The provincial Civil Reconciliation Court ruled in favor of Tiger Tang, who said the mattresses cost him more than $ 15,700 after sewage overflowed from his kitchen sink in 2020. Tang argued that he should not be charged that amount. as the blockage occurred in the sewer stack, located on a shared property. However, the mattresses defended the accusation, saying that it was issued because “the kitchen sink drain was clogged with grease and the plumbing trap adapter and the waste in the basket were broken”. The court heard that the charges were calculated from a $ 15,000 insurance deduction after the overflow caused damage of about $ 130,000. It also included a plumbing repair fee of about $ 740. Tang paid the bills in 2021 because he wanted to refinance his property. Court member Kate Campbell wrote in her ruling published last week that Tang did not receive sufficient notice of the charges and said they were simply added to Tang’s Strata account. Campbell decided that the mattresses should notify the accusations in writing, to give him a chance to respond. Campbell wrote that the mattress regulations did not allow Tang to be charged for both the plumbing fee and the discount, as it did not appear that the plumbing fee was part of the discount. But even the discount should not be Tang’s responsibility, Campbell decided. The plumber’s report, summarized in Campbell’s decision, estimated that “the blockage started at seven feet and went for another 20 feet.” “I think this proves that the blockage happened in the sewer pipe (common property) and not in a pipe that was part of Mr. Tang’s lot,” Campbell wrote. “Having weighed the evidence before me in terms of the odds, I do not think it turns out that Mr Tang or his guests were responsible for the pipe blockage on 1 September 2020. Therefore, I do not consider Mr Tang to be responsible. for the payment .” The mattresses were ordered to pay Tang a little over $ 16,000, covering charges, CRT fees and some interest.
