When they occur, water leaks can cause significant damage. As for leaks visible to the naked eye, such as the sink siphon, the leaking shower head or a leaking toilet hose, they can be repaired at no cost. Most often you can repair a leak on a trap by simply tightening the coupling nuts, just hand tighten and if necessary give the nut about a quarter turn with slip joint pliers. And voila !
But in the case of a built-in leak, buried in the floor from home, the problem turns out to be more complicated to solve. Beyond the urgency of the essential intervention of a plumbing professional to fix the leak, the question arises of covering the costs of such an intervention. Who will pay for repairing an embedded pipe?
In the case of a co-ownership: who will pay for the repair of a built-in leak?
Generally speaking, the pipes for common elements such as heating, drinking water and wastewater are common areas even if they cross private lots. In the case of a co-ownership, the costs of repairing a built-in leak of this type therefore fall to the trustee. On the other hand, the repair costs will be paid by the owner of the apartment if they are considered private areas.
However, it is important in this context to point out that it is recommended to check the internal regulations of the co-ownership concerning the costs generated by repairs of embedded pipes.
Even if the law of article 3 of law 65-557 of July 10, 1965 establishing the status of co-ownership of buildings stipulates that embedded pipes are considered common areas, the same article gives the internal co-ownership regulations the possibility to set this type of responsibilities and therefore you may find yourself in a situation where you will be asked to pay costs for this type of built-in leaks. Read the internal regulations of the co-ownership carefully before contacting a emergency plumber Paris 14.
Built-in water leak: repairs are the responsibility of the owner
Are you a tenant and you have a water leak problem in the building’s built-in pipes? Repair costs are automatically the responsibility of the owner for all work carried out in the common areas of the building.
However, excess water consumption linked to the built-in leak is the responsibility of the tenant. Even if you will not pay the costs of the work carried out by the plumber to repair the leak water leak, you will have to cover the water bills due to this leak. You can still request relief from your water supplier in certain situations.
How does the law define a built-in water leak?
A water leak is said to be embedded when it is invisible and is buried in the floor, in a ceiling, in a wall, etc. Water leaks can cause very significant damage to the structure of the building itself and are not easy to detect. One of the most common clues to identify a water leak is unexplained overconsumption of water in the water bill.
You can also check your water meter regularly to see if an abnormal spike in water consumption has been recorded. If the water leak has not been identified in time, the owner or tenant will notice infiltration on their wall or ceiling. In this case, it is often synonymous with major plumbing, ceiling and painting work, because the flow has had time to damage the home.