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Housing · Ireland
Updated September 2026

💧 There is a water leak or pipe burst — who do I call?

Direct answer

First stop the water at the main valve and cut the electricity if water reaches sockets. In a rental, the landlord or managing agent is responsible for the pipes and must send someone urgently; if you cannot reach them, call an emergency plumber and keep the invoice — an urgent necessary repair can be charged back. Damage to your belongings and the neighbour's ceiling is what Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) (01 567 7000) — your contents or liability insurer, and their ombudsman if they refuse — is for. If the leak comes from the street or the building's main supply, Your city or county council (gov.ie) sends the water company. Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) (0818 303 037) decides if the landlord will not repair or reduce the rent.

Call firstResidential Tenancies Board (RTB)
Report toFinancial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO)
If that failsYour city or county council

🗣️ What to say

"There is a water leak at [address] since [time] coming from [where]. I have shut the main valve. The [ceiling / floor / neighbour below] is affected. Please send a plumber today; if I cannot reach you by [time] I will call an emergency plumber and charge the cost to you."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Stop water, cut powerMain valve, then the fuse for the affected room. Move belongings, put buckets, photograph everything.
  2. Warn the neighbour belowAnd the building manager. The sooner they know, the smaller the claim.
  3. Landlord or agent, by phone and in writingPhone for speed, message for proof. Give a short deadline before you call your own plumber.
  4. Insurer within daysContents insurance for your things, liability for the neighbour's; the landlord's building insurance for the structure. Photos and the plumber's report are the claim.
  5. Landlord will not act: Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)Rent reduction for the unusable rooms and an order to repair.

📇 All contacts

Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)Dispute resolution for deposits, free adjudicationWhen the landlord has not returned it within a reasonable time📞 0818 303 037🔗 www.rtb.ie
Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO)Free, binding complaints against insurersAfter the insurer's final response📞 01 567 7000🔗 www.fspo.ie
Your city or county councilNuisances, roads, waste, lost property, environmental complaintsFor anything the council handles🔗 www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/1a5c8-local-authorities
ThresholdFree housing advice charityBefore you write, and for the wording📞 1800 454 454🔗 www.threshold.ie

❓ Frequently asked

Who pays the plumber?

The owner of the pipe: the landlord for the building's plumbing, you for an appliance you own (washing machine hose). The invoice for an urgent repair the landlord ignored is recoverable.

My neighbour's leak damaged my flat

Their liability insurance pays; write to the neighbour and their landlord, and claim on your own contents insurance first if you have one — insurers settle between themselves.

The landlord says it is my fault

Only if you caused it (blocked drain, broken appliance). A burst pipe or a failed seal is wear and the owner's risk.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “water leak landlord responsibility Ireland”
  • “pipe burst who pays”
  • “leak from upstairs neighbour claim”
  • “emergency plumber rental landlord”
  • “water damage insurance claim”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🔧Landlord won't repair→🦠Mould or damp→🔑Deposit not returned→🔊Noisy neighbours→

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