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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To insist my tenant pays

109 replies

SaraBellumHertz · 02/08/2012 11:01

Bit of history so genuinely not sure if IABU or not.

Tenant had today announced that she has had a plumber round to bleed the radiators and that I now owe her the money for this?

Surely this is something she should have done herself?

OP posts:
Trills · 02/08/2012 11:04

She shouldn't bring in plumbers/electricians/etc without speaking to you first.

PersonalClown · 02/08/2012 11:05

Why did she need a plumber to bleed radiators??
It's the easiest thing in the world to do!

Mama1980 · 02/08/2012 11:06

She shouldn't have done anything without checking with you first.

mollymole · 02/08/2012 11:06

What does she say as to why she did not contact your first ?

silverten · 02/08/2012 11:07

I think it's a bit cheeky of her to ask if she didn't mention anything to do with the heating or getting a plumber out to you first, yes.

It's July, it's not like bleeding the radiators was likely to be an urgent job, so a quick phonecall to clear it with you first would not have been unreasonable. Flipping heck, then you could have popped round with a key yourself!

lottiegb · 02/08/2012 11:07

She should have notified you of the problem, then it's up to you to decide whether to do it yourself or pay a plumber. Do you have a history of not acting on problems?

You might think this is a maintenance task she should do herself. I thought the same about unblocking a u-bend and defrosting a freezer. However, my common sense is someone else's no idea and I'd always rather be told about a small thing than not told about a big one, or for a small thing to be left to turn into a big one.

futureunknown · 02/08/2012 11:07

If she expected you to pay she should have asked before hand so you could get quotes or use your own plumber.

Indeed yes it is a job that you shouldn't need a plumber for. There is info on how to do it on the internet.

You need to make sure she asks in future before she spends your money.

I would be tempted to meet her half way on this. Explain she should have asked and she could have done it herself but you are prepared to pay half.

IslaValargeone · 02/08/2012 11:07

She can't just get tradesmen in without giving you the opportunity to do it or get your own contractor in first.
I would probably meet her half way on the cost this time, in the name of civil relations, but tell her in future, if she gets something done with no communication, she foots the bill.

LadySybildeChocolate · 02/08/2012 11:08

Goodness. I'd never expect my landlord to pay for something which I can sort out myself, and I'd ask first. It's really easy to bleed a radiator.

Trills · 02/08/2012 11:09

Even if it was a really difficult job that needed an expert, she should not have got in the plumber without telling you about the problem and letting you choose the plumber that you use.

Iteotwawki · 02/08/2012 11:09

It depends if she's tried to get hold of you to get the problem fixed and not had any joy.

I've had to get a plumber round for that sort of thing in the past and the landlord repaid me without question (did need an invoice) but I had prearranged the call out with them.

I wouldn't do basic maintenance like radiator bleeding in a rented house in case I inadvertently did more damage.

silverten · 02/08/2012 11:09

I'd quite like to know the context, now....

EnglishGirlApproximately · 02/08/2012 11:10

Should have done it herself, or if there was some sort of problem with the central heating generally she should have contacted you. It's basic household maintenance. I've rented for about 10 years now and I'm bewildered when LL's on here talk about things their tennants expect.

This is my home so I look after it as though I own it. I only call my LL if there's a major maintenance issue (i.e. no hot water - earlier this year). As a result I have a great relationship with him and he leaves me alone and doesn't do constant inspections etc.

CheeseandPickledOnion · 02/08/2012 11:11

She called a plumber out to bleed her radiators without checking with you?

No, I wouldn't pay for that. Even if she was completely unable to do it herself, she could have phoned to check it was ok or ask you to do it.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 02/08/2012 11:14

YANBU.

She should have called you when she felt the need to have someone in to sort the radiators, especially when all they needed was something that is so simple that it doesn't require a plumber.

Definatly don't pay.

geegee888 · 02/08/2012 11:15

She's not one of my ex-tenants, is she?! She seemed to want me to pay her to live there. She developed what I can only describe as an obsession about the central heating making a noise. It was a 4 second whine every 30 minutes or so from the pipes, impossible to fix without relaying all the pipes and then no guarantee. She complained it kept her awake at night but I'm an insomniac and it was my former home, and it never woke me!

She wanted the radiators bled, the central heating checked, all sorts. Constant phone calls and complaints. But then she also did things like turning down the volume on the door buzzer and complaining it was faulty and she needed someone in to fix it, strange things would happen to tv connectors, kitchen taps, and so on. I gave her her notice, she moved out owing 3 months rent and reported me to CORGI. Pointlessly, as the central heating had been passed by one of their plumbers just before she moved in...

Bizarre. Whoever got her next would have had no former landlord's reference.

Noqontrol · 02/08/2012 11:17

Well it depends if she tried to get hold of you and couldn't. Id expect someone to have the ability to do this themselves really, when I was a landlord it was written into the contract, and dh showed them how to do it. But some people don't have a clue, esp if they've not done it before. If she could of got hold of you but didn't bother, then I would say the bill was all hers.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 02/08/2012 11:17

YANBU - I am a LL and no I wouldnt pay for that either!

lottiegb · 02/08/2012 11:20

Check your contract though, it should say something about notifying you of problems that are your responsibility.

Of course whether you want to get all contractual, or just explain for next time, depends on whether you want to keep her and whether there's a risk of her staying but with worse relations.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 02/08/2012 11:56

TBH I dont want my tenants taking it upon themselves to do certain tasks as in the past they have been known to fuck it up and make things ten times worse. If I lived on my own I dont think I would know how to bleed a radiator - I am sure its easy enough but I am crap at anything manual.

Its the not being notified in advance I would have the problem with esp as my DH is a builder and could nip round and do it for them.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 02/08/2012 12:02

She shouldn't have done it without asking you, no ... but I'd also let my LL know before bleeding a radiator and lots of them would tell me not to do it myself. Daft, but if you're not used to doing it I suppose it's possible you could get it wrong and get the gunky water inside spilt everywhere?

I would be slightly suspicious though - maybe I'm a nasty cynic but what if the plumber is her mate on the make? She must know she should have asked you first. There is no way needing to bleed a radiator is an emergency, so unless you were out of contact for ages, she's being rude.

Original poster
SaraBellumHertz · 02/08/2012 12:04

No she didn't try to contact me first and frankly even of she had who on earth calls a plumber to bleed a radiator?!

This is not the first time she has taken it upon herself to decide to call in tradesmen and then bill me.

She is also generally a bit of a pita (and I'm still smarting that in a house with carpets and fabric sofas she has in breach of her tenancy agreement got herself a puppy)

OP posts:
RabbitsMakeBrownEggs · 02/08/2012 12:06

So long as you aren't my landlord.

No email to OT to let them know fitting some extra handles around the house is fine, even though it was agreed. Nearly six months waiting.

No plumber sent round despite asking for an urgent issue, where shower was not shutting off and did not have an individual cut off point to save the hot water from being constantly depleted.

No notice given to the fact that the bath isn't sealed, so any vigorous showering or bathing fuses all the downstairs sockets, leaving the kitchen without power.

A very badly fitted mains fire alarm, which makes the downstairs light flicker and goes off when you switch the light on/off, and is set off by tumble drier steam, or if I boil a pot of water for pasta unless I shut the door over.

I'm getting to the point where I am considering using rent money to pay to fix all the problems with the house. I guess bleeding a radiator isn't on that scale though, just had to get it off my chest.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 02/08/2012 12:06

I think she's walking all over you.

ColouringIn · 02/08/2012 12:07

YANBU unless of course she has had a problem for weeks and weeks. Just speaking as a tenant I lived in a house where the central heating broke down without fail every winter and the LL took weeks to sort it out. Had I been flush enough then I would have paid someone to do it for me.
Not saying this is like you though.

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