My son lives in a rowhome. His neighbor recently had their water turned off. (non-payment) They are continuing to live there and recently my son has noticed a sewer type odor in his basement. Can this be from the neighbor's lack of water and continued use of the bathrooms? (They borrow buckets of water to flush the toilet.) Thanks

It might be a combination of several things but we can't fix the neighbors problem. A bucket of water should be sufficient to flush a toilet and still maintain water in the toilet trap. How does you son's plumbing work, perfectly or some gurging or bubbling when he uses his drains.