Upon receiving notice from the tenant's lawyer about a sewer leak in the basement, I promptly visited the property to investigate. Finding the tenant absent and the front door unlocked, I refrained from entering and instead reported my observations to the lawyer. The following morning, I returned to meet with the tenant.
I approached the tenant for details, asking what had transpired. They responded with uncertainty, saying, "I don't know." When I questioned why they hadn't called me directly, they explained they had tried multiple times without success. I clarified that I hadn't received any calls and asked why they hadn't you left a message. Their reply was, "Why bother when you weren't answering?"
Inspecting the basement, I discovered it flooded with sewage, and to my surprise, the tenant had made no effort to salvage their belongings or prevent further damage. Realizing further discussion was unproductive, I focused on finding the source of the leak. Initially finding no backups in the drains, I eventually identified the issue: the cleanout plug was missing, which puzzled me greatly.
Acting swiftly, I shut off the water supply and rented equipment—a shop vac and floor dryers from Home Depot—to minimize the damage. Reflecting on past maintenance, I recalled removing the cleanout plug years ago to clear the lateral, long before this tenant moved in. Given the property had been rented to multiple tenants since then, it seemed implausible that the plug had been missing all this time without prior notice.
After trying several replacement plugs without success, I found a suitable one at Menards. Once securely in place, I began cleaning up. Despite the tenant mentioning insurance coverage for their damaged items, I refrained from disturbing their belongings. Using the shop vac, I diligently removed sewage and sanitized affected areas with a bleach solution.
Returning the next morning, the basement air was humid with a faint bleach scent. The floor had dried completely, except for a small damp spot in the northwest corner. I returned the floor dryers and shop vac to Home Depot.
This video captures the scene before the cleanup efforts began.
