairs. If there was enough time, it wouldn't be called an emergency. A landlord is not required to give you advance notice of an emergency ... mostly because this is impossible to do.

During repairs, particularly plumbing, a contractor or landlord really does not know what they are getting into when they first start looking at the problem. The 2- to 4-hour time frame was probably your landlord's best, good-faith time estimate based on the information he or she was getting from the contractor or plumber at that moment.

Imagine how the landlord felt when they solved the plumbing problem only to immediately face another problem -- your flooded apartment! Why should they have to pay for the damages caused by you Not Thinking? You "didn't think" to turn the water k**b to the off position.

The landlord did everything he/she was supposed to do in the situation. You did not.  

Answer 3

Ouch, that's a hard one.  Apartment complexes and landlords will try to milk every penny out of you that you have.  I would call a lawyer's office for consultation to see what they say.  It is partially your fault and it is partially their fault.  You could be able to win that one since they really should have let everyone know, especially if you pay for your water bill.

Answer 4

I can certainly understand your situation.  You are having a shower, the pressure goes down to nothing.  You get out of the tub wet and frustrated.  Maybe even with soap all over your body.  You towel off and forget to turn the faucet into the off position because your first thought is to get hold of the landlord and find out what is going on.

You are frustrated because you were not given notice that the water would be shut down.  If it was because of an emergency you cannot fault the landlord.  There would have been no time to tell the tenants.

You are told that it will be 2-4 hours before the water is back on.  Try and remember that this is an estimated time.  It could be longer.  It could be sooner.  Nevertheless, you decide to leave your apartment.   A judge hearing your story would ask you why you believe it is the landlord’s fault for the flood.  Your answer would be “Because they turned the water on earlier than they said they would.”  The judge would say, “So? ”.  And you would say, " Had I known the water might have come on sooner I would have been home sooner."  The judge would then ask, "So, you are saying it is the landlord's fault that you went out?  What if they had not given you any time frame?  Would you have stayed home?"  No, you wouldn't have because you had no idea that you had forgotten to turn the faucet off and there was no reason for you to come home sooner.   You have no defence.

My point is this.  Why would anyone have to be told the water was being turned back on?  That is illogical.  When the job is done the water is simply turned back on.   Think about it.  Now, had you stayed home and not gone out you would have avoided this unfortunate accident because you would have been home to hear the shower running as soon as the water came back on.  But it is not the landlord’s fault that you were out.   And that I think is the weakness of your case.

However, it may be worth pursuing negligence on the landlord’s part  and try to get them to share some of the blame.  

Since the water was unexpectedly shut off at a time when people were taking showers, baths or perhaps doing dishes a judge may feel that the landlord had a responsibility to remind all tenants to be sure all faucets were in the off position.  I don’t know but it would be worth a try.

I would discuss this with your landlord first.  If they’re unwilling then find out what government agency handles tenancy disputes in your State.  Where I live it is called The Dispute Resolution Process.  But this is in Canada.  It is a government agency set up to specifically handle landlord/tenant disputes.  In your State it may be a similar agency or you may have to file in small claims court and have a judge rule.  You will not need a lawyer.  You may also have a tenant’s union agency that you can contact or a tenant advocacy agency that provides helpful information.

You may end up having to pay up front to avoid being evicted and then try to recover what you have paid.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Its a bummer, but you did accidentally leave the water on, which caused the problem.  It was your mistake and therefore you will probably have to pay for it.  As to turning the water off, maybe there just wasn't any time to notify people - again annoying but in an emergency the owners may not have had a choice. I think this case is a loser and you will have to pay for this, sorry but it was your mistake that caused the damage.

Answer 6

We are property owners and had the same thing happen last year.  We had a huge water emergency.  A pipe broke from the extreme cold weather we get here in good old Erie Pennsylvania, and we had to turn all of the water off in the whole building immediately, then notify our tenants.  Our water was off from about 8:00 a.m. until about 6:00 p.m.  Surprisingly, our tenants were very understanding about it.  During an emergency, there is not time to notify everyone, you just have to turn it off immediately to avoid further damage. I hate to say this, but it is your fault for leaving the faucet on when you left, not the landlords.  You will probably end up having to pay for it.  If you want, you can try small claims court and explain your situation.  Take pictures of everything and try to remember everything about the day.  You know, the low water pressure, the water shut off, when you called the office and what they said and so on.  You never know until you try.