Tenants now claim shock after causing flood?

I always fit an RCD in flats to protect tenants from their own stupidity. Not sure that the Building Regulations require a tanked or sealed floor.

This is the reason why we landlords have been asked to update our electrics with new protection requirements for so called stupid tenants who think it is OK to spill water on a first floor bathroom and not start mopping it up immediately if they have so done, water can find its way into electrics, and can cause shock risk if an RCD is not fitted to power and lighting circuits, this is the reason it became a requirement from 1st April 2021 for all existing and also new tenancies to have an EICR report conducted, so get an electrician to add two RCDs one for lighting circuit and one for power circuits, and get an EICR report as you must now have that as a legal requirement similar to a Gas Safe Certificate.

Yes you need to get this done first before your dispute with your tenant ends up in a court, and try to settle up his claim if you can, discharging any further responsibility, but have your electrics sorted out as a matter of urgency, but do not discuss this with your Electrician, as he would want to rip you off twice since he finds out how vulnerable you are and in a compromised situation, just ask him if he can give you an EICR report. Plastic fuse boxes do not have to be changed to metal ones.

How dare you cause the tenant to flood the bathroom floor! What a terrible rogue landlord you are! /sarc

If it had been an escape of water, eg leak from plumbing you could have claimed in the property insurance, but as it is the tenant who has flooded the bathroom, you have to hold them liable. Tell them it's a bathroom and not a swimming pool!

We had a tenant at my late father 's house and the tenant claimed that every time a particular child touched the cold water tap, they got an electric shock and even reported it to the council. We had it checked out by an electrician, in case there was a short circuit in the wiring and it was earthed to the pipe connected to the tap. There was no such issue. The tap was not connected to Earth or any wiring and had zero current. There's no telling to what rogue tenants will dream up.

In your case you need to get the wiring checked out and secured with an RCD.

Reply to the comment left by Smartermind at 24/05/2021 - 11:19
Actually it's quite a good idea to equipotentially bond taps and pipework with an earth wire.

I had a tenant use a 1st floor bathroom as a wet room. They did this for months despite me, the tenant downstairs and my plumber telling them to stop. In the end the ceiling downstairs had to be replaced.

I had an idiot Tenant just the same. They had removed the Shower Curtain and were still using the Shower.
I find it difficult to believe your Tenant got a shock, assuming you have RCD protection.
I would tell them to try Suing you and warn them you will counter claim if they are proved to be liars.
Idiots usually make stupid statements, but do not want the grief of the Courts.

Time these tenants were moving on I think.

I had the most stupid and liberty taking tenant, who was a friend as well, first two years I kept him for free, but after I got my property licensed, I started to charge him rent, he then started taking hell of liberties, just cause he was now paying me rent, which included bills, he would fill the bath tub with just hot water 3/4 full, leave the bathroom to have his beer and a cigarettes, shut the bath door closed, for at least 20 good minutes, all the while waiting for that water to cool sufficiently for him to jump in, and enjoy a luxury bath with salts and bubbles,

This caused intense condensation and water dripping from the ceiling and running down from the walls, the idiot was warned many times, but he did not heed my warnings, so I gave him Notice, but he did not leave so I had to evict him through a court, he was so stupid and idiot and complete brainless, was represented by Court legal aid system paid for by my taxes, who managed to find a small flaw in my notice, so the case was adjourned, a month later at a new date, the idiot turned up at a wrong court to continue to try to defend his innocence, and also after i gave him Notice he stopped paying me any rent, Oh I was so glad that God and truth prevailed that even courts cannot dispense true justice, so the idiot lost because he simply failed to turn up at the right hearing and waited to be called in at a wrong court hearing ! This is God's true Justice, that Judges in courts should be ashamed of.