Can corrosion clog pipes and stop a snake?

Question

Hi all. I self manage my property, and take pride in fixing any issues quickly and properly. I had an incident over the weekend, and I'm curious if anybody else has seen anything like this. My tenants decided to get a task rabbit off of thumbtack because the shower wouldn't drain. They had another minor issue in the past, and they reached out to us and we got it fixed immediately, so I'm not sure why they took this on themselves. Anyway, this task rabbit convinced the tenants that I needed new piping under the floor because it was corroded. He replaced the pipes and patched the floor, and then tried to send me a $1600 bill. I told him he should've only snaked it and what he did was unnecessary. Of course, I can't know for sure. The tenant said he snaked it and it didn't work, but he also said some other things that I know aren't true, so I'm not sure what's going on there. Does any of this sound right to you? Would corrosion stop a snake from going through it? Was the guy trying to scam me? I only paid him $500 and told him he's not getting the rest. Who's in the wrong?

Chase Busick · Answer

Robert, this sounds like a little messy situation. Apologies that you had this come up.

First of all I'd refer back to your lease. They most likely should have properly reported it to you if it was an emergency that way you can handle it, hire the proper personnel, & make the decision when you are advised of the situation. Them hiring it out themselves is on them in my opinion, because that probably goes against the lease on major repairs & how things will be conducted since it is your home & not theirs. Them being frustrated that the water isn't draining & they can't take a shower doesn't remove them of the responsibility of properly reporting it up to you so you can ensure the best course of action is taken..

For example in the lease I normally utilize in the Alterations & Additions section, Loss of Services, maintenance & repairs, & general provision - it goes over the proper reporting procedure as well as the guidelines for maintenance & repairs will take place. It also states that tenant must notify landlord of any discrepancies especially if it is an emergency. Granted there is more legal jargon & worded better in the lease, but this covers both parties in most situations.

Considering that the tenant had them come out without your consent & did the work, it sounds like it should be on the tenant. Now I am not an attorney, so don't take this as legal advice & I recommend seeking out an attorney in case if more stuff comes from this. Because with your decision to not pay the rest & put it on the tenant can stir up some commotion on both the company not getting their money & putting the bill back on the tenant. Not to say that this is how it'll go down, but there are certain boundaries that the tenant definitely crossed that can be a breach of contract as they did not have the legal authority to hire out the repair when it is your home...

And just because they may be inpatient, & that it happened potentially on a holiday weekend doesn't mean they have people do major repairs behind your back & expecting you to pay for everything. Because they could be saying that it is corroded, buttt that doesn't mean that it needs to be fully replaced in order to get it back In working order.

People can also say one thing without also providing proof of evidence that it actually needed to be done. With that being an extensive repair, I would be extremely upset that they went around to handle it on their own without the proper authority. I don't like being taken advantage of, and I don't trust companies that may say one thing is needed when it actually doesn't. (It's like when you take your car into a mechanic, & just because they can get an idea that you don't know anything they may try to sell you on replacing XYZ when they were all fine. This happens a lot with contractors & companies in order to keep a constant steady flow of work. Not saying this is prevalent, but you definitely have to protect yourself & trust those you hire to protect your hard earned wealth & assets). This is where you would have preferred to go with your preferred professional/contractor to get their opinion, then go from there if it is absolutely necessary.

Sorry for this being a long post.

Robert Marx · Answer

Thank you for the thoughtful post. It all makes sense. To clarify, the tenants aren't paying anything. It wasn't a company who did the work - it was just a guy (a task rabbit). I refused to pay him the full amount because I don't believe what he did was necessary (14 hrs repiping). In my mind, the drain only needed to be snaked. The tenant claims that he did try to snake it, but the guy said the corrosion blocked his snake from working. I can't imagine that's true.

Theresa Harris · Answer

It could if part of it corroded off and blocked the pipe, but I'd ask to see the pipes they took out.  If part of the pipe was missing, it would likely be on the bottom (where water would sit) and you'd have noticed water leaking below the pipe (unless it was in a slab).

Chase Busick · Answer

Makes more sense. Yeah, I agree that it probably wasn't necessary especially if that was the amount of labor hours he claimed. Also knowing someone like a home inspector to scope lines too can help. I know here in Oklahoma there are a couple that only charge $150-200. But still, I think that determining the person's reliability is in question.. I know some will charge higher if you aren't present.

Can corrosion clog pipes and stop a snake?

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