Plumbing problem in apt rental!-what are my rights?

[Jen27]

Hey yall,
I hope you had fun at the meetup- my husband had a work thing that came up at the last minute so we couldn't make it. I have a question about our apartment rental.

We have had several things just not work- the remote control, the coffee maker, floor boards loose if you step on the the wrong way, no washcloths, etc., but I contacted them last week and apparantly they are working on all of those things, and honestly, they aren't that big of a deal but just annoying. The bldg is nice and it's a a great location in Palermo.

There is an even BIGGER problem though, and that is the toilet. It is not bolted to the ground and the pipe that connects it to the wall is rubber, and so if you move just to the left or right, water from the pipe comes out everywhere (clean water, but still). Also, when it comes up from the ground you can see the hole in the floor- it's just bizarre. They sent a plumber while we were out who I'm sure did nothing, since it looks the same. I think all he was mop up the water.

Is this grounds for demanding a new apartment? Since it works most of the time, I'm sure they will say it's ok, but about once a day we have to soak up water all around the bathroom and ruin our towels.

Anyway, In the states I would demand a new apartment and they'd probably get it for me and give me half off my rental price, but I am not about to assume things are the same here. I'm sure they're not, actually.

So, I wanted to get some advice- have you any issues with rentals before, and how did the company handle it? Is this a common issue?

Anyone have advice? I would LOVE to hear any thoughts you have, as I'm new here and don't know what's typical.

Sorry to go on and on being that I'm new to the forum, but we only have 3 weeks left here so i want to ensure this place is legit!

 

[DontMindMe]

They sent a plumber while we were out who I'm sure did nothing, since it looks the same. I think all he was mop up the water.

Yeah, that sounds about right. The teeny tiny bathroom in my last apartment had black mold all over the ceiling, which was falling down in pieces. The guy who came to fix it took seven (!) visits to do so. All he had to do was scrape, sand and paint. I think the first two visits were spent looking at the ceiling while he smoked a cigarette. We had to request that he please not smoke inside the house. Then, he started bringing his three kids with him on a job that should have taken about two or three hours, max. I got an e-mail while at work from the owner--"Hey, by the way, you're going to have three kids running around your apartment while you're gone! They're very well behaved!" Ugh.

This type of thing is common, so while you may be able to get it fixed, it might take forever. And it's not uncommon for new buildings to have shoddy construction. Others who have rented through agencies may be able to tell you more. I've never done that.

 

[davonz]

It sounds as if they never bolted the toilet to the floor..
I would be surprised if they gave you a new apartment.. I have rented 5 or 6 apartments here in the last 5 years, and all but the oldest had some problems like you have, its just the way it is here, and because the locals put up with it, its hard to get things fixed, or if they are fixed, never quickly.

 

[rihornos]

Hello
For how long have you been waited for the owners or the rental company to send you a plumber. I can`t believe what you say here, nowadays janitors in gneral have to know about plumbing a good idea would be to get a janitor who knows someone recommended ask for an estimate, i have a gas fitter and he charges 200 pesos per day, it doesn`t matter if the fixing doesn`t take the whole day but he is really good so I call him, try to find someone and he will fix everything in only one day as I see this isn`t so difficult he could also change the pipes that connect the toiler to the wall (it isn`t expensive) and at the same time have the bills to discount it later from what you pay, this is the only thing that appears to me as quick and easy to do.
Reina

 

[rihornos]

it would be good to send them a certified letter this is legal to make them to repair all but it don`t know at the end if it will take long.... but is effective
Reina

 

[Jen27]

It sounds as if they never bolted the toilet to the floor..
I would be surprised if they gave you a new apartment.. I have rented 5 or 6 apartments here in the last 5 years, and all but the oldest had some problems like you have, its just the way it is here, and because the locals put up with it, its hard to get things fixed, or if they are fixed, never quickly.

Ok thanks for the insight. I pretty much also sprays water EVERY time you flush it now! I am going to ask for a new apartment and tell them I'm packing tomorrow. We'll see how that goes... wonder if the ole, "let me speak to the manager" thing works here as well as it does at home.

If yall are saying the repair will take forever, I don't even want to waste my time with it since we are leaving in less than a month now.

I can handle ALL the other quirks- they aren't huge deals to be honest, but the toilet is a pretty basic thing to screw up. I don't want to be one of those Americans who expects everything to be like home and complain all the time, but a working toilet!? I assumed that it would be a given.

It's a shame b/c it's a nice apartment otherwise, and we've enjoyed cooking how bright it is in here.

THANKS for taking the time to respond! I will let yall know how it goes.

 

[Jen27]

Hello
For how long have you been waited for the owners or the rental company to send you a plumber. I can`t believe what you say here, nowadays janitors in gneral have to know about plumbing a good idea would be to get a janitor who knows someone recommended ask for an estimate, i have a gas fitter and he charges 200 pesos per day, it doesn`t matter if the fixing doesn`t take the whole day but he is really good so I call him, try to find someone and he will fix everything in only one day as I see this isn`t so difficult he could also change the pipes that connect the toiler to the wall (it isn`t expensive) and at the same time have the bills to discount it later from what you pay, this is the only thing that appears to me as quick and easy to do.
Reina

Thank you for the advice! They did send a plumber same day, but we were out to dinner and when I came back everything was the same.

I rented the apartment with the HUGE rental company in town, so I think they have their own plumber, otherwise I would call the one you use. I will see what they say....

 

[rihornos]

Hi Jen
Try to be home when the plumber comes to make sure he fixes everything that need to be fixed but don`t let days go by if not the rental company will think that in the end it isn`t so serious and won`t give much importance and try to check everything before the plumber goes out of the flat, to see if he really has fixed all properly.
cheers
Reina
by the way Iam a local

 

[davonz]

I can handle ALL the other quirks- they aren't huge deals to be honest, but the toilet is a pretty basic thing to screw up. I don't want to be one of those Americans who expects everything to be like home and complain all the time, but a working toilet!? I assumed that it would be a given.

I have to agree with you there... i can pretty much put up with anything, but i like the toilet to work and the shower to be hot !!!

I dont know if this is the case, but maybe because you only have a month left, you might not be on their urgent list.