Help - Repair Issue Tenant wants alternate accomodation

[JJ Cole]

I have a plumbing issue that has made the washer connection and kitchen inoperable due to clogged line. It may take 7-10 days to fix depending on the problem (plus factoring in Christmas holiday). Tenant wants me to pay for family to stay in a hotel until repairs are complete because they can't do laundry or cook at home. I guess he'll ask for money for meals next. What are my obligations in this situation. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Rob K.]

JJ Cole I'm all confused. Did this "plumber" run a snake through the line? If your bathroom is draining fine, then it's not tree roots causing the problem. This still sounds like grease, hair, food, or lint. I don't see what a new cleanout will accomplish. The plumber can remove the trap under the kitchen sink or laundry tub and run a small snake through the pipe until he either clears the blockage, or hits it and can't get through. If he can't get through, he will at least know how many feet his snake went to know where this problem is.

I had a similar problem at my house. One of my bathrooms is right next to the kitchen. The kitchen sink and bathroom sink were both completely backed up, but the toilet and shower still drained. I had a plumber out and it turns out that the drains for the two sinks meet together and were blocked. He was able to snake it out from under my kitchen sink. He said I need to run more water down the drain each time we use the garbage disposal. It hasn't been a problem since.

You need to keep an eye on these plumbers. They all want to get rich off of you.