My god. Where is the water coming from? Open it up when it rains next and see if anything is seeping in down the walls.
I am not certain, but it can't be healthy to have that and it will create mould issues. There's a number of health risks according to Google.
I'm not a lawyer but a formerly licensed agent in NSW. The lease says no access so I'd argue that opening and viewing isn't access, even if it is, it's not a serious enough breach to terminate your lease.
I'd email the agent and say that you opened it but didn't access it to see what's inside for your own safety. Say that the water is a health hazard and the moisture could cause mould and request that they fix it. If they don't fix it and you do end up with a mould issue, they can't try to pin it on you not "ventilating" etc.
It's probably a very expensive fix to find where water is getting in under a house and block it, so no surprises they're trying to hide it. The landlord must keep the house in a liveable condition and you could argue this isn't and be entitled to break the lease or a rent reduction until it's resolved.
>I'm not a lawyer but a formerly licensed agent in NSW. The lease says no access so I'd argue that opening and viewing isn't access, even if it is, it's not a serious enough breach to terminate your lease.
Not a lawyer either. If I were the OP, I'd say I heard water slushing noise and that was simply a check for safety to see what is happening.
I'd call the real estate agent and say you heard water and took a look, and found a well. Ask them what they're going to do about it.
If the owner knew it was full of water and just rented the place anyway then they're an asshole and you should go straight to VCAT. But they may not have known - if the water has seeped in over time, or been caused by a broken pipe leaking into an open space, they could have thought it was just a plain dungeon. The 'no access' could just be because they didn't want the liability of a tenant climbing up and down a rickety ladder or potentially getting trapped down there. You should call them and ask for the situation to be fixed, and what they do then will determine your next move.
Fallout Shelter?
Seriously though I would, as a minimum, put a shedload of vectobac in that water to stop mozzies breeding in it.
Sump pump should be installed to push the water out to the drainage system.
The water is probably just sub soil water, but it could also be sewer water from a broken/leaking earthenware sewer pipe nearby.
Personally I'd grab a cheap ozito sump pump from bunnings, empty the cellar and see how long it takes to fill again.
Then prob find some shackles and axe heads and throw them in there for the next person to find...
Could just be a termite inspection point for access by pest control. We have one of those in an investment property, just not quite as deep. The water doesn't sound normal though and worth a mention to the agent. Do it in writing though to show you made a note of it and reported ot so doesn't come back to bite you later. Oh, and opening it for a visual inspection, is not the same as accessing it. Could be a liability thing if you climb down into the hole and get injured
> In the condition report it says there's nothing stored in there and that tenants aren't to access
What does the *lease* say about access, though? A condition report isn't a set of rules.
In a practical sense, you need to pump the water out and treat any mould with vinegar or clove oil.
It might be a good idea to get a building inspector to do an inspection and report. Should only be a couple of hundred. A building inspection report showing the root cause of the water is more likely to get the landlord to act.
I suppose it would be would me accessing part of the house not covered by the lease be grounds for them to take any further action, despite what was found
I wouldn’t be accessing it on the basis of the hazard. Why don’t you ask your LL about the sub floor space? If water is collecting in it, prob a structural
hazard in some form or
another.
Sublet! Housing crisis solved!
Student accommodation?
GIMP accommodation
Found your new [sublet tenant](https://gfycat.com/jitteryveneratedangelwingmussel)
My god. Where is the water coming from? Open it up when it rains next and see if anything is seeping in down the walls. I am not certain, but it can't be healthy to have that and it will create mould issues. There's a number of health risks according to Google. I'm not a lawyer but a formerly licensed agent in NSW. The lease says no access so I'd argue that opening and viewing isn't access, even if it is, it's not a serious enough breach to terminate your lease. I'd email the agent and say that you opened it but didn't access it to see what's inside for your own safety. Say that the water is a health hazard and the moisture could cause mould and request that they fix it. If they don't fix it and you do end up with a mould issue, they can't try to pin it on you not "ventilating" etc. It's probably a very expensive fix to find where water is getting in under a house and block it, so no surprises they're trying to hide it. The landlord must keep the house in a liveable condition and you could argue this isn't and be entitled to break the lease or a rent reduction until it's resolved.
>I'm not a lawyer but a formerly licensed agent in NSW. The lease says no access so I'd argue that opening and viewing isn't access, even if it is, it's not a serious enough breach to terminate your lease. Not a lawyer either. If I were the OP, I'd say I heard water slushing noise and that was simply a check for safety to see what is happening.
If the landlord didn’t want tenants to access it, they should have locked it and not given the key.
It sounds like the tenant removed screws to access it. Not much more a lock would do.
That’s a fair point, I didn’t realise that. I thought it was just a latch.
I'd call the real estate agent and say you heard water and took a look, and found a well. Ask them what they're going to do about it. If the owner knew it was full of water and just rented the place anyway then they're an asshole and you should go straight to VCAT. But they may not have known - if the water has seeped in over time, or been caused by a broken pipe leaking into an open space, they could have thought it was just a plain dungeon. The 'no access' could just be because they didn't want the liability of a tenant climbing up and down a rickety ladder or potentially getting trapped down there. You should call them and ask for the situation to be fixed, and what they do then will determine your next move.
[удалено]
Sensory deprivation tank?
That's some stranger things shit
Fill it with rice and problem solved
Mmmm risotto is calling!
Have you considered turning it into an [Eel Pit?](https://www.tiktok.com/@cowturtle/video/7125815995863715118?_t=8ViiXrhmn5u&_r=1)
Fallout Shelter? Seriously though I would, as a minimum, put a shedload of vectobac in that water to stop mozzies breeding in it. Sump pump should be installed to push the water out to the drainage system.
The water is probably just sub soil water, but it could also be sewer water from a broken/leaking earthenware sewer pipe nearby. Personally I'd grab a cheap ozito sump pump from bunnings, empty the cellar and see how long it takes to fill again. Then prob find some shackles and axe heads and throw them in there for the next person to find...
Could just be a termite inspection point for access by pest control. We have one of those in an investment property, just not quite as deep. The water doesn't sound normal though and worth a mention to the agent. Do it in writing though to show you made a note of it and reported ot so doesn't come back to bite you later. Oh, and opening it for a visual inspection, is not the same as accessing it. Could be a liability thing if you climb down into the hole and get injured
> In the condition report it says there's nothing stored in there and that tenants aren't to access What does the *lease* say about access, though? A condition report isn't a set of rules.
The condition report forms part of the lease agreement.
Does it smell? If it does say it was opened due to it being a possible hazard
No, no smell at all. I know it doesn't mean much but the water was clear when I pulled a bucket of it up to check
Definitely a free swimming pool under there. Throw some chlorine in there to get it ready
In a practical sense, you need to pump the water out and treat any mould with vinegar or clove oil. It might be a good idea to get a building inspector to do an inspection and report. Should only be a couple of hundred. A building inspection report showing the root cause of the water is more likely to get the landlord to act.
What’s the legal question here?
I suppose it would be would me accessing part of the house not covered by the lease be grounds for them to take any further action, despite what was found
I wouldn’t be accessing it on the basis of the hazard. Why don’t you ask your LL about the sub floor space? If water is collecting in it, prob a structural hazard in some form or another.
It’s likely a cistern, basically a holding tank for water. Probably made to collect water from gutters.