Tenants getting handyman to do work. I'm just really peed off about it

[Porridgeaddiction]

I moved on with my now husband when we met into his house and I rented mine out.

I wanted to be a good landlord, so when the tenants moved in there were a few bits that they wanted doing so I asked my friend who's a handyman to do it.

There has been a couple of little things that have needed doing eg fix the guttering, and I've got my friend to do the job.

A couple of times he's messaged me to say that xyz needs fixing, is it ok for him to do the work.

Yesterday he messaged to say that he'd been to the house a few weeks ago to fix the leaking shower and a loose tile. Parts and labour £100. I didn't even realise that there was a problem with the shower and I'm p**sed off that the tenant went to the handyman and didn't tell me.

I just have a horrible gut feeling about all of this - either he's mugging me off or the tenants are getting work done which I'm not really required to do as a landlord. I know that they're very houseproud and like everything perfect, bit IMO as long as there's running water, central heating and no leaks, shouldn't that be enough?

Yes and the LL should authorise it not go ahead and just send the LL the bill.

OP definitely let them know that everything must be run past you first before any work is done.

I think that was just a throwaway remark , Op has done things for them that weren't necessary.

Doing 1-2 things that aren’t a statutory requirement doesn’t mean the OP is covering the bare minimum though.

Well you was going to fix the leak anyway, so what's the issue? At least it was done quickly rather than left.....

My boiler broke down so frequently that's if arrange with the plumber directly. I'd obviously contact the landlord first though. Turns out he didn't charge her, so there was no urgency to replace the boiler. Until it broke at Christmas.

This is worrying. Sounds like a new boiler needed

@Doingprettywellthanks. She did fit a new boiler straight after Christmas to be fair. And I still use the same plumber after I bought the house as he's excellent!

The tenants and the contractor are at fault here. The tenant should have gone through you,

You arrange the repair.

You authorise the works/get quotes if necessary.

You deal with access arrangements unless tenants happy to have their details passed to contractor to negotiate. You need their consent and that communication between tenant /contractor is solely around availability. Any follow up/additional works identified/changes to quote come to you.

The other things you have done such as the tiles and insulation/boarding of loft are over and abroad your duties as landlord. When renting you don’t get to stipulate such things. In my tenancy we are not allowed to access the loft or use it for storage. It’s become quite common now due to thick insulation weight and the potential for ceiling collapses from items stored. Also tenants frequently leave items on leaving.

Everyone has said that you should tell tenants and handyman to contact you first so you are in the loop. That is just basic.

I preume you have a legal agreement with them?

However you do need to check on your legal responsibilities and insurance and indeed mortgage if you have one - that you are covered for new loft and storage. And that they are covered for contents insurance.

I would seriously google advice to landlords. Do you have fire alarms, smoke detectors, co2 detectors, fire blankets etc installed? is the boiler etc checked every year? Do you have LL insurance? Is their deposit banked with a reputable firm?

We have several properties

2 I’ve never heard from the tenants apart from gas safety certs and the boiler person servicing we’ve never been contacted by them - one lot have a lot to do with them as they have ground and we need to mow- they also ring if an issue etc, we are not far away.

student properties- been called to change a light bulb, build a bed( 1st night broken bed) blew the electrics ( trip switch) , taken rubbish to the tip sorted it, arranged new appliances!

I think it very much depends on you as a landlord- I expect to work harder with students and provide more ( all white goods) furnish to include sofa and beds.

others they’ve asked and painted ( fine ) , chosen the floor, made a business space. They are long term tenants and the house is there.

the handyman should not take direction from the tenants

No, it's not enough just to ensure that there's running water, central heating, and no leaks! There's numerous other things I can think of that I would expect a landlord to sort. Your minimum standards seem a bit low.

They should have come to you first. And I’d certainly be reminding them of that. But no, having those essentials you mention isn’t enough, a leaky shower should be fixed when someone’s paying you to rent your property which includes a shower.

I give my tenants the name and contact numbers for my trusted plumber, gas engineer and electrician.

Tenants are told to let me know if anything needs done and otherwise they can contact the tradesmen direct to get repairs done. For minor things I'm happy not to be bothered in advance.

It's in my interest and the tenants' that everything is well maintained.

As a landlord I agree that all work should be arranged through you, except in a emergency such as a major water leak or something like a gas leak, but in your position I would be delighted to only have a bill for £100 for parts and labour.

A leak in the shower and loose roof tile both have the potential to cause hidden problems with water ingress, and I would be pleased that the tenant and handyman were both so conscientious.

Ah, all landlords are wicked defence! The corallary is that if tenants are adult enough to live away from mummsy and papa then they should be capable of understanding that the owner, ie evil landlord, orders and pays for work needing doing, not them.
Simply tell them that work not ordered by you is their financial responsibility.

I'm a LL, I think your tenants sound brilliant, sorting little things themselves and just sending you the bill. Fantastic!

I really think it sounds like a misunderstanding. You always use the same tradesman, they had an issue that was your responsibility to fix, so they though OP will only send the same man, we will just ask him. Just tell them to ask you first next time, problem solved.

Who gave the tenants the handyman's phone number?

I agree with a poster who suggested that the tenants may view the handyman as the de facto property manager, i.e., the person they call when something needs fixing.

That's clearly not the case, though. You just need to explain that they must contact you first for all repairs and you'll take it from there.

Well you say you did those things for the tenants benefit but they have been things that have improved your property. Your tenants have not asked you to cement fibreglass flamingoes to the roof, they have asked you for reasonable adjustments to your property. Be thankful you have tenants who care about keeping your pension fund in good order.

Basically you need to comply with your legal requirements as a landlord and also safeguard your investment ie the property. For me , tenants contacting trades directly to request work is a huge no-no. Make your plumber/ handyman friend aware that you will not pay for any works done without your prior agreement. However don’t discourage your tenant from flagging issues up, even though it’s a pain in the arse because you don’t want to miss anything that might undermine the property ie leaks. Changing fittings which are sound but not to your tenants’ tastes is strictly optional, I wouldn’t do it too much tbh because there’s a risk the demands will just keep coming. Consider joining the NRLA they have a landlords helpline which can be really useful.

Write to your tenants and tell them repairs are to be reported directly to you, you will engage a repair person of your choice and you will not pay for repairs you have not arranged.

They should report to you - but then the onus is on you to get it looked at/sorted quickly. Have you been a bit tardy with previous jobs?

As for changing the flooring because they didn't like it and boarding the loft for them to use as a cannabis factory storage then why are you doing this!!

You’ve entirely missed the point.

Firstly yes the tenants should have gone through you first

secondly your handyman should have sent you a quote and got the works agreed before going ahead and doing them even if he believed the tenants had your permission to contact him directly.