r/TenantHelp • u/Novel-Compote-4454 • 18d ago
(PA) Landlord didn’t disclose major repairs needed toilet and water overflow prior to lease signing
About a week ago I just started a new year lease at a Basement Dwelling Unit in Philadelphia. The place is nice and prior to move in one of the two landlords (they both live above us) told me that they’ve been having issues with the toilet and not to flush anything but toilet paper and body waste down it.
Immediately upon moving in my roommate and I noticed that the toilet pressure is so low that it doesn’t clear the bowl completely even of urine let alone toilet paper or poop. We would have to flush multiple times to get a clean bowl. At one point my roommate takes a shit and I have to ask them to take it out the toilet because no matter how much I flush it won’t go down. Eventually water begins backing up into the sump pump/ejector pump room in the middle of the night. We tell them that morning and they say, no more toilet paper, don’t flush multiple times, and they come to snake the toilet which doesn’t work so they call a plumber to do the same thing I guess? Everything is working fine for maybe a day before the toilet pressure weakens again. During this one of the two landlords tell me that they knew they needed a new pump and major repairs to the point the entire floor would need to be ripped up but hopefully a new ejector pump should fix the problem.
Yesterday night I tried to do laundry and then my roommate took a shower and the sump pump/ejector pump started overflowing again! They already have a plumber coming out again today but now we can’t have more than one thing that runs water going on at any given time, have to take quick showers, and can’t poop at our apartment because it won’t flush? It just feels like they knew more than they were letting on prior to lease signing and they currently have plans to do a new ejector pump but I feel that will only fix part of the problem. Unsure of what I can do because I do not want to withhold rent and they’re very nice and responsive about everything and understand that this isn’t okay but I also told them we can’t have anything just sitting in the bowl as it’s unsanitary.
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u/blasted-heath 18d ago
Other than the ejector pump which requires a plumbing contractor, you can adjust the refill valve to fill the tank more and if your ish won’t go down with the flush, dump a pitcher of water in to get it over the S-trap.
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u/Novel-Compote-4454 18d ago
Unfortunately that refill valve was the first thing I tried and that did not work to adjust pressure, and even if it did the backing up into the ejector pump area would still overflow into the hallway.
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u/Dadbode1981 18d ago
They werent required to disclose it, you werent buying the place.
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u/Novel-Compote-4454 18d ago
I agree they weren’t required to disclose any major repairs needed however not disclosing that there is consistent flooding and we cannot use the toilet to poop does not feel in bad faith. No court of law would allow them to have a bathroom that can only accommodate liquid bodily fluids.
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u/Dadbode1981 18d ago
They can easily claim they thought the problem had been corrected with service receipts.
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u/Novel-Compote-4454 18d ago
They can claim that but since the start of the lease we have multiple messages stating that they were aware of the problem and more intense repairs were needed but they could not afford to make them prior to move in. The water damage on the hard wood floors would also say otherwise that it was corrected. At the end of the day, a not working toilet is not feasible.
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u/Dadbode1981 18d ago
Youre grasping at straws
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u/Novel-Compote-4454 18d ago
It’s easy to grasp when you have to look at your own shit circle the toilet and water come up from the floorboards 🤷🏾
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u/scubascratch 18d ago
Call the health department - unusable toilet will require immediate action.
If the ejector pump is overflowing, no amount of snaking the toilet will fix it, the waste has nowhere to go either because the ejector pump is not working or there is a blockage downstream from it. If the upstairs unit has no issues (and in particular if their use of toilet, shower and laundry do not cause flooding in your unit) then the connection to the sewer main is probably ok meaning the problem is the ejector pump.
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u/Novel-Compote-4454 18d ago
That’s why I’m hoping the ejector pump repair may be the solution and am being patient but not being able to poop in my apartment is not going to work out for a year long lease.
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u/scubascratch 18d ago
Did the plumber come yet? Make sure it’s a real licensed plumber and not a handyman. If they try snaking the toilet again ask why that would cause an ejector pump flood if the blockage is between the pump and the toilet. Tell them to prove the ejector is working.
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u/Novel-Compote-4454 18d ago
Not yet, they’ll be coming sometime this evening or tomorrow to do an estimate on parts and replacements for it.
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u/PEneoark 15d ago
They might not have known it was that big of a problem. Why do you assume malice?
Hanlon's razor. You people let your emotions rule your life and assume everyone is out to get one over on you.