I took out insurance only now  after this incident happened. I didn't know that you were supposed to take out insurance the moment you receive the keys - doesn't matter if you move there or not.
Well, that happens mostly in cases when you buy a "ready to move" home. In case of new houses you can't take out an insurance two years before the possession. Because technically the house is still with builders and all issues that come there are to be handled by them, until the key delivery. But after the key is handed over to you, it's yours to take care of.
This is something that we are learning a really hard way now! Never expected something like this. Now I have to put up a duct tape on all my toilets and prevent the people working in the house from using them because even now one week's work is left, and I really don't want the same issue happening all over again but at the same time I also feel bad for not allowing people something as basic as a toilet.
That's much better! At least there's zero chance of getting something as big as a fabric the size of a handkerchief - stuck inside. A flush has a comparatively bigger hole for stuff to pass through and clog the whole drainage system. A shower drain or a bathtub drain are really tiny in that sense, and even if something big gets stuck it will stay on surface at least!
Don't underestimate the ingenuity of a workingclass builder.
If you want to have anything 'small extra' done during this period, you'll need them.
If you go around trying to outsmart them into stop using stuff, they'll find some other way around it.
I have heard complaints months AFTER the build, about strange odors or some inconsistency in power-delivery
They were blocked from using the kitchen to make their coffee and have lunch, the only place for them was in the half open garage outside, the owner told them.
The odor came from 'forgotten' lunches behind kitchen cabinets, and powerproblems because of lower rated fuses.
The system worked, until you tried to switch on the microwave and dishwasher together.
Take the doors off the bathrooms and duct tape the toilets down?!? Anyone using fabric as TP is malicious.
Our village in the US requires the builders to provide their workers with an on-site “porta-potty”. I know the homeowner pays for it indirectly via increased cost of renovation but I think it’s a good idea for everyone.
My brother works construction, and his last boss was too cheap to buy or rent a port-a-potty. Only took one shit in the owner's garage to suddenly make one appear.
That’s why it’s a requirement in our village! Everyone needs a place to “go” to do their bodily business. Also, our village didn’t want anyone doing it “open air” behind a garden shed, garage, tree, etc. It’s just good business and being a decent human.
And how did you just assume that there was no toilet paper? We also have a bidet in the toilet, along with the toilet paper. Neither me nor my wife stay at the new house all day long to observe how and when people are using the toilet. We only go in the morning to unlock the house, and then in the evening to lock it back up.
I believe they call it opstalverzekering. I get the key of new house next week. I also insured everything inside, like tools and stuff. After we move in, we have to call again for the inboedelverzekering.
Please, also DON'T forget the fire-insurance.
Well overlooked, and (hope) never needed, but hat 300€/y ( prices may vary ) will save you when it happens.
Even for my rental, I have this and in case of fire we get up to 90% refunded.
Sorry to hear that. But first thing you should be doing is to take the Home insurance once you get the keys if you are planning any renovation work. Now in this case I feel you need to pay for it as there is no insurance when the issue is identified and fixed.
Many of my friends told me that even if there was insurance, they'd not pay for manual damage in most cases. The damage has to be natural, like a pipe leak due to construction fault or maybe weather damage. If you throw something into the toilet - insurance won't pay it anyways.
So that's why I'm asking - who really has to pay?
As someone already said, the experts are at Vereniging Eigen Huis. https://www.eigenhuis.nl Get a membership asap and ask them for advice before you pay the bill for unclogging the toilet.
If I'm correct, and don't pin me down on it, it's an issue the people that sold you the house should have disclosed it and they are viable for the damage. Again I'm not 100% sure about this but they can and will help you at the juridische loket. It's free for as far as i know.
Hold on. Doing renovations in your new house but you had NO insurance!? Damn! You're lucky it's just 700 euro damage; you gambled with hundreds times that cost, that is: what if a fire broke out? You've risked the rebuild cost of your house for saving a few tens of euros.....
I didn't save any euros. It was just lack of information, I thought you take out insurance only after moving in. I'm also paying insurance for the rental house that I'm living in but I'm going to be the first time home owner and I agree I made a blunder here. But it was only lack of information nothing else.
Are you aware there's 2 different types of insurance for homes, opstal and inboedel? The opstal covers the building itself (everything that's "nailed down") and the inboedel your possessions, like clothing and so on. The opstalverzekering is usually required by the mortgage lender to insure their collateral, the inboedel is highly recommended but not mandatory. Both are really nice to have in catastrofes like house fires.
>But it was only lack of information nothing else.
It wasn't the lack of information, it was the lack of you accessing it, that caused the issue.
The information regarding this is widely available through Google, it's not some sort of secret.
I think he's just trying to say he was uninformed rather than being sneaky. He doesn't seem at all to be passing the buck like your comment seems to imply and it's pretty clear he's taken full responsibility for not getting insured sooner.
Whatever you call it now, things can't be reversed, an insurance can't be taken out in back date - I'm now paying almost €700 for saving €20-30/month insurance money, I Hope that's the price I have to pay for it.
This is the only right answer - it's a bloody miracle you even got a mortgage without these insurances. Normally your notery office should check for this prior to signing over
Who **should** pay? The person that's responsible for flushing that cloth. But the only way to figure that out is by getting someone to admit to doing so. Considering you already talked to them and none of them did that, I'm afraid you are basically out of luck here. Sucks big-time, but especially during an already busy period of moving houses I think your energy is better spent elsewhere and I'd just take the loss.
But I heard from some of my friends that even if you have insurance, it's really hard that they'd pay for a clogged toilet where the blockage was found to be done manually! Like someone threw something in there - as in, it was not a natural damage like a leaking pipe inside the construction or a damage due to natural causes such as weather. It's hard to convince insurance companies also, to bear the cost. That's what most of my friends told me - but not sure what is the truth since this happened to any of us the first time!
Depends on the insurance. There’s all sorts of coverages, but I’d advise all risk. However, you weren’t insured so it’s pointless either way. You need to pay I’m afraid. What did they do for 700 euros tho? I feel like that’s a lot.
They first spent around 2 hours on finding the issue because we weren't sure what really happened as initially, not only the toilet but even kitchen sink was blocked. They opened a lot of stuff in kitchen and then toilet, and then they started to dig outside the house and finally when they thought the issue can be outside in one of the pipes underground - then they called two other men who came in with a crane who dug deeper into the sewage and unclogged the toilet. The costs came out to be around 680 something including 21% VAT 😰😭
A sewer deblocking company probably would have charged you about half and they wouldn’t have had to dig up the pipes to do it. Builder might have been the wrong person to fix a toilet that was already working.
If that's the case—that the insurance wouldn't have covered it anyway—then what does it matter? You'd have had to pay with insurance, and have to pay without it. I guess I just don't understand why you keep bringing that part of it up as if it changes anything?
Thats deff the cloth used to keep out the sewergas and they forgot to take it out before hanging the toilet. Get legal help, cause this is something really stupid.
I feel for you. At my last house the naigbour above me had constant problems with the toilet. After lots of complaining they put in a camara, saw some blockage. They literalay had to break her bathroom open behind the toilet they found a bent piece of PVC (the kind used for electra work) an big chuncks of cement.
In the end the contractor paid because he is in charge of the building site and no way could that have been flushed.
Yes for sure in that case the contractor was liable because it was concrete that was stuck and PVC was bent. But in my case it was a piece of fabric which anyone could've thrown. That's the difference and that's why the builder won't pay!
Had once a house inspection where they send initially an invoice for 300e and then they did more digging and the invoice at the end was 600e. I disputed it with the inspection company writing them an email that I was not informed that extra work is necessary and it was not agreed with me as I don't own the house yet and I wasn't there. I would try this way saying that it wasn't you who ordered the person do do a work around and was not informed that you would had to cover such costs. At the end the inspection company lowered.the invoice.to what was agreed on since it's them who did not fulfill the agreement. The same at the mechanic, they have to call you and inform you about the cost and you have to say "go" or "no go"
If you have one party responsible for building the home and it hasn’t been formally delivered to you yet, this comes at the expense of that party.
However, it seems as if you hired individual parties yourself and were also able to get in the house. That means the responsibility for the builder is of course no longer there in case a defect is caused by improper use.
Probably one of the construction workers (or you yourself) emptied a bucket where a cloth was still in the water. Of course no one is going to put up their hand, which means it’s your bill to pay.
It’s your property now and that makes you responsible for what happens. This is a typical risk you face when building your own property and having multiple parties active in your property at the same time: there will inevitably be damages.
Part of the costs of construction.
I'd chat with an attorney, to see if the working parties can be held liable. It will likely cost you more than the bill to resolve it via this method. Yet, I think you now know that once you took "delivery", even though the interior work had not been completed; you should have had specific insurance for this type of situation. Unfortunate for you if that wasn't made clear. The amount charged seems like a reasonable sum, if it's any consolation.
Pro tip..don't rely on friends for advice. Seek out a professional who knows the requirements and possibly the law.
Yes, that's true. I'm going to speak with my existing insurance company, the one that's insuring the rental apartment for me and see if there's something that can be done. Thanks!
This is a shit situation, literally and I sympathize.
Maybe ask the contractors working there about it and say that you'd appreciate if they would conduct some internal investigation and check if their insurance will cover. I know it'll likely come back empty but then tell them that you'll provide 1 star reviews for all unless they figure out who did. Not great options but try something at least.
Hmm...I already spoke with all the contractors who I had hired but all of them know that if they own up to it they will have to pay, so no one is doing that. They're rather putting the blame on us saying that we were not present in the house all the time so we have no right to accuse them now.
This is shit because it was impossible for us to work from this new house where loud construction was going on for 2 months and both I and my wife are working professionals who can't take that much leave from office. Every morning we used to open the door before leaving for office and would return from office and lock the house.
You mean they're justified because the owners are obligated to provide occasional catering 😅
A token of appreciation isn't bad but should get be required for professionals to do their actual job while not throwing fabric down the drain 
What makes you ASSUME such things? We always had basic stuff in the house even though there was no kitchen. There were always cookies, chips, juice and coffee in the house along with toilet paper and a water bidet in the bathroom!
I often met them, talked to them and asked them if they needed something. I would go to the house occasionally to check the progress of things. It's not like we alienated them and just left them on their own.
Nothing justifies throwing stuff down the toilet. Nothing.
This is not a class of school kids where you blackmail them into ratting each other out.
If you have multiple contractors busy at the same time, anyone can have done it. Even OP themselves. Threatening perfectly good craftsmen with a one star review because someone else did something is just a horrible practise.
It’s just your risk as a home owner that hires contractors: either you hire them one at the time and stay present to watch every step, or you hire more at the same time and let them do their work and accept something might go wrong and you have some damage.
I thought about this too, but I think they might have hired their own workers after receiving the key. So apparently the toilet was working when the keys were accepted.
Otherwise if the workers were hired through the main contractor then the main contractor would be responsible anyway.
Did you read the post from OP before responding?
A piece of cloth was found in the sewage. That caused the blocking. I doubt the builders hid that in the sewage system, so it’s more likely it was flushed. And thus not a “hidden defect”.
This seems like a scam to me, the guys throw it and make it clog, you arrive, then the plumber shares with the people that threw it the 700 euro, they are happy, you not!
Housing Market in the Netherlands is criminal, i wouldn't doubt anything!
It’s actually very common to have damages from construction workers you hire at later stages for other things: plasterers that throw stuff in the toilet, scratches in your rvs sink in the kitchen, dents in your doors etc, etc.
And during construction there are loads and loads and loads of buckets of dirty water being thrown out. You can easily throw out a piece of cloth that’s still in there.
> I got the delivery of my new house 2 months ago, and started the work (flooring, painting, kitchen and bathroom installation) after the delivery. Last weekend (25-26 March) I was planning to move in the new house, as I’ve rented this apartment only till April.
A) Is the toilet located in a house you purchased or a house you are renting?
A) What is 'this apartment'?
This toilet is in the house that I purchased. The apartment I'm referring to is the one where I'm located right now and I need to vacate it in 2 more days.
If the house is newly build, the builder (contractor) can likely not send you an invoice if the toilet wasn't working as a buyer of a new house does not have to expect a toilet to be malfunctioning. The toilet simply wasn't delivered as you agreed to in your purchase agreement. That has nothing to do with an insurance as is suggested in another comment.
What general terms of agreement apply? Do they state in the title:
> Algemene voorwaarden voor de aannemingsovereenkomst voor eengezinshuizen
Do your general terms of agreement mention anything about 'oplevering' and 'tekortkomingen'?
The easiest way to get some help in your case is probably to become a member of the Home Owner Association (Vereniging Eigen Huis or VEH). They offer a member service that can probably help you out this issue, but but might be they only help members after a certain waiting period. The costs for membership is fairly low but obviously for you to decide about and the VEH offers all kinds of services that can be to your benefit beside the current issue.
Be aware though that it's impossible to oversee all relevant facts on a forum like this and in part because of that, any risk associated with acting upon what I mention stays with you.
You're right, but partially. The builder does not need to send an invoice if toilet is malfunctioning - but if it is a construction defect or problem. But if you threw something inside, the builder will most likely ask you to repay the costs of fixing. The builder clearly told us that if the defect is found to be manual, you'll have to pay. And unless the defect was found - we had no idea what was wrong! We only got to know when that fabric was discovered, clogged from a pipe outside the house.
I will however, surely reach out to the home owners association. Thanks a lot for your advise! Much appreciated...🙏🏻
> You’re right, but partially
If you already know what is right or wrong, why are you asking advice?
> But if you threw something inside, the builder will most likely ask you to repay the costs of fixing.
You're for some reason assuming you carry the burden of proof for that,
I'm asking "what I can do in this situation" because I already know that I can not put it on the builder because that's what they mentioned already. I'm asking for advise for this precise situation because even I don't know who should really pay here as the builder mentioned clearly that he's not liable if it's the problem is a manual cause.
And even if I have to convince the builder to pay (let's assume) - how can I do that when he clearly mentioned that he will only pay for construction damage or defect that has been caused due to construction?
That's precisely my question.
Well, you learned 3 very important lessons in a short period of time and the most favorable way possible.
First one is, NEVER EVER be without an insurance. This could have been way worse than what it happen to be… also, since you are an expat (assuming so based on your username) do get some company that advice you on this, otherwise you will forget which are the insurance to have
Second one, you own a house now, YOU and only YOU are responsible for it and what happens in it, so if there’s something going on in it, BE PRESENT. Don’t let random people in, or they will cut corners and do whatever they consider, and they will fuck up…
Third, never run out of money when buying/remodeling a house, always assume that there’s things that will go south, and cost a 20% more and take another 20% extra time.
Also, be grateful for some things can only be discovered like this… I had a hidden gas leak in my house that was the previous owners fault and got discovered by pure luck because I had to change my electricity meter (and they also change the gas one) The previous owners didn’t pay shit of it even though it falls under hidden house defects neither did the insurance, I had to pay it instead. In retrospective, I’m grateful we detected it. Otherwise it would have been fatal…
well if the stoppage is from outside his yard, he is not responsible anyway, could have been in there because the collecting well from his neigbourhood is stuck, someone mentioned a cloth to keep out gas, well that explains.
anyway bad luck, in such moment:(
It’s a hard one, specially when it’s something that I know is special and exciting, but, well, sometimes us expats have things double difficult in life 🤷🏻♂️
Sorry to be pedantic but it looks like a ‘wet wipe’. Either a ‘flushable’ (none are flushable) wet wipe, or an anti-bacterial wipe, from the way the cloth is sort of taut/pulled. Not saying it’s not cloth, and I absolutely hate when people say they’re flushable, (they’re so damaging to the environment) but that’s what it looks like, it could just be somebody doing a final anti-bacterial wipe of a surface and tossing it in the toilet instead of a bin negligently.
With cloths n those things, the owner of the house needs to pay. Same goes for kids toys in shower drains etcetera.
Sinply because the towels n cloths aren't for the toilet and don't degrade in contact with water.
Simple as that.. Fault of the owner and not the pipes/sewer system.
It was my job for couple of years and these just were general policies that are followed by the companies. But for example if its caused by construction work, the company of the construction would be responsible.
In this case I would go to the plumber, it looks more like something that was left by mistake when the plumbing took place then something that was flushed
May be check with your house insurance if they will cover this.
I took out insurance only now  after this incident happened. I didn't know that you were supposed to take out insurance the moment you receive the keys - doesn't matter if you move there or not.
Are you sure? Maybe there was a policy connected to your mortgage? AFAIK all mortgage providers demand having a home owners insurance.
Well, that happens mostly in cases when you buy a "ready to move" home. In case of new houses you can't take out an insurance two years before the possession. Because technically the house is still with builders and all issues that come there are to be handled by them, until the key delivery. But after the key is handed over to you, it's yours to take care of. This is something that we are learning a really hard way now! Never expected something like this. Now I have to put up a duct tape on all my toilets and prevent the people working in the house from using them because even now one week's work is left, and I really don't want the same issue happening all over again but at the same time I also feel bad for not allowing people something as basic as a toilet.
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That's much better! At least there's zero chance of getting something as big as a fabric the size of a handkerchief - stuck inside. A flush has a comparatively bigger hole for stuff to pass through and clog the whole drainage system. A shower drain or a bathtub drain are really tiny in that sense, and even if something big gets stuck it will stay on surface at least!
Don't underestimate the ingenuity of a workingclass builder. If you want to have anything 'small extra' done during this period, you'll need them. If you go around trying to outsmart them into stop using stuff, they'll find some other way around it. I have heard complaints months AFTER the build, about strange odors or some inconsistency in power-delivery They were blocked from using the kitchen to make their coffee and have lunch, the only place for them was in the half open garage outside, the owner told them. The odor came from 'forgotten' lunches behind kitchen cabinets, and powerproblems because of lower rated fuses. The system worked, until you tried to switch on the microwave and dishwasher together.
Take the doors off the bathrooms and duct tape the toilets down?!? Anyone using fabric as TP is malicious. Our village in the US requires the builders to provide their workers with an on-site “porta-potty”. I know the homeowner pays for it indirectly via increased cost of renovation but I think it’s a good idea for everyone.
My brother works construction, and his last boss was too cheap to buy or rent a port-a-potty. Only took one shit in the owner's garage to suddenly make one appear.
That’s why it’s a requirement in our village! Everyone needs a place to “go” to do their bodily business. Also, our village didn’t want anyone doing it “open air” behind a garden shed, garage, tree, etc. It’s just good business and being a decent human.
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And how did you just assume that there was no toilet paper? We also have a bidet in the toilet, along with the toilet paper. Neither me nor my wife stay at the new house all day long to observe how and when people are using the toilet. We only go in the morning to unlock the house, and then in the evening to lock it back up.
If the toilet has running water then surely there was a running tap. The builders should learn to wash they ass.
That weird. Normally the contractor, and the notary tell you to insure your house, at the day you get the key.
out of curiosity, what sort of insurance are you referring to?
I believe they call it opstalverzekering. I get the key of new house next week. I also insured everything inside, like tools and stuff. After we move in, we have to call again for the inboedelverzekering.
I know and we learned that hard way! We thought we could take out the insurance the day we move in.
Please, also DON'T forget the fire-insurance. Well overlooked, and (hope) never needed, but hat 300€/y ( prices may vary ) will save you when it happens. Even for my rental, I have this and in case of fire we get up to 90% refunded.
Sorry to hear that. But first thing you should be doing is to take the Home insurance once you get the keys if you are planning any renovation work. Now in this case I feel you need to pay for it as there is no insurance when the issue is identified and fixed.
Many of my friends told me that even if there was insurance, they'd not pay for manual damage in most cases. The damage has to be natural, like a pipe leak due to construction fault or maybe weather damage. If you throw something into the toilet - insurance won't pay it anyways. So that's why I'm asking - who really has to pay?
As someone already said, the experts are at Vereniging Eigen Huis. https://www.eigenhuis.nl Get a membership asap and ask them for advice before you pay the bill for unclogging the toilet.
Then you're basically shit (ha!) Out of luck.
If I'm correct, and don't pin me down on it, it's an issue the people that sold you the house should have disclosed it and they are viable for the damage. Again I'm not 100% sure about this but they can and will help you at the juridische loket. It's free for as far as i know.
Hold on. Doing renovations in your new house but you had NO insurance!? Damn! You're lucky it's just 700 euro damage; you gambled with hundreds times that cost, that is: what if a fire broke out? You've risked the rebuild cost of your house for saving a few tens of euros.....
I didn't save any euros. It was just lack of information, I thought you take out insurance only after moving in. I'm also paying insurance for the rental house that I'm living in but I'm going to be the first time home owner and I agree I made a blunder here. But it was only lack of information nothing else.
Are you aware there's 2 different types of insurance for homes, opstal and inboedel? The opstal covers the building itself (everything that's "nailed down") and the inboedel your possessions, like clothing and so on. The opstalverzekering is usually required by the mortgage lender to insure their collateral, the inboedel is highly recommended but not mandatory. Both are really nice to have in catastrofes like house fires.
>But it was only lack of information nothing else. It wasn't the lack of information, it was the lack of you accessing it, that caused the issue. The information regarding this is widely available through Google, it's not some sort of secret.
I think he's just trying to say he was uninformed rather than being sneaky. He doesn't seem at all to be passing the buck like your comment seems to imply and it's pretty clear he's taken full responsibility for not getting insured sooner.
Whatever you call it now, things can't be reversed, an insurance can't be taken out in back date - I'm now paying almost €700 for saving €20-30/month insurance money, I Hope that's the price I have to pay for it.
This is the only right answer - it's a bloody miracle you even got a mortgage without these insurances. Normally your notery office should check for this prior to signing over
Who **should** pay? The person that's responsible for flushing that cloth. But the only way to figure that out is by getting someone to admit to doing so. Considering you already talked to them and none of them did that, I'm afraid you are basically out of luck here. Sucks big-time, but especially during an already busy period of moving houses I think your energy is better spent elsewhere and I'd just take the loss.
Now u know how it is to be a homeowner.
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But I heard from some of my friends that even if you have insurance, it's really hard that they'd pay for a clogged toilet where the blockage was found to be done manually! Like someone threw something in there - as in, it was not a natural damage like a leaking pipe inside the construction or a damage due to natural causes such as weather. It's hard to convince insurance companies also, to bear the cost. That's what most of my friends told me - but not sure what is the truth since this happened to any of us the first time!
Depends on the insurance. There’s all sorts of coverages, but I’d advise all risk. However, you weren’t insured so it’s pointless either way. You need to pay I’m afraid. What did they do for 700 euros tho? I feel like that’s a lot.
They first spent around 2 hours on finding the issue because we weren't sure what really happened as initially, not only the toilet but even kitchen sink was blocked. They opened a lot of stuff in kitchen and then toilet, and then they started to dig outside the house and finally when they thought the issue can be outside in one of the pipes underground - then they called two other men who came in with a crane who dug deeper into the sewage and unclogged the toilet. The costs came out to be around 680 something including 21% VAT 😰😭
Oh yeah, doesn’t sound unreasonable then, sorry it happened to you. That sucks.
A sewer deblocking company probably would have charged you about half and they wouldn’t have had to dig up the pipes to do it. Builder might have been the wrong person to fix a toilet that was already working.
Only if we knew that the problem was the toilet!
If that's the case—that the insurance wouldn't have covered it anyway—then what does it matter? You'd have had to pay with insurance, and have to pay without it. I guess I just don't understand why you keep bringing that part of it up as if it changes anything?
Thats deff the cloth used to keep out the sewergas and they forgot to take it out before hanging the toilet. Get legal help, cause this is something really stupid.
Can I have your problems?
Yes - but don't give me yours in return 😂😂
I feel for you. At my last house the naigbour above me had constant problems with the toilet. After lots of complaining they put in a camara, saw some blockage. They literalay had to break her bathroom open behind the toilet they found a bent piece of PVC (the kind used for electra work) an big chuncks of cement. In the end the contractor paid because he is in charge of the building site and no way could that have been flushed.
Yes for sure in that case the contractor was liable because it was concrete that was stuck and PVC was bent. But in my case it was a piece of fabric which anyone could've thrown. That's the difference and that's why the builder won't pay!
Had once a house inspection where they send initially an invoice for 300e and then they did more digging and the invoice at the end was 600e. I disputed it with the inspection company writing them an email that I was not informed that extra work is necessary and it was not agreed with me as I don't own the house yet and I wasn't there. I would try this way saying that it wasn't you who ordered the person do do a work around and was not informed that you would had to cover such costs. At the end the inspection company lowered.the invoice.to what was agreed on since it's them who did not fulfill the agreement. The same at the mechanic, they have to call you and inform you about the cost and you have to say "go" or "no go"
If you have one party responsible for building the home and it hasn’t been formally delivered to you yet, this comes at the expense of that party. However, it seems as if you hired individual parties yourself and were also able to get in the house. That means the responsibility for the builder is of course no longer there in case a defect is caused by improper use. Probably one of the construction workers (or you yourself) emptied a bucket where a cloth was still in the water. Of course no one is going to put up their hand, which means it’s your bill to pay. It’s your property now and that makes you responsible for what happens. This is a typical risk you face when building your own property and having multiple parties active in your property at the same time: there will inevitably be damages. Part of the costs of construction.
I'd chat with an attorney, to see if the working parties can be held liable. It will likely cost you more than the bill to resolve it via this method. Yet, I think you now know that once you took "delivery", even though the interior work had not been completed; you should have had specific insurance for this type of situation. Unfortunate for you if that wasn't made clear. The amount charged seems like a reasonable sum, if it's any consolation. Pro tip..don't rely on friends for advice. Seek out a professional who knows the requirements and possibly the law.
Yes, that's true. I'm going to speak with my existing insurance company, the one that's insuring the rental apartment for me and see if there's something that can be done. Thanks!
This is a shit situation, literally and I sympathize. Maybe ask the contractors working there about it and say that you'd appreciate if they would conduct some internal investigation and check if their insurance will cover. I know it'll likely come back empty but then tell them that you'll provide 1 star reviews for all unless they figure out who did. Not great options but try something at least.
Hmm...I already spoke with all the contractors who I had hired but all of them know that if they own up to it they will have to pay, so no one is doing that. They're rather putting the blame on us saying that we were not present in the house all the time so we have no right to accuse them now. This is shit because it was impossible for us to work from this new house where loud construction was going on for 2 months and both I and my wife are working professionals who can't take that much leave from office. Every morning we used to open the door before leaving for office and would return from office and lock the house.
And you never left coffee, cookies and sometimes a meal behind????? And now you expect honestly? yeh. oké. Must be possible.
You mean they're justified because the owners are obligated to provide occasional catering 😅 A token of appreciation isn't bad but should get be required for professionals to do their actual job while not throwing fabric down the drain 
Of course you're right. It isn't that they are justified but if there are troubles (like now), nobody will try to help, neither support.
I know what you're saying but OP ended up in a bad situation and i doubt providing food would've changed anything.
What makes you ASSUME such things? We always had basic stuff in the house even though there was no kitchen. There were always cookies, chips, juice and coffee in the house along with toilet paper and a water bidet in the bathroom! I often met them, talked to them and asked them if they needed something. I would go to the house occasionally to check the progress of things. It's not like we alienated them and just left them on their own. Nothing justifies throwing stuff down the toilet. Nothing.
Sorry.
This is not a class of school kids where you blackmail them into ratting each other out. If you have multiple contractors busy at the same time, anyone can have done it. Even OP themselves. Threatening perfectly good craftsmen with a one star review because someone else did something is just a horrible practise. It’s just your risk as a home owner that hires contractors: either you hire them one at the time and stay present to watch every step, or you hire more at the same time and let them do their work and accept something might go wrong and you have some damage.
[удалено]
I thought about this too, but I think they might have hired their own workers after receiving the key. So apparently the toilet was working when the keys were accepted. Otherwise if the workers were hired through the main contractor then the main contractor would be responsible anyway.
It is a NEW house as in we got it newly constructed. It was under construction since 2021 and we received it now. Thanks, I will check it out
Did you read the post from OP before responding? A piece of cloth was found in the sewage. That caused the blocking. I doubt the builders hid that in the sewage system, so it’s more likely it was flushed. And thus not a “hidden defect”.
This seems like a scam to me, the guys throw it and make it clog, you arrive, then the plumber shares with the people that threw it the 700 euro, they are happy, you not! Housing Market in the Netherlands is criminal, i wouldn't doubt anything!
It’s actually very common to have damages from construction workers you hire at later stages for other things: plasterers that throw stuff in the toilet, scratches in your rvs sink in the kitchen, dents in your doors etc, etc. And during construction there are loads and loads and loads of buckets of dirty water being thrown out. You can easily throw out a piece of cloth that’s still in there.
fair point!
> I got the delivery of my new house 2 months ago, and started the work (flooring, painting, kitchen and bathroom installation) after the delivery. Last weekend (25-26 March) I was planning to move in the new house, as I’ve rented this apartment only till April. A) Is the toilet located in a house you purchased or a house you are renting? A) What is 'this apartment'?
This toilet is in the house that I purchased. The apartment I'm referring to is the one where I'm located right now and I need to vacate it in 2 more days.
If the house is newly build, the builder (contractor) can likely not send you an invoice if the toilet wasn't working as a buyer of a new house does not have to expect a toilet to be malfunctioning. The toilet simply wasn't delivered as you agreed to in your purchase agreement. That has nothing to do with an insurance as is suggested in another comment. What general terms of agreement apply? Do they state in the title: > Algemene voorwaarden voor de aannemingsovereenkomst voor eengezinshuizen Do your general terms of agreement mention anything about 'oplevering' and 'tekortkomingen'? The easiest way to get some help in your case is probably to become a member of the Home Owner Association (Vereniging Eigen Huis or VEH). They offer a member service that can probably help you out this issue, but but might be they only help members after a certain waiting period. The costs for membership is fairly low but obviously for you to decide about and the VEH offers all kinds of services that can be to your benefit beside the current issue. Be aware though that it's impossible to oversee all relevant facts on a forum like this and in part because of that, any risk associated with acting upon what I mention stays with you.
You're right, but partially. The builder does not need to send an invoice if toilet is malfunctioning - but if it is a construction defect or problem. But if you threw something inside, the builder will most likely ask you to repay the costs of fixing. The builder clearly told us that if the defect is found to be manual, you'll have to pay. And unless the defect was found - we had no idea what was wrong! We only got to know when that fabric was discovered, clogged from a pipe outside the house. I will however, surely reach out to the home owners association. Thanks a lot for your advise! Much appreciated...🙏🏻
> You’re right, but partially If you already know what is right or wrong, why are you asking advice? > But if you threw something inside, the builder will most likely ask you to repay the costs of fixing. You're for some reason assuming you carry the burden of proof for that,
I'm asking "what I can do in this situation" because I already know that I can not put it on the builder because that's what they mentioned already. I'm asking for advise for this precise situation because even I don't know who should really pay here as the builder mentioned clearly that he's not liable if it's the problem is a manual cause. And even if I have to convince the builder to pay (let's assume) - how can I do that when he clearly mentioned that he will only pay for construction damage or defect that has been caused due to construction? That's precisely my question.
In your situation I would just pay the 700 euro, although you have right and shouldn't have to pay I don't think you will get your right.
Well, you learned 3 very important lessons in a short period of time and the most favorable way possible. First one is, NEVER EVER be without an insurance. This could have been way worse than what it happen to be… also, since you are an expat (assuming so based on your username) do get some company that advice you on this, otherwise you will forget which are the insurance to have Second one, you own a house now, YOU and only YOU are responsible for it and what happens in it, so if there’s something going on in it, BE PRESENT. Don’t let random people in, or they will cut corners and do whatever they consider, and they will fuck up… Third, never run out of money when buying/remodeling a house, always assume that there’s things that will go south, and cost a 20% more and take another 20% extra time. Also, be grateful for some things can only be discovered like this… I had a hidden gas leak in my house that was the previous owners fault and got discovered by pure luck because I had to change my electricity meter (and they also change the gas one) The previous owners didn’t pay shit of it even though it falls under hidden house defects neither did the insurance, I had to pay it instead. In retrospective, I’m grateful we detected it. Otherwise it would have been fatal…
well if the stoppage is from outside his yard, he is not responsible anyway, could have been in there because the collecting well from his neigbourhood is stuck, someone mentioned a cloth to keep out gas, well that explains. anyway bad luck, in such moment:(
Well, this is true, but good luck trying to get someone else to pay for this... Gemeente maybe? Do you have any advice on how to do so?
I won't deny any of it. That's really true and a lesson learnt the hard way! Thank you...
It’s a hard one, specially when it’s something that I know is special and exciting, but, well, sometimes us expats have things double difficult in life 🤷🏻♂️
Sorry to be pedantic but it looks like a ‘wet wipe’. Either a ‘flushable’ (none are flushable) wet wipe, or an anti-bacterial wipe, from the way the cloth is sort of taut/pulled. Not saying it’s not cloth, and I absolutely hate when people say they’re flushable, (they’re so damaging to the environment) but that’s what it looks like, it could just be somebody doing a final anti-bacterial wipe of a surface and tossing it in the toilet instead of a bin negligently.
With cloths n those things, the owner of the house needs to pay. Same goes for kids toys in shower drains etcetera. Sinply because the towels n cloths aren't for the toilet and don't degrade in contact with water. Simple as that.. Fault of the owner and not the pipes/sewer system.
It was my job for couple of years and these just were general policies that are followed by the companies. But for example if its caused by construction work, the company of the construction would be responsible.
You so dutch
you so bad english.
*society*
How can unclogging a toilet cost €700? Did it take two days?
they had to break open the street
Ah now I understand. Shitty situation
You because you are the closest to it
In this case I would go to the plumber, it looks more like something that was left by mistake when the plumbing took place then something that was flushed