New tenants want everything but do nothing

[frankiesamson]

The ongoing saga with our various tenants is that they want the place to be clean but don't want to clean it or pay for a cleaner. They're never happy. We went away for 10 days and they had destroyed everything, let the plants in the house & garden die by not watering even once, and the house looked like animals lived there. Literally. It was a shock to walk through the front door- the dirty body smell in the house, blocked toilet, unclean floors & surfaces..etc.

Out of 8 tenants we've had, only 1 was a relatively normal reliable responsible person.

Our latest problem is that we had to go away for a few months & one of the tenants told us the shower is broken. Apparently it's been broken for ages but none of them informed us! She wants us to get it fixed asap, so I called a few plumbers & found one. However, the tenant(s) don't want to give us any specific time they can be in to let the plumber in to the house. They want it done, but don't want to let him in.

We've even offered to pay one of the less irresponsible tenants £200 every month just while we're away, to look after the house & garden.. she agreed.. but as soon as I mentioned to keep it clean, she changed her mind- so I offered her £100 a month to let workmen in to do repairs as needed but no cleaning- she agreed- but as soon as I mentioned the plumber was going to call around, she changed her mind again.

We don't know what to do. We don't know anyone in the area & have had awful experience with agencies where they take £300 a month and do nothing.

The strange thing is- for £100 a month it would involve in average maybe 1 hours work every 6 months. The tenants are all interested when we offer them the money but as soon as it comes to actually doing anything, they don't want it anymore.

I wish my landlord had offered me £200 to clean or £100 a month to let the plumber in when I was renting - I used to do it for free!!

Wish we could just find someone reliable & willing to be paid for this simple task.

Who are your tenants? As it’s not a HMO I assume they’re all there under a single contract in which case it shouldn’t be difficult to get one of them to take responsibility for arranging to let the plumber in or to explain to everyone else why there's No shower. If they're Complaining that things are broken they need to make an effort to be there for repairs

I think the problem is that it’s just a really unusual situation. From what I understand you have a house with a lot of bedrooms and you have 5 lodgers. You’re currently not living there and none of them are taking responsibility for keeping the place clean. This is a classic HMO issue ( even though you’re not technically an HMO). They are a PITA, hence the higher yields. However, to specifically address your problem, try Task Rabbit to get someone who can wait in for the plumber.

Nosquirrels, we're only away for a couple of months so don't want to kick out our lodgers in our spare rooms and rent it out to a family for a year. But thanks for the interesting if somewhat illogical suggestion!

So are they actually lodgers, then? Rather than tenants?

You usually live there with them?

X-post.
frankie it’s not me being illogical, it’s you not using the correct terminology! HTH

If you’re not living there surely they can’t be classified as lodgers?

Johnny, I hadn't realised it was such a Known thing.. are lodgers in rooms usually classic to be a PITA? I wish we were back but can't until a few months

Yes we usually live there with them & they seem to treat us like their parents 😂 we choose the best out of a bad bunch but they really do live like animals lol

We had to go away for a couple of months short notice but weren't anticipating everything needing repair a couple of days after we left!

These are tenants with university degrees & jobs & not party animals.

Thanks Johnny for the insight- we hadn't know this was such a classic issue. Helps a lot to know we're not alone in this problem

Well, HMOs ( students etc) are a PITA an I know no-one who does it without an —enforcer— agency Lodgers less so but tbh most people don’t have 5 lodgers. You’re practically running a B&B and if they didn’t sign up to a deal whereby they had to live there o their own and sort out repairs I can see how the issue has arisen, especially if they have no connection with one another.

Being a tenant is completely different to being a lodger.

Why did I think you didn't want to pay an agent? Because you said "We don't know anyone in the area & have had awful experience with agencies where they take £300 a month and do nothing." You have to make agents work for you - if they take the money, they have to do the stuff that they are contracted to do.

Why did I think that being the lead responsible tenant (or lodger, as it appears) would be a PITA? Because you said "so far the tenants are texting us almost daily with issues"

You also said "One would expect tenants to clean, yes, but from our experience they just don't" - now you've explained your set up, surely the answer to this is because they aren't tenants, they are lodgers? In which case they should keep their rooms tidy and do basic clearing up in the shared areas, but proper cleaning and garden maintenance falls to you and DH

Moose, they are people who have a room each and pay rent. The shower still needs repairing regardless, and the plumber needs to be let in to do so.

Sorry if you think the term lodger or tenant makes a big difference to opening the front door!

Get a cleaner, byword of mouth, pay the cleaner extra to let in plumber/workmen. Unfortunately if you can't do that you will have to travel back, 8 hours or not. Technically your lodgers are licensees so 'tenant' isn't really the correct term, unless you have granted ASTs. This may be why some people found your post confusing.

Olennas, it's true I said those things but I also said things you neglected to include.

The main issue they're texting about is the shower. All we need is someone to let in the plumber

Where in West London are you? What locks do you have on the door? I used a company on ken high street that kept a copy of the keys to the building and each unit. If something went wrong the tradesman (fully insured) got the key from the place on ken high street. I always used pimlico plumbers if my regular plumber wasn't available. Not cheap but they are very good and trustworthy.

Joe, that's what we're trying to do but given we don't know anyone in area & neighbours / everyone we've asked, can't recommend a cleaner, we're stumped

The alternative is to leave a key with a trusted plumber or arrange to send them one through the post. We are a way away from our properties but you need a number of trustworthy tradesmen like a plumber, electrician and handyman on whom you can call and send them a key in advance of any work. You might find a plumber will refuse to do work unless its clean though.

It’s not just opening the front door though- its taking the day off work, waiting in, potentially getting rearranged, feeling responsible for it getting done properly etc.

Or you could use a key safe.

A freelance PA service, as SilverHairedCAt said, is a good idea for some of this - though they would have to co-ordinate with the plumber and it could be a while before both people have a free slot to be at the property simultaneously. They can be quite expensive. Outside London £20-25 per hour is typical. Could well be more in West London.

Sorry if you think the term lodger or tenant makes a big difference to opening the front door!

Perhaps it shouldn’t, but the two terms have different expectations.

Tenants in HMOs who rent a room and shared space with people they don’t know are usually reluctant to do much of a shared housekeeping nature.

That’s why HMOs are usually run by experienced LLs who are set up to deal with it themselves - they make more money out of an HMO but it’s more work.

Lodgers in private households (as you have) have different expectations again.

You’re expecting a sort of hybrid situation of the two to apply.

If expectations aren’t managed formally from the start, issues arise.

Practically speaking? Try looking for an agency that helps Air BnB owners etc - they should be set up with themire irregular service type of thing you need. They’ll probably ask for a key safe.

In my experience people who say things like “I’m a brilliant landlord” very rarely are, think about it, if it was really so simple they’d take the £200 and let the plumber in. Do they feel that you’re trying to get around your legal obligations by classifying them as lodgers rather than tenants?

Are you a picky or interfering person or are they worried that if they give you an inch you’ll take a mile?

"A Girl Friday is someone you pay like a PA to do a job for you, like do some shopping, but a gift, deliver a parcel, sit in to receive a parcel when you can't, or maybe receive a tradesman."

None of that is what a PA does (unless you're a popstar maybe).

It must be a really awful place where you live. All tenants are awful, all agents are awful and all cleaners are too. What terrible bad luck! (lol)

If anything needs doing in my place instay in and let them in. Its just fortunate that i work part time and can juggle my days off. Anyone doing a 9-5 job is not going to want to do that. Its easy to get a cleaner online. Ask on your local facebook page, i couldnt be without mine and im in a flat share. Its the only way to avoid arguments. I dont know where in London you live that you are surrounded by uselessness. Especially when more people rent than buy these days.