Who is the CF here ?

[walterwhitesgf]

Just want others perspective here. I am a landlord with a property in a different city to where i now live. Very good and friendly relationship with tennant initially which has cooled somewhat as time has passed. On my side due to some CF-ery on the part of my tennant e.g moving in lodgers without permission, often a week late with rent being obstructive (in my opinion) when we need access to property for repairs and inspection and some others that would be outing. I put up with this for the most part as living so far away im not a very hands on landlord and need to rely on outside agencies sometimes for repairs. Herein lies my problem . Boiler is playing up and the large well known company i pay to service and repair it cannot come to look at it til monday . Tennant ..who has arranged this date has complained to me that she will lose a days pay and she is v angry about it
I feel she is pressing me for something but dont know what yet ? Compensation ? Can anyone who lives in rented property let me know what usually happens in these situations. I couldn't go and wait in her house on monday even if she would let me as i am at work myself

[MatildaTheCat]

She is BU. Renting is still adulting and having to be around for occasional maintenance or repairs is part of that.

[Cherrysoup]

If she wants it fixed, then she needs to be there if she isn’t happy for you to be in the house. You are responsible for organising/paying for repairs, nothing else. Don’t be guilted into paying compensation etc. Tbh, if I were you, I’d be looking to get rid ASAP. Moving in lodgers, paying rent late and being obstructive are major warning signs. I wouldn’t tolerate her.

[ThatssomebadhatHarry]

Could you wait in so she doesn’t have to take the day off?

[MsSquiz]

She is being unreasonable as she would have to wait in for a contractor if she owned the house!

[LakieLady]

She is BU. If you need something fixed, you either have to be there for contractors to get access or arrange for someone else to be there.

[ApolloandDaphne]

I don't rent but I know my DD who does rent has had to stay home several times to wait for workmen to arrive to sort things. Surely that's just part and parcel of life?

[MoveOnTheCards]

She’s chancing it. She arranged it for Monday and has a habit of being obstructive. I would play dumb. As PP said, renting still requires adulting.

[TubbsAndEdward]

I'm friendly with my landlady and she trusts her tradesmen so I leave my key in a safe place for him.
I can't take days off in term time so this works for me.

[Liverbird77]

I've been a landlord and a renter. I always asked when it would be convenient for repairs etc and tried to do it when they were in.
I actually don't think she is being unreasonable here. I think it would be reasonable for you to take the day off work and wait in for the trades person. It is your asset, and she is paying for the use of it.

[picklemepopcorn]

On the other hand, Liver, the tenant would have to wait longer for the fix if her landlord needs to get there.

[scaryteacher]

Even as a homeowner (and I am both a tenant and a landlord/homeowner) you have to wait in..it goes with having a property.

[Kismetjayn]

I rent and we have to stay in for tradespeople, totally normal.

I am sometimes 'obstructive' when it comes to work done and that's irritating; I have a chronic health condition so can't have work done in the house after appts to treat health condition as I really don't want tradespeople barging in when I'm recuperating in my PJs. Lettings people can get arsey about it but I live there, I'm not bowing and scraping because they deign to come in on a Tuesday, I'm paying the money and they can come on any other day of the week.

If things take a long time to be fixed its usual to offer a lower rate of rent (ie our boiler took TWO MONTHS to be properly repaired, in dead of winter). But I turn a blind eye to that because rent already decent.

Your tenant sounds needlessly fussy if things get sorted in good time.

[ivykaty44]

If she was renting social housing/council housing she would be expected to be at the property to let the repair person in to do the repair. The tennant could leave someone else in the property as long as they are over 16 and speak English to save her work time. Added bonus is tennant won’t have to pay the repair bill

[walterwhitesgf]

Liverbird77 tennant has arranged the repair visit with a company i pay . I would be able to wait in the property but not on Monday as i live quite far away in another city entirely , however i doubt very much that she would let me sit in the house all day when she is not there. I just wondered what happened in other people's experience as this has never occurred before . I had to have a structural repair done last year that took over a week to complete ( all outside work but needed access to garden ) and she just left keys with a neighbour .

[NannyRed]

Meh! Tell her she can wait another three weeks to have a weekend appointment or another ten days and you will let the boiler repair man in. She will soon appreciate your swift repair.

[OftenHangry]

If she owned she would have to be off too. Would she go after the tradesmen for compensation?

Don't give her anything. These things happen, things break and someone just has to be there for the tradesmen. That's life

[OftenHangry]

Oh I missed that she arranged the date herself😂 Well tough luck for her than

[FuerzaAreaUruguay]

She's a CF. I'd look at getting rid of her when her contract is up. Wouldn't offer her any compensation.

[MerdedeBrexit]

Take it from me, OP, as a long-distance landlord, and a tenant, unless you/the tenant are happy for the workmen to be left a key to let themselves in without anyone being there, it is perfectly reasonable for the tenant to have to take time off work to get the boiler repaired and you don't owe them compensation. That's life.

[Horsemenoftheaclopalypse]

You are not a cheeky fucker the tenant is.

Smile and say you know it’s inconvenient but that’s life - so not give them money or a rental discount

[PregnantSea]

Can't they collect keys from someone? Could be a good compromise.

She is BU btw - she rents the place, she needs to be in for repairs. It's just part of life.

[MerdedeBrexit]

Sorry, yes, you are NOT the CF here, OP!

[walterwhitesgf]

Thanks for the responses everyone, i appreciate it. I know its my asset and i do want to look after it. I thought it was a pretty quick appt to be honest but as she was annoyed at having to take time off work i wondered if i was out of order

[Travis1]

It’s just part and parcel of living in a house. Sometimes things need done and you need to take a day off for it.

[Tinkobell]

We rented a house last year and the landlord and agent had scheduled ALL of the routine maintenance checks - boiler, burglar alarm etc etc just a month before the tenancy expired as well as new tenant viewings. Because we didn't want the landlord or agent snooping over our stuff, we had to wait in - time after time. Actually it was a massive inconvenience- I'm self employed and had to miss a lot of my appointments. I did think the timing was such to avoid the agent having to hang around all day during the vacated period.
This sounds like a repair though....can't the apointment just be scheduled for either first or last thing. A 8-6:30 pm wait in (they always show up at 6:25pm) is bloody annoying.