I don't want to let gas man in

[Whyohwhy99]

I don't want to let the gas man in. I have already cancelled twice. Every year I get warning letters.. I don't want to let anyone in. I don't want have any form of interaction. I don't want anyone physically in my house. I don't even know when they are coming. I just know its an afternoon appointment.

Its ok. I don't know the TV show bit reminds me of something the young ones wound have done

My mum hates people in her house she can't settle, if she has her gas safety check or any tradesmen from.her HA, we try and get a proper time slot tbf her housing department are really good and will try and accommodate her. Maybe next time try and talk to your letting agent or landlord about it @Whyohwhy99

Are you medicated??? Even for triggered anxiety the GP can give you propranolol which you take the day off you knowing. Will reduce the palpitations etc.

If not, well you will find yourself being in a situation where the court can use reasonable force and you can kiss goodbye to any future rentals and a reference is required.

Well done for making the appointment. Hopefully that's the first step to feeling a bit better

They can take you to court and gain access then you will have no choice & no excuse will suffice. Just let him in and have it done with.

It maybe a boiler service requires doing yearly

If your kids come in, could you arrange for one of them to be downstairs and deal with the gas man? You could be upstairs in bed or locked in the bathroom if it would make you feel better. They don't leave any traces, so it would be like you just went upstairs and when you came down everything is the same.

Wouldn't it be better for you to just let them in the first time? Instead of cancelling and rebooking and the unknown new dates and faff of that? Just get it over and done with sooner then you can move on without stressing for months and getting warning letters.

Do you understand mental health at all?
It's not that the OP doesn't want to let them in, she's just terrified at the thought of strangers in her home and she doesn't know how to make the fear stop.

I can go away but i find it hard. I can kind of block everything out. I can get adult DS to do the talking. The only people I spoke to were my children. It was hard but I had to cover lt up. That's what I have done all my life so it was simlar. I don't know if i could i it again.

OP you're clearly having a hard time at the moment and I hope you get the help and support from the GP that you clearly need.

As someone else mentioned, if you arent able to let the gas man in today to do their checks, please speak with the company and explain the situation. I have no doubt that they would deal with these types of situations on a regular basis so no need to feel ashamed. They would rather work with you to make sure you are safe than fight you. If you do, do that ask if they could provide the name of the engineer who would do the checks and if possible can they send a headshot photo so you can see in advance who is coming and then you can match the photo to the person who knocks on your door. Might also be worth asking if they can walk you through each step of the checks they are doing as they do it so you know exactly what they are doing and also where they are in your house.

Are any of the reasons for not wanting people in the house related to bringing the outside in (ie unknown dirt and germs)? If so you can always ask them to wear boot covers (they should have some in their vehicle) and you can always give them some hand sanitiser to use before them come in. I may be way off the mark but hoping I can offer some usable suggestions.

@Whyohwhy99 let's break it down.

1. The gas man has to come in. You know this. Get it over with.
2. He will need access to the gas meter, boiler, and gas cooker if you have one.
3. Open the door. Say 'Hi, let me show you where everything is.'
4. Take him to the boiler, point to the gas meter (he will know where the cooker is), then say 'Let me know when you're done. I'll be in the lounge.'
5. Go into the lounge and shut the door. Put something on the TV. He will knock when he's finished.

You can do this.

Why would you sound like a total prat calling the company?

What is a gas safety check? I don't think we've ever had one in any house we've ever lived it. Before a smart meter we used to have meter readings ,that was all.

We have yearly gas safety checks. Bloke gives an estimated time in a prearranged window. Then he texts when he arrives. Pain in the neck but it’s all over in about 40 mins.

If it’s an official visit for a safety check it will be better to let him in. Why not go out or in the garden if you have one while he’s there?

If you rent a gas safety check is compulsory every year

You are risking your own safety & the safety of others in your immediate location

Stop
Breathe
Book the appointment for the gas engineer

Book an appointment with your GP for anxiety, this is not normal

Message deleted

Speak to your GP, it sounds like you need help with this.

I’d make a drs appt for some help with your mental health

Google it maybe? This entire thread is about them, it’s clearly a thing, not made up just because you’ve never had one ffs.

I work for a housing association lovely. If you called us and let us know the situation with your mental health, even if it is undiagnosed, we could put little things in place to assist.
Little things like, they would give an actual appointment time esp if you said you would let them in first time. With repairs , it could be done at times that would be better for you and giving you the times to make it calmer for you. They could make contractors aware of your situation so they would take as little time as possible and not chat to you, if thats what you wanted to make you feel better.
We could help with referring you to support for your mental health, someone there to make the calls on your behalf (if you gave permission) if you need that and thats what you wanted.
We would ask how you liked to be contacted, so if the appointments were better in text msg than letter or visa versa , that could be done.
there are people at housing associations whose job it is to help with things like this. Even if the first little step is just a chat.
The difficult first step is reaching out. But if the housing association knows , its a start to making your life a bit easier.
I dont know what company or area you are with but i know that is what id do .
You are more than welcome to message me if you want any advice or help , or even just here.
I think you are brilliant for seeing the issue and posting here for a start :) . Everything is a first little step .
Please ignore everything if it is too overwhelming but i am here if you ever need to message for advice.

If you live in rented housing your landlord is obliged to ensure that the gas supply and appliances meet safety standards every year. It has to be done by a qualified gas engineer.

It’s difficult, but it’s also important to challenge your dislike of people coming in to your home/ being in different surroundings. Because as we age the fear can get worse and turn into full on agoraphobia. Just think, it’s a days work for the guy ( or woman) doing the check, nothing unusual, he does these all day long. It will be longer than 10 minutes but probably only 1/2 hour out of your day.

This is ridiculous. You are risking your tenancy and your life. If you keep leaving it until warning letters come, they will end up evicting you for non compliance.

You need to have it done when it's due. Not keep cancelling it until they have to waste their time harassing you to sort it. Even if that means you go out and leave a family member to wait in for them.

These checks are for your safety. People die from faulty metres, boilers, gas appliances.

If your mental health is so poor as to be causing an issue with this, you need to be in treatment.