THE Consumer Crew are here to solve your problems.

Mel Hunter will take on readers’ consumer issues, Jane Hamilton will give you the best advice for buying your dream home, and Judge Rinder will tackle your legal woes.

Jane Hamilton, property expert

Flood-proof your home

TORRENTIAL downpours have left homes across the country underwater this week. 

Unfortunately, properties with a history of flood damage can see insurance premiums rise by an average of 128 per cent, according to new data from insurance comparison website Quotezone.

But there are ways to protect your home from flood damage and keep premiums low. Here’s how:

1. Use ceramic or stone tiles instead of laminate or wood flooring.
2. Raise electrical sockets to above 1.5 metres.
3. Fit stainless steel or solid wood kitchens, instead of chipboard. 
4. Replace wooden window frames with UPVC plastic ones.
5. Place items that could be easily damaged higher up in a room, or keep them upstairs.
6. Place a temporary seal on doors and windows, and a specialist cover on your airbricks.
7. Installing one-way valves on toilets and drainage pipes can decrease the risk of sewage backing up into a building during a flood. 
8. Consider a “pump and sump” system to drain water from below floor level faster than it rises.

 Buy of the week

NOEL Gallagher might be forking out more than £20,000 a year on electricity at his £8m mansion, but this four-bed Dewsbury townhouse promises to be much more economical as it has solar panels on the roof. It’s on for £175,000 at zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/59317281

Airbnb let

WANT to invest in an Airbnb let?

After studying 27 cities, RationalFX concluded Bradford is the best place to buy, with properties potentially paid off in just nine years. Swansea was second, taking ten years to recoup the cost.

A spokesman for the money transfer service provider said: “Demand for staycations has risen dramatically amid the pandemic, showing that the private holiday rental business is a growing area for investment.”

Deal of the week

DON’T let your laundry basket look washed up.

This Felicia jute product is eco-friendly and super stylish.

It was £60 but has now been reduced to £36 at Laredoute.co.uk.

SAVE: £24

Judge Rinder, legal expert

‘Electric scooter on our pavements is a local menace . . . can I make a citizen’s arrest and confiscate it?’

Q) I UNDERSTAND it is illegal to use electric scooters (except when rented in certain areas) on public roads and pavements. But an electric scooter is used regularly on pavements near us.

I challenged the rider, who insists it is legal. Other than calling the police, which I doubt would help, what can I do?

Could I make a citizen’s arrest on these grounds and hold on to the scooter until the police arrive?

BILL, Harrow, North London

A) You are perfectly right that it is unlawful to use an electric scooter outside specified areas – and certainly on public pavements.

You would not be able to make a citizen’s arrest in this case, however. Even though the scooter rider is breaking the law, it is likely to be a road traffic offence or a “summary only” offence – a crime that could only be tried in the magistrates’ court.

For a citizen’s arrest to be lawful, the offence must be more serious – robbery, serious violence, that sort of thing. Given the difficulty in making this determination, a citizen’s arrest is unwise, other than in desperate circumstances.

I hear what you say about the police but given the number of dangerous scooter riders, your local force might well take this seriously and issue the rider with a warning.

Report the matter to them and to your local councillor, who can often be helpful in cases like this.

Q) I AM a lease holder in a block of flats. The management company was given my bank details for monthly management charges and associated costs.

The company tried to take £93.99 using my details to get money to pay a separate company. I feel this is misuse of my details and, in any case, I do not owe any money to the third party.

I described their actions as theft and stopped the direct debit payment by telling my bank I had not authorised it.

Can a company use my details to take money from my bank to give to a third party without my authorisation?

DEREK, London (more info requested)

A) In nearly all cases I can think of, a company that hands over your direct debit details to another firm without your clear consent is breaking the law.

It is conceivable that in the lease agreement you signed, you gave permission for the managing agent to vary the amount you pay each month to cover the cost of third parties (such as lift repairs) and maintain the building. Check this ASAP.

Write to the managing agent asking it to justify precisely why it believes it has acted lawfully. If it can’t, this is a very serious matter.

Along with the other tenants, get further legal advice, as I would be concerned about the managing agent’s ability to safely look after your data.

Torrential pain

Q) WE live next door to a housing association home. The woman who lives there told the association about a gutter that was damaged in a storm more than a year ago. But it has failed to fix the problem.

Every time it rains, we can’t use the rear gate to our property, as it is like Niagara Falls with all the water coming off the roof. I got in touch with the association myself but it refused to tell me anything due to “data protection” laws. Is there anything we can do to get them to sort it?

BRIAN, Milton Keynes

A) The housing association is responsible for the upkeep of your neighbour’s property. The water from the broken guttering on this property is causing a legal nuisance to your land, which it is required to fix.

Data protection or not, I would email the housing association or whomever is registered as the owner of the property (which you can find online). Make it clear that unless they fix the gutter, you will be bringing a legal action against them in the small claims court as they are preventing you from getting access to your home. Be tough.

Mel Hunter, reader's champion

Can’t jet my money back

Q) I BOOKED a flight from Manchester to Sydney, Australia, with Opodo, to travel in March 2020.

This trip to visit one of my best friends was a treat to myself after fighting breast cancer and turning 50. But then, due to Covid, travel was banned.

I tried constantly to call Opodo to get a refund, sometimes being kept on hold for more than three hours. I just could not get through, not even via email.

In the end I contacted the airline, Etihad. It would only offer me credit.  I didn’t want this but felt I had no choice.

I transferred my flight to March 2021 and paid an extra £80, and of course, in the end, I still could not travel.

I finally got through to Opodo and they say they have requested a refund from Etihad. However, Etihad says the refund has not been actioned by Opodo.  I feel I might never get my money back.

ANNE-MARIE, Huddersfield

A) It had been months since you’d asked for a refund, second time around, and because of the confusion about whether it had actually been requested, you were fretting – quite understandably – that you’d never see your £733 again.

I got on to Opodo to try and clear things up. Although I didn’t find out what had happened to your refund request, I did suggest that, given the wait you had already experienced, the online agent could refund you immediately, rather than waiting to get the money from Etihad.

Two days after I got in touch with Opodo, it  agreed to pay you back. Finally, you got your money.

Q) I’M having issues with Scottish Power. I have solar panels and because my meter is an old-fashioned “dial” type, not digital, the panels cause the dial to run backwards when they generate power.

I kept a record of these readings in my calendar for two years, mainly because when a meter reader comes from Scottish Power, the company ignores the readings and sends an estimated bill instead. A recent estimate bill came in at 813 units higher than the meter.

I’ve spent hours on the phone to customer service. Each time they say they’ve noted the situation but I always have to retell it the next time.

I need someone to come out, read my meter and send a bill for what I actually owe.

SANDY PLATT, Chester

A) I spoke to the energy company and got the team there to try and untangle what had happened.

Most read in Money

It turned out your meter was faulty – the energy firm said it should never run backwards – and Scottish Power suggested you get it changed.

The company also agreed to zero your electricity bill for the past two years, leaving you with a more manageable total.

A Scottish Power spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to Ms Platt for the customer service she experienced when she contacted us and any frustration caused trying to resolve this issue.”

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