Repair works quality

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hello!

In mid-December I found the leak on the heatings system collector in the wall, put a container for water collection and sent a email to lendlord. After one week was first visit from heating company and works were started in mid-February (three months later!). Till repair I replaced the container with water every day and could not go to anywhere for more then 1 day.

Works lasted 10 days. In first day they covered floor and walls and made the hole around collector in wall between corridor and bathroom. In first evening the parts of wall cover falled down.

During the work it was inconvenient to be in the apartment, because the main part of work was in corridor between badrooms, bathroom and another part of appartment. Workers didn't want to take a pause for laud works for 1.5 hours in day time (I have a one year old child and he has to sleep during the day). It was cold weather for long time walk for avoid this noise. Every evening we did wet cleaning, because dust was on floor and furniture everywhere.

When workers removed the floor cover after work, I found water damage and mechanical damage on parquet.

After two guys from heating company inspected the work result and I showed all flaws.

1) Spots on parquet. They said about water spots that parquet will be replaced for new tenant. And they did not accept mechanical damage, they said it is old. But it looks fresh and clear, because old damage is grey or black due to mud and dust inside.

2) Gaps between floor and wall in bathroom and they did not recover the part of tiles. I had a small line of tiles no the wall near the floor. They removed it when they made the hole between corridor and bathroom. They said that the tiles are old and it is no possible to find a replacement. About gaps they sad that it is normal quality for their work. I think, it is a problem, because I cannot clean the gap in case of water getting into.

I wrote about this to landlord and after descusion he said that they will not restore or replace parquet, because there insurance is not cover this damage and they add the flaws to flat protocol, but the question about mechanical damage of parquet is open, because I did not receive the clear answer about it.

What can I do in my situation if i need to remove the spots on parquet and cover up gaps in bathroom? Could I ask some compensation for these inconveniences?

2

I believe parquet is real wood, so maybe the stains could just be sanded out, with sandpaper? Here is a webpage I found with an article titled “How to Remove Water Stains from Wood Floors.” At the bottom of that page, it says to use sandpaper for dark stains like the one in your photo:

https://www.discountflooringdepot.co…m-wood-floors/

As for the gap between the tiles and the wall, I would take that photo to a place like OBI, in the paint department, and ask them if there’s something you could put there to fill in the gap yourself. They probably have the same thing that was used to fill that gap when the tile was installed, and it looks like a pretty easy job to just fill it in and smooth it out and let it dry. (Maybe first check for mold in there before doing that, though).

Also, maybe ask your landlord if it’s okay for you to do this stuff yourself. Being that they (supposedly) plan to replace the parquet at some point, anyways, I would think the landlord wouldn’t mind you sanding it a bit. Maybe they’d even be thankful if you’re going to try to fix this stuff yourself. Good luck.

3
This is not your problem. The landlord hired the workmen to do work on his premises. Complain to him and let him sort it out.

4
I think that water spot is deep inside parquet. It looks like not 1 mm on top. And if I use sandpaper i need to use varnish after. I am not a specialist for this kind of work and afreid to make more damage.

About gap in bathroom. If I use somethink to fil the gap and mold grows or it will looks not good, landlord will ask me to pay for rapir work in case of leaving the apartment.

5
I have the same opinion, but I don't understand what can I do. I asked landlord, showed photos, explained the problem.

6
Ask for a rent reduction That might make him take some action.

7
You don’t ask, you make a formal complaint and contact the tenants association for help. What you don’t do is start making DIY structural repairs to a property you rent, otherwise you might end up with a large bill.

8
That! I don't really understand why you care as well. It's not your flat, you are just tenanting it. Seems like cosmetic repairs to me, as long as it's clear with the landlord you didn't do the damage and you won't have it held back against your deposit. Mind baffles as to why you are stressed out about this issue. Leak is gone, good.