to expect my landlord to get back to me sooner?

[Theneedygonzales]

I live in a privately rented flat. I love it here and I want to keep renting for the foreseeable future BUT this one issue is really starting to piss me off. I've had to contact my landlord a few times for maintenance issues and it always takes at least a week to get through to him. I can't speak with him directly as he uses a PA and she usually answers when I ring and says she'll call him, then I don't hear for days.

When my bathroom pipes were leaking water it took 4 days to get through to him. Luckily I was able to get my dad to shut off the water but AIBU to think this isn't good enough?

Because of the issues with the leaks he took the Lino off the bathroom floor and I called him nearly two weeks ago to ask when I could have a replacement because right now, it's just chipboard that absorbs any water. My lease is up next month and my contract stipulates a rent increase and I really resent paying more when this is the situation.

I don't know if it's the PA not passing it on, or him not getting back to her. Is this normal? Are landlords meant to be more prompt or am I expecting too much?

[artlessflirt]

I don't think YABU to expect that you can get through to your landlord, especially in emergencies. Like anything else where you are paying for something you deserve to receive a certain level of customer service.

That being said, there could perhaps be reasons why your landlord isn't getting back to you quickly enough. Perhaps the PA isn't good at getting messages through, or they have quite a few properties and deal with things on a priority basis. However, you should have full disclosure of how they work and given a maximum time that you agree with in which your landlord has to get back to you.

As your contract is coming up for renewal I would suggest contacting your landlord and arranging to meet face to face to talk through your concerns. Make a list of the things that need correcting and come up with a (realistic!) time frame in which they should be completed. Explain that you're happy where you are and would like to continue however you expect X, Y and Z from them as your landlord, as much as they expect you to be a good tenant and stick to your agreement. There should be clauses in your contract detailing this - if there isn't get them added in!

[HermioneJeanGranger]

Next time you speak to your landlord, can you not ask him for a list of approved plumbers/electricians/tradespeople? He might be willing to do that if you're a good, reliable tenant.

Our landlord has given us a list of numbers, and permission to call them whenever we have a problem. He only lives up the road, but he trusts us not to take the piss. We do a lot of things ourselves (we've painted, bought a shower which he paid to install, etc.) and I think he relies on us to look after his property when he's not around.

But if he's not willing to do that, then YANBU, he needs to be contactable in case of emergency, or at least have someone available on his behalf.

[GeorgieMcB]

What if the ceiling suddenly fell through?? He needs to be your first point of contact and needs to leave you with a list of emergency numbers you can call if something goes wrong, i.e a plumber, electrician, handyman etc.

He is obviously a busy man - why don't you suggest he switches to a managed package so he doesn't have to run around fixing maintenance issues? My partner's a landlord and used to run around changing lightbulbs for tenants (seriously!) but now he gets Portico Estate Agents to manage his properties, and they are so good at fixing problems on the day they happen.

Definitely bring up the issues if he tries to increase the rent. Good luck!

www.portico.com/landlords/