I rent a space in a strip mall style building for my restaurant. There is a recurring sewer line backup because the line is old and makes a 90° turn. This gets clogged a few times each year. The turn is about 160 feet from my shop. Despite this affecting at least four other tenants, I am always the person who calls to get it fixed.
The landlord knows what the problem is and will not fix the pipes because it is “cost prohibitive.” They have a contract with a local plumber to come blast hot water down the line periodically.
Even with that plumber coming out, we have backups a couple times a year still. The sewage backs up onto my floor through a floor drain, through my utility sink, and my toilet. Other tenants are similarly affected. Earlier this year it backed up so bad one of the other tenants closed for two days to have professional cleaner come in and clean up their store.
I am wondering what options I have here. I have a lawyer who helped me with my lease who I could contact. But I figured I would ask and see if anyone here had any suggestions before I make that call.
Lawyer.
I had this exact problem in my house I rent where I had sewage backing up and the landlord refusing to spend the money to fix the main line that was clogging. Informed my landlord I’d retained a lawyer and would be putting rent into escrow on their advice until the pipe was fixed and like magic it got fixed the next week.
Not the same issue in a house you rent (where a warranty of habitability is usually required) and a business. Seems the same. Is not. Many more variables in a business.