The tenant who flooded a bathroom on move-in day

I was at a listing in Austin last month when the new tenant called saying water was pouring through the ceiling. Turns out the toilet supply line had a pinhole leak, and the tenant's dog knocked it loose. How do you handle emergency repairs when you're nowhere near the property?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_ross6d ago

Honestly I'm surprised nobody has brought up the dog in this situation. That's a living creature with its own agency that you can't predict or control. I've seen tenants blame everything from cats to birds for breaking stuff, but here the dog actually caused it by knocking the line loose. Maybe the real lesson is that supply lines should be tucked away behind something or secured better, especially in units where people have pets. Doesn't excuse the landlord from the emergency response though.

abbyhall5d ago

Wait, has anyone actually tried just zip-tying the supply line to the toilet leg or the wall? I had a similar thing happen with a cat who kept messing with a loose line, and after that fix it never happened again. Plus yeah, the emergency response thing is a whole separate mess they need to sort out.

angelamurphy5d ago

Totally agree with what you said about the supply line needing to be secured better. I actually read a property management blog that said most toilet line breaks happen because they aren't fastened to the wall or floor, so pets or even cleaning stuff can knock them loose. Even if you're miles away, you can probably walk the tenant through shutting off the water valve behind the toilet while you find a plumber or handyman nearby. Having a go-to list of emergency contacts for every area you manage is a lifesaver for stuff like this.