Landlord refusing to pay damages from freezing pipes.

[s33ker]

*I apologize for the long post, but I wanted to be detailed. I hope someone out there has the time to read this and give some advice. Thank you for replies*

Jurisdiction: Thurston Country, Washington.

I rent a home that has a well and pump "house" on the property to provide running water. The pump "house" has no insulation in the structure itself, and exposed pipes that are not insulated.

3 days ago the pipes froze. I am somewhat familiar with pump systems, and saw that pressure switch was unresponsive. So I did 2 things: 1) Placed a space heater directing heat at the exposed pipes. 2) Replaced the pressure switch only to find the same results. I did this because the landlord and I are friends and I didn't mind paying for a small repair if that was in fact the case.

After not being able to reach my landlord for 2 days, I went back to the pump house tonight to find that the pipes had thawed and one of them had in fact burst and was leaking considerable water.

I finally reached my landlord only to find he/she is unwilling to pay to fix the pipe saying that it was my fault for neglecting the pipes! I have since poured over Washington state landlord-tenant law and have found nothing to the effect that I am responsible for these repairs.

My question is, was I in the wrong for attempting to make minor repairs myself? Would that negate the landlord for having to pay? Basically I see my only options now are arbitration or mediation with my city and/or county.

Once again, thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[mightymoose]

I believe the landlord would have to show that what you did caused damage to the pipes. If it is obvious the pipes were damaged by freezing, then the responsibility for those repairs will typically fall on the landlord.
If the landlord isn't willing to pay for the repairs then you are in a jam. You said you are friends, so hopefully you can come to an agreement... but otherwise, start documenting your contacts regarding the issue and make a formal demand for repairs in writing. If the repairs require immediate attention and the landlord won't handle the problem, have the repairs made at a reasonable cost and send the bill to the landlord. If he still refuses to pay, settle the dispute in small claims.