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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:
ColouringIn · 02/08/2012 12:45

Tenants don't have loads of rights. I speak as someone who has been both sides of the fence. My LL was a bloody nightmare and the Letting Agents were worse than useless. No heating working in a house with a young baby. The LL took weeks to sort it and the man who was employed to sort it out was very rude to me. "Why was the LL paying for the heating repair"?
"Because the LL installed the faulty bloody boiler mate, that's why".

I have never felt more inferior than I did as a private tenant.

MaisyMooCow · 02/08/2012 12:47

*Benedicts' that's what they are reviewing at the moment however it has taken them 2 months so far to come to a decision on it. The money the tenant has already spent can't be replaced by HB so I'm already down on that.

It's no wonder many landlords won't rent to people on benefits. These scroungers let everyone else down by getting them tarred with the same brush. It's so unfair.

Original poster
SaraBellumHertz · 02/08/2012 12:51

benedicts that's kind of where I am with my tho k

OP posts:
OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 02/08/2012 12:52

It is unfair Maisy. I've seen loads of posts on here from people who find it difficult to find somewhere to rent because LLs wont accept HB. But when so many HB claimants don't pass their benefit on to the LLs, and then the LLs can do bugger all to get their money back, it's hardly surprising that so many are reluctant to take HB claimants.

Then the people who can't find anywhere that will take HB blame it on LLs discriminating, but they should really be complaining about their fellow tennants who have ruined it for them.

Original poster
SaraBellumHertz · 02/08/2012 12:54

benedicts that's kind of where I am with my thinking. The rent is paid, albeit not always on time and the carpets and sofas will already be trashed so it's a case of better the devil I know. I could kick her out, replace carpets and sofa inevitably at my expense and then get an absolute horror Sad

OP posts:
BenedictsCumberbitch · 02/08/2012 12:54

maisy sounds like your council are making things a lot harder than they should do. All we had to do was contact the council dept that dealt with housing benefit, explained the situation, they confirmed with the tenant that he had no legitimate objections to this and it was chnged very quickly. Good luck.

ColouringIn · 02/08/2012 12:54

I know people claim HB and then don't pass it on. Terrible.

I am on full HB at the moment and it is paid direct to my LL.. End of.

MaisyMooCow · 02/08/2012 12:56

It would be so much easier if HB was paid directly to the LL in all cases.

TheBigJessie · 02/08/2012 12:57

On principle, I wouldn't renew the tenancy. However, after reading the horror stories on here, what's the point of getting rid of her, repairing the damage in order to let it again, and then getting another entitled young madam all over again? Unless it's a matter of spend thousands now, or spend tens of thousands in a year's time, you might be better leaving her there if she always pays the rent.

But this isn't an informed or objective view in any way whatsoever!

TheBigJessie · 02/08/2012 13:03

X-post

Pancakeflipper · 02/08/2012 13:05

Have you been given the invoice for this ? How much does a plumber charge for bleeding radiators? I would say you will go halves this time ( if the invoice is in order) just to be 'reasonable' and say if she does this again in getting people in without checking with you -then you won't be paying any monies.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 02/08/2012 13:07

I would hate to have the benefit paid straight to me.....if there was a problem with the HB and say they have overpaid or the tenant has been fiddling the council will look to the LL (as the one who receives the money) for compensation.

No thank you!

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 02/08/2012 13:08

Mind you, its years since I dealt with tenants on HB (wont now, not tenants fault but council take so long to sort anything) so it may well have changed since my day!

TheBigJessie · 02/08/2012 13:15

I prefer HB paid to me, so that if something goes wrong with the claim, I KNOW. As opposed to a landlord informing me it's over 6 weeks arrears now and serving notice out of the blue. Known that happen to a friend.

TheBigJessie · 02/08/2012 13:19

^That was many years ago. Local council is efficient with rent now, but things like that are memorable, whether you're an LL or tenant.

Want2bSupermum · 02/08/2012 13:21

Tenants are customers. There are some good and bad customers out there and you just don't want the bad ones.

I assume the agreement is an AST and if the standard boiler plate version it will have a clause in there saying the tenant must contact the LL if there is a problem. She failed to do this so is in breach of the agreement. She is also in breech of the agreement because she has a puppy. I would not want her as a tenant and would give her a months notice to move out the day after she pays Augusts rent (which should have been yesterday). I would also not reimburse her.

Find a new tenant and before accepting them do a credit check plus get reference(s) from their previous LL. As a LL I am brutally honest about my previous tenants. Some have been great and others not so much. Little things such as a tenant being messy has an impact and the new LL needs to know if they need to hire a cleaner to come in once a fortnight.

breadandbutterfly · 02/08/2012 15:14

Want2B - that's illegal - landlords are required by law to give 2 months notice not 1, and 2 months from the date the tenancy started not the first day of the month (unless they are the same) whatever it says in the tenancy agreement.

That said, I think this tenant is either taking the mick or just unaware of the normal way of doing things. If you want to hold on to her, I'd point out that the tenancy agreement requires her to inform you if repairs need doing and that you will not reimburse her for any future repairs unless she does this, as you could have bled the radiators yourself easily, and saved yourself the money and her the hassle.

Viviennemary · 02/08/2012 15:37

So even if the tenant has broke the agreements of the lease (by getting a dog) do they still have to have the 2 months notice?

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 02/08/2012 15:48

yes, 2 months is the notice you have to give and you have to serve it on the particular day of the month that the tenancy agreement started. You cant get rid of them any quicker if they break the contract.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 02/08/2012 15:51

And tennants complain that they don't have enough rights Hmm

helenthemadex · 02/08/2012 16:17

yanbu she should have asked

if you are thinking of paying it, I would get a few quotes from local plumbers to make sure the price is reasonable

ColouringIn · 02/08/2012 16:33

Outraged - tenants do not have enough rights. I have been both sides of the fence and never felt more of a second class citizen than as a tenant.
Trying to get repairs done was a nightmare
Sub standard accommodation (because the LL did not carry out essential repairs).
Letting Agent who could not give a fig.

And I paid my rent on the dot every month without fail.

I give thanks for having been housed by a housing association. At least when THIS house needs repairs they get done in a timely manner.

Original poster
SaraBellumHertz · 02/08/2012 16:41

The contract quite clearly states she must contact us before engaging tradesmen but then it also states no pets

The bill is almost £200. Comprises a call out charge and an hourly rate. I can imagine that the job did take the time indicated and they are a reputable company.

I just can't fathom why she needed a plumber. Grrrr

OP posts:
HipHopSkipJumpomous · 02/08/2012 16:44

She is taking the piss ....
Oh no that is the puppy on your new carpets Grin

YANBU - she should run any such expense by your first and as others have pointed out you hardly need a plumber to bleed bleeding rads, esp not in JULY!!

"I'm normally on the side of the tenant in the perennial Mumsnet Landowning Class/peasantry debate" me too jodieharsh

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 02/08/2012 16:46

Just don't pay it Sara. You had no contact with the plumber, your tennant did. She is liable for the bill.

Colouring, if you are in a sub standard let then you have the choice to move. You have the choice to withhold rent, not that you should but it's an option open to you. Clearly there is bugger all the LL can do about it.

I can't believe that anyone can think that tennants don't have enough rights when they can break the contract, get two months notice, can't be evicted until after that notice, can't be chased if they don't pay rent, can't be chased if they damage someone else's property, aren't liable for costs of eviction if they don't move out voluntarily, and after all that it's up to the LL to prove why they need to keep the deposit? You don't think those are enough rights?

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