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Last spring - April or May, I think - Northern Virginia got some heavy rains, and my basement apartment flooded. I notified my landlord, who didn't do much of anything, stayed with my parents for a week, then came back and cleaned up. In a move I ow regret, I didn't press my landlord to do anything to clean up the water or prevent another flood. Now it's about 15 degrees outside and snowing like a motherfucker, and the water's coming up through the floor tiles, same as before. I can't tell whether it's something to do with the snow, a pipe that burst due to the cold, or something else, but I fully expect my place to be unlivable by tomorrow morning. So my question is this: is there any recourse I can take to get my landlord to do something about this? Does this constitute a failure to maintain the premises? Or do I need to suck it up and start looking for somewhere else to go once my lease is done? FAKE EDIT: Goddammit this should have been a Tell thread. 
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Feb 17, 2015 01:12
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Maleketh posted:Last spring - April or May, I think - Northern Virginia got some heavy rains, and my basement apartment flooded. I notified my landlord, who didn't do much of anything, stayed with my parents for a week, then came back and cleaned up. In a move I ow regret, I didn't press my landlord to do anything to clean up the water or prevent another flood. Assuming you have a proper lease, yes the landlord has to fix it. However, if you suspect he/she is going to drag their feet and/or hire a chump who will do a bad job, you might be better off getting them to let you out of the lease and just move. A basement that floods can be nigh on impossible to fix sometimes, depending on the specific local water table and drainage issues. There is a chance it will never be truly "fixed". Water damage and the mold that comes with it is hugely expensive to fix right even in you can be sure it will not flood again. I personally would not want take the chance in living in a basement that had flooded even once, as it is likely to do it again. This all being said, how the hell is there water rising out of the ground with this kind of weather? I am in MD and it is like 5-9f outside right now. Unfortunately I think you have zero chance of getting anyone out to look at it tomorrow.
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Feb 17, 2015 01:22
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bunnielab posted:This all being said, how the hell is there water rising out of the ground with this kind of weather? I am in MD and it is like 5-9f outside right now. I don't know. I thought maybe one of the pipes had burst due to the low temperature, but it seems to have mostly stopped. It coincided with me washing a load of clothes, so it could be related to that somehow. bunnielab posted:Unfortunately I think you have zero chance of getting anyone out to look at it tomorrow. Not a chance. I can't even get my landlord down here, since he's out of the country until March.
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Feb 17, 2015 01:34
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Maleketh posted:I don't know. I thought maybe one of the pipes had burst due to the low temperature, but it seems to have mostly stopped. It coincided with me washing a load of clothes, so it could be related to that somehow. I bet your drains have both small cracks and are currently frozen so the water is backing up into the soil, then into your foundation. If you are feeling frisky, run the washer empty with some food coloring in it and see what happens. In any event, that is no good. Take pictures, contact your landlord somehow, and start looking for another place above ground. Seriously, this area is pretty low lying ground to begin with and with the insanely fast and poorly regulated development that NOVA has seen in the last 20 or so years, there are all sorts of drainage issues and living below ground around here is really risky unless you know enough to figure that stuff out before you move in. If it makes you feel better, my kitchen sink drain is frozen up and isn't likely to thaw this week.
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Feb 17, 2015 01:47
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This is mega-late, but I think it needs to be said. It'll probably be expensive, considering the area, water table, age of the building, past history, etc, but it's well worth getting renters insurance. It's actually probably cheaper than you expect; my building was constructed in the late 40s or so, is brick, and has flooded before, and I got full replacement coverage on my property including electronics and computers, and it came out to about $55/mo for 4 months and then I'm golden. Ymmv, though, my building isn't in a flood plain, so. But it doesn't cost anything to get a quote. I strongly recommend it.
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Apr 11, 2015 06:12
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