Landlord says water company turned service on too soon, flooding a rental and halting repairs

What was supposed to be a simple meter-access request ended in a flood when a water company restarted service at a rental that was undergoing repairs.

The landlord said the mistake halted the rehab, triggered a mitigation estimate of $15,000, and forced a tear-out in a house that was nearly done.

Here's what to know

In a YouTube video, The Golden Slumlord (@TheGoldenSlumlord) said the meter had been locked after a tenant left, and he asked the utility to unlock it, not for the water to be turned back on. During the remodel, his crew had cut lines around the house in the process of replacing old shutoff valves.

The creator, Chris, said the first alert came hours later from a neighbor who reported water running out the front door. He said a worker then rushed over to shut it off, but the flooding had already happened.

He said the rehab was close to complete and that he had already moved about $3,000 in materials into the house, with flooring and molding still left to install. Chris also said the water company had "verbally and in email fully claimed responsibility" and that the issue had been communicated to the utility's insurance company.

More background

Chris said the property needed plenty of work even before this problem. He called it "really stinky" and showed a unit with floors torn up, a shower leak, battered doors, and weak spots in the subfloor.

Because the structure was manufactured, he said the flooding also reached the membrane underneath the home that holds insulation.

He added that moisture problems at the property predated the flood. Chris had previously relocated a pregnant tenant and her family because leaks and fungal growth were affecting the house.

So, instead of getting the place ready for another renter, he said, the job was stopped.

What's being done?

Chris said mitigation alone was estimated at $15,000 and that he does not intend to pay that amount out of pocket since the utility accepted responsibility.

While the claim played out, he said dried out the house as much as possible by running a commercial dehumidifier and turning the air conditioning down as low as it would go.

"It's drying out slowly, but a lot of the subfloor's got to come out, the sheetrock's got to come out, all the insulation, the vanities, the kitchen cabinets," he said. "It's a mess."

There was one small break for Chris, as only the carpet padding had been installed; the carpet itself had not yet gone in.

Luckily for Chris, a neighbor called him and said, "Hey, man, there's water coming out of your front door," otherwise the damage could have been worse.

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