questions & answers

Question: We are on a multi- family well. There are 3 families ... one individual has a pipe leaking. This has been going on for over a week now...we come home from work he has turned off the water... Now the leak is so bad all the water is on his property and none in well reservoir.. My husband and I had to miss work today because there is no water to clean up in... we need this man to fix his pipe... this is unhealthy for the rest of us... now it is costing me money... loss if work and I have to call a plumber because there is air in the lines.. so who do I contact to make this man repair this pipe.

Answer:

In a situation like this where a pipe is leaking and owned by multiple people the people involved would need to contact the other party who owns the pipe (whether that is a neighbor or the neighbors landlord.)  Either way, in order to protect yourself and to preserve your legal options, you may wish to take video and/or photos of the problems that the leak has caused and to document everything – including any requests you make of this person and/or his/your landlord – in writing.

In cases where requesting the appropriate party doesn't work the next step would be requesting an injunction from the court asking the responsible party to fix the problem. Injunctions can be difficult, you may want to speak with an attorney.There are links to organizations offering free or low-cost legal services on this website.