Emergency plumber in Brixton, Clapham and Lambeth

A Brixton or Clapham conversion often has three flats on three floors, each with a bathroom in a different place. Pipes and wastes run between floors in ways nobody has drawn on a plan. Common emergencies are leaks through the ceiling from a bath or shower above, toilet connectors failing, and shared soil stacks blocking so the lowest flat floods.

Many of these flats are rented. Under section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords must keep water supply and sanitation installations, including toilets and basins, in repair and proper working order. If you rent, report leaks in writing and keep a copy, as Thames Water also advises.

When a leak comes from a flat that is let to someone else, you may not have the owner's details. The managing agent, the freeholder or the letting agent usually does. If the water is still coming and nobody can be reached, London Fire Brigade can help in a real emergency, but for a leaking tap it says a plumber is the better call.

Once it is stopped, take photos, keep a note of the time and get a written cause from the plumber. The Leasehold Advisory Service says this kind of proof helps with insurance claims and disagreements.

Lambeth's estates and the towers around Vauxhall and Nine Elms have communal rising mains, pumps and sometimes communal heating and hot water. If several flats lose water or hot water at once, it is likely the building's system, so call the housing provider or managing agent. If only your flat is affected, check your own valves and appliances first. A plumber can tell you quickly which side of the line the fault is on.

Victorian terraces in Lambeth often share a drain run under the back gardens before it reaches the sewer. If your drains are backing up and your neighbours' are too, it may be on a shared section that Thames Water took over in 2011. Ask before you pay to have it cleared. If it is just your property, the blockage is likely on your own pipe.

If heavy rain makes your basement or yard gully back up, the combined sewer may be full rather than blocked. In that case Thames Water's sewer flooding team is the right contact.