New tenants

[frankiesamson]

We just got some tenants for a house we no longer live in.

One tenant asked for some new furniture so we got her done- then she started complaining about a "chemical smell" and even cried that she can't stay in the room. The furniture is inbuilt so we can't remove it. We paid a lot for it.

We paid for a hotel for her for the night, but don't know what else we can do beyond that.

Since then, another tenant in another room seems to have noticed we paid a hotel for her & is now insisting his room has a mild chemical smell & he can't sleep. He then started google searching about the MDF shelves we have in there (also inbuilt at considerable expense), which he now says "contain formaldehyde- a dangerous chemical".

We've been living in the house for months & cant understand the problem- we smelt nothing there.

I checked on formaldehyde as he mentioned, and it seems to be in almost everything new from carpets to furniture. Are we supposed to avoid renting it out when we get new furniture?!

We tried several air purifiers, but they say it doesn't work.

We don't know what to do.

They are massively taking the piss.

It seems you’ve gone above and beyond really, I suppose you could always remind them that they’re free to move if they’d like to give you notice (assuming there isn’t a chemical smell/thing going on)

What hollow said. Suggest they call environmental health. They wont. If they do they won't find anything (assuming you have all the correct licences)

The carpenter did seal a brand newly built inbuilt wardrobe with wood sealer in the girls room on the morning she arrived so I can understand her being unable to breathe - which is why we put her up in a hotel. (Even though it doesn't affect everyone)..

But this other guy... even if he is smelling chemicals, I don't know what more we can do.

We also had another girl in the girls room a few months ago who had the same complaint and moved out.

We just don't know what to do...

The house has been refurbished and they're all complaining of the same chemical smell..

The sealer was "liberon wood sealer", and also "liberon floor sealer" was used at some point, as was another brand of "wood protector", and wood varnish.

So we have one girl who didn't like the wood varnish smell (which I can't smell) and she moved out.
Another girl didn't like the wood sealer smell and probably wants to move out immediately without notice.
And another guy who has the same issue.

Given that they don't know the first girl, it can't be an imagined problem.

I just don't understand how this isn't a "known" problem, if it's happening to our tenants so often after refurbishments.

I've since spoken to friends some of whom say they declined on their landlords offer to refurbish because they don't like the "new" smell and it suffocates them too!

Has anyone else ever heard of this issue?

I rent and I'd love to have a landlord that cares like you do.
I thought it was common sense that doing work like that would cause some affects such as the sealer/paint smell.
They do sound like they are being a bit unreasonable. Maybe call the council and get environmental health round for a quick check up and open the windows to air it out as much as possible.

As for the formaldehyde - yes it is a known carcinogen but I think it has to be ingested so unless they want to chew or lick the furniture I'm sure they're safe.

I can't really get the council involved, I'm already up to my eyes in sorting out their other complaints. The shower just broke s & they want a plumber immediately but don't want to let him in 😂 they also want blinds immediately but won't provide access for the blind company.. and don't want to wait 4 weeks for the blind company to make the blinds.. all of this seems to happen the moment I'm away for 2 months unfortunately. 😌

I do care but I'm not a superhero & a bit out of my depth here. I think I need a reliable person in the area to hold the keys & see to repairs.

Ps- yes I know what you mean, here's a saying that good tenants get bad landlords & vice versa

Perhaps if I turn into a bad landlord, they'll become good?!!