Water is coming through my ceiling from the flat above — who pays?

If the leak comes from pipework or fittings inside that flat, responsibility usually sits with that leaseholder, and damage is often dealt with through the block buildings insurance. If it comes from a communal stack or riser it is normally the freeholder or managing agent.

Can I get the leak fixed myself and recharge it?

If the source is inside another flat or in communal pipework, get the agent or freeholder involved first. Paying for work on someone else's pipework without agreement makes recovery harder.

Do you provide a written report for insurers?

Our invoice itemises the work carried out and the parts used. Tell us on the call that it is for an insurance or managing agent claim so we record the detail you will need.

A leak between flats: who is responsible for what?

Responsibility normally follows the lease. Pipework serving only your flat is usually the leaseholder's, while communal risers, stacks and shared services are usually the freeholder's or managing agent's. Whoever owns the pipe, the immediate priority is isolating the water and recording the damage — arguing about liability while water is still running costs everyone more.

Key facts

Inside your demise: Usually the leaseholder
Communal pipework and stacks: Usually the freeholder or managing agent
Damage to a neighbour: Usually settled through insurance, not directly
First step: Isolate the supply and switch off affected electrics

First ten minutes

1Isolate the waterFind your stop valve — often in a communal riser or cupboard — and close it.
2Switch off electricsIsolate lighting or sockets in the affected room at the consumer unit.
3Tell the flat aboveIf water is coming down, they need to isolate their supply too.
4Notify the managing agentReport it in writing the same day; communal pipework is their responsibility.
5Photograph everythingSource, damage and dates — both insurers will ask.

What to do in the first ten minutes

The sequence below limits the damage and protects any later claim.

• Isolate the water — your stop valve, or the communal riser valve if the leak is above you.
• Switch off electrics in the affected rooms if water is near lighting or sockets.
• Tell the flat below and, if it is not yours, the flat above.
• Photograph the source and the damage before anything is moved or dried.
• Notify the managing agent or freeholder in writing the same day.

How responsibility is usually split

This is a general pattern rather than legal advice, and your lease is what actually decides it.

• Pipework and fittings inside a flat serving only that flat — normally the leaseholder.
• Soil stacks, risers and communal supply pipes — normally the freeholder or managing agent.
• Damage to a neighbour's flat — usually a matter for buildings insurance, and often for the block policy.
• Contents in a damaged flat — normally that occupier's own contents insurance.

Getting a leak traced properly

In a block, the visible damage is often several metres from the actual source. Tracing takes time, and we tell you what it involves before the clock passes the included first hour. Our invoice itemises what was found and what was done, which is what an insurer or managing agent will ask for.

Need this doing rather than reading?

We cover the GU, KT, SW, CR, RH and BN postcode areas, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays.

Leak Detection & Burst Pipe Repair Landlord & Commercial Plumbing