What to Send When You Report a Leak

A leak report that says “bathroom wet” is a rumour. A leak report that names the room, shows the water, and says whether the nearest tap is off is a job. ManjeProp routes those jobs through the public fault form into PropertyCare. The plumber who arrives later only knows what you put on the ticket.

This is the pack that actually gets a leak attended.

Start with where, not with adjectives

Write the property name exactly as it appears on the form — the house on Saunders, Varsity Drive, Malcom Road, or whichever listing you occupy. Then write the room or unit in plain words: Room 4, downstairs bathroom, kitchen under the sink. Shared houses fail here. “The bathroom” in a five-room student place is not an address.

If you can hear water in a ceiling or a wall cavity, say which room is below it. Do not climb into a ceiling void to find the source.

Say whether it is still running

The form asks how urgent the problem is. Answer that after you have looked, not before. A pipe spraying across a floor is not the same as a damp skirt on a shower tray that has been there since last term.

In the description, use one of these lines:

Still running now
Slow drip, bucket underneath
Wet patch, no visible flow
Stopped after I closed the nearest tap

If it is safe and the tap or isolation valve is easy to reach, close it. The on-screen checklist on Report a fault already asks you to do that for plumbing and water leaks. If you cannot find a valve, or the valve is seized, write that. Do not force it with a wrench.

Photographs that show water, not lifestyle

Take three pictures if you can:

A wide shot of the room so a stranger can see which wall and which fitting.
A close shot of the wet point — joint, trap, geyser overflow, ceiling stain.
A shot of the floor or the ceiling below, so the spread is obvious.

Include something for scale: a phone, a cup, a tile grout line. Do not mop the floor before the photo unless someone is about to slip. A shiny puddle is evidence. A dry floor with a caption is a story.

Do not photograph neighbours, ID books, or keys in the same frame. Do not film a walk-through video that also shows the gate code on the wall.

What the plumber still needs in words

Photos miss smell, sound and timing. Add one sentence for each:

When you first noticed it (today, last night, “after load-shedding”)
Whether hot, cold, or both
Whether the geyser was in use
Whether the ceiling is bowing or only stained
Whether anyone has already tried a store-bought sealant

If another housemate already sent a ticket, put their reference number in yours or say “second report, same leak.” Duplicate tickets are better than a silent house. Two tickets with no unit number are worse.

Safety lines you should not skip

If water is near a plug, a light fitting or a DB board, leave the room if you can do so safely. Do not open the board. Do not stand in the water and unplug things with wet hands. Mark the report Emergency on the form, then phone +27 60 313 6961. If people are at immediate risk, phone emergency services first.

A geyser overflowing into a roof space is not a “medium, this week please” job. A weeping tap washer at 22:00 usually is.

What not to send

Do not send a voice note instead of the form. Voice notes vanish. The form creates a ticket with a reference.

Do not send a municipal account scan with your ID number still visible. We do not need your ID to find a dripping trap.

Do not promise that you have “fixed it with tape.” Tape is not a close-out. Staff close a ticket only after a repair is logged with evidence.

How the form should be filled

Open Report a fault. Use your name and a WhatsApp number that will be answered. Choose the property. Type the unit. Category: Water / leak or Plumbing. Severity: match the water, not your exam timetable.

Describe the problem in the box. Attach the photos. Send. Keep the reference the page shows you.

If the site is down and water is moving, phone +27 60 313 6961 and still send the form when you can. The phone call is for danger. The form is for the record.

Parents and future tenants who are not reporting a leak should use the enquiry form instead. A leak ticket is not a viewing request.

The difference between a same-day plumber and a wasted call-out is usually three photos and one honest sentence about whether the water is still running. Send that pack.