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Thread: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

  1. #1
    Member of forum only grasshopping's Avatar
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    Default Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Two weeks ago Mark was called by some tenants of a rental property who were moving out the next day but their mower wouldn't start. He agreed to do the lawn the next day at 8am. The tenant said to only mow the grass, not do any snipping. Mark asked them are you sure you only want it mowed and not edged. No, they said, just mow. There was long grass along the edges. Mark was mowing around the back of a tree through long grass when the front of the deck hit the pipe connected to the water meter. He said water came spewing out the pipe so he turned the water off. He told the tenants what happened and they didn't say anything. On friday he got a call from the tenants asking us to pay for the repair of the pipe. Mark said that it was not his responsibility as they did not want the edges done. Today we received a letter from the tenant asking us to pay for the repair or they will go to the dept of fair trading. So Mark rang the dept and they said it was not part of the job description to go through a lawn to check to see if there is anything breakable. The tenants expect us to reimburse them for the repair of the pipe. Any one had this happen before. Any advice would be appreciated.

    Kathryn and Mark
    Grasshopper Mowing Services

  2. #2
    Member Jippo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Yeah ran over the top of the water tap and sliced it off. Very tall grass over years had actually grown to the point it hid the whole meter and only tap was left. Ended up paying for the plumber to repair it. No matter how much you argue it , you did the job and you broke it , sorry to say you wont win .


    But give it a try , good luck with it .

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    Dedicated Member Cranbourne Lawnmowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    I've hit an irrigation pipe on a farm property (got saturated as well, it was high pressure. about 32mm pipe) but fixed it myself the next day as it was a pvc pipe and costs were bugger all.

    Interesting to know what the fair trading said.

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    Senior Member AJD Mowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    A few weeks ago I tripped on a tap sticking out of a lawn and it broke, water was spewing up out of the ground. The owners wernt home I tried to ring them but no answer so I turned the water off mowed the lawn and went home and orgonized a plumber who met me on site a couple hours later. He fixed it and I payed him, he was just leaving and the owners came home I told them what hapened and said it was my fault and I paid for it. They asked me how much and I told them. Later that night they rang and said they had transfered half the cost into my account. A few days later a relation of theirs ditched their mower man and got me because of how I handled the problem.
    If you think its your fault and you pay then good things will come back to you but if you think its your fault and you try and get out of it then it will come back and bite you. If its not your fault then stand your ground. Thats what I think
    AJD Mowing Giving Back Your Life

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    Translawner administrator's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Firstly if you have Public Liability ring your insurance company for the facts .Even if it is costing less than your excess they will give you the right info .

    To be honest you busted it and can get awfull sticky at the moment, they are just asking you to pay for it but you may well recieve a letter of demand for repair of the pipe .Then if it goes to court you may not win the case and up for more costs.

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    Carrum downs Dandenong Doveton

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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    AJD MOWING how lucky was your customer if you had tripped and broken your leg you would be sueing them at the moment .

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    Carrum downs Dandenong Doveton

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    Senior Member 63impala's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Hit one easy fix old man was a plumber pipe was at ground level not good if you hit the council side you farked other wise all plumbing maintaince is very easy....
    But if you aint ''STIHL'' you aint real....

  8. #8
    Dedicated Member Cranbourne Lawnmowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Quote Originally Posted by administrator View Post
    Firstly if you have Public Liability ring your insurance company for the facts .Even if it is costing less than your excess they will give you the right info .

    To be honest you busted it and can get awfull sticky at the moment, they are just asking you to pay for it but you may well recieve a letter of demand for repair of the pipe .Then if it goes to court you may not win the case and up for more costs.
    Their renting with an over grown lawn. In my experiance most renters with ferel lawns couldn't afford to get the lawn cut, so court costs are out of the question.

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    Senior Member glassngrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Quote Originally Posted by Cranbourne Lawnmowing View Post
    Their renting with an over grown lawn. In my experiance most renters with ferel lawns couldn't afford to get the lawn cut, so court costs are out of the question.
    x2. The landlord/agent has probably taken repair costs out of the bond. Then the tenants would have needed to pay full bond for new property. I doubt they have the funds/determination for legal action.

    I would view this the same as hitting a toy that breaks a window - NOT MY FAULT.

    For future reference - look for the meter. If you can't see it then ASK where it is - not hard to do
    David
    Mr Sparkle Car Spa

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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    i refuse to do lawns without edges but i will do edges without lawns
    my wife hit a water meter that was hidden under leaves had to call the water board out to fix it didn't hear anything back about it also when brushcutting hit a PVC water pipe watch out for these as they go brittle if in the sun and easy to break lucky the plumber only charged me $50
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  11. #11

    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Quote Originally Posted by grasshopping View Post
    Two weeks ago Mark was called by some tenants of a rental property who were moving out the next day but their mower wouldn't start. He agreed to do the lawn the next day at 8am. The tenant said to only mow the grass, not do any snipping. Mark asked them are you sure you only want it mowed and not edged. No, they said, just mow. There was long grass along the edges. Mark was mowing around the back of a tree through long grass when the front of the deck hit the pipe connected to the water meter. He said water came spewing out the pipe so he turned the water off. He told the tenants what happened and they didn't say anything. On friday he got a call from the tenants asking us to pay for the repair of the pipe. Mark said that it was not his responsibility as they did not want the edges done. Today we received a letter from the tenant asking us to pay for the repair or they will go to the dept of fair trading. So Mark rang the dept and they said it was not part of the job description to go through a lawn to check to see if there is anything breakable. The tenants expect us to reimburse them for the repair of the pipe. Any one had this happen before. Any advice would be appreciated.

    Kathryn and Mark
    Grasshopper Mowing Services
    I remember speaking to Phil at AC Maintenance about slashing overgrown blocks where houses had beed demolished. one thing i remember him sayin was: make sure you get them to sign a waiver if you hit any water pipes etc .

    This I will do on any overgrown block or ask client to locate them and mark them.

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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Quote Originally Posted by Cranbourne Lawnmowing View Post
    Their renting with an over grown lawn. In my experiance most renters with ferel lawns couldn't afford to get the lawn cut, so court costs are out of the question.
    Glenn didnt you get the memo from a current affair Bankcrupcy VerY High in cranny .

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    Carrum downs Dandenong Doveton

  13. #13
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Quote Originally Posted by glassngrass View Post
    x2. The landlord/agent has probably taken repair costs out of the bond. Then the tenants would have needed to pay full bond for new property. I doubt they have the funds/determination for legal action.

    I would view this the same as hitting a toy that breaks a window - NOT MY FAULT.

    For future reference - look for the meter. If you can't see it then ASK where it is - not hard to do
    SPOT on Dave .
    If he hadnt noticed he broke a pipe more damage could of happened flooding etc could get up into the thousands .

    Most front yards if not all have a water meter gas meter etc Professionals know this and would take safety precautions to protect themselves .

    Inexperienced operators and even experienced forget sometimes thats why its important you do your OH/S AND YOUR INSURANCE YOU HAVE A BUSINESS TO PROTECT

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  14. #14
    Member Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Ive broken one and had employees brea 2 i just got in a dodgy plumber who fixed them for $50 cash but one of those customers never paid so i took big lost there. In a court i dont think the judge would make you paay for it as the contract was for mowing and the lawn was mowed. I had a case that i just took to court the person was saying we had caused damage to a cubby huse and she wasnt paying because of it. The judge said first of all she had no proof and secondly even if she did the contract was for mowing the yard and the yard was mowed and order her to pay for the job and costs.
    Tender Lovin Lawn and Garden Care
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    Dedicated Member Cranbourne Lawnmowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whose responsible if the mower hits the water meter

    Quote Originally Posted by administrator View Post
    Glenn didnt you get the memo from a current affair Bankcrupcy VerY High in cranny .
    Yeah. Thats why I don't do ferel rentals anymore.

    Do them in Lynbrook instead.

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