tenant not informing landlord immediately of boiler mal-function

[treesntrees]

AIBU to expect my tenant to inform me when his boiler starts to mal-function.
My tenant, a single man of forty rang me up on Monday evening to tell me his central heating boiler had stopped working. I managed to get a plumber out on Wednesday morning to fix the problem. The plumber reported the tenant had told him there had been a slight leak, about half a cup per month for some time. This had caused a drop pressure. If he had told me this when it started it could have been sorted without him being left without heating in the winter.
The LL gas service is due in March.
I had had a builder there doing some work a few weeks ago so he could have mentioned it then.

YANBU but it's really common.

You need to be really proactive on this stuff and ask specific questions. It drives me mad.

E.g. an appliance started to malfunction during it's guarantee period when I could have had it replaced for free, instead I had to fork out £200 to repair it when the tenants told me 3 months later...

I totally sympathise.

My tenants 'didn't want to be any bother' and only reported extreme condensation and cold bedroom when they couldn't stand it anymore. It came completely out of the blue and by the time they'd reported it, practically all the front bay needed replacing

Even when I got the builder in and he asked about the problem, they downplayed how serious it was. Cost me thousands of pounds and something I couldn't pick up through inspections.

Ooh, fanjos and tenancy issues are really taking over MN at the moment aren't they

Your tenant has a responsibility to report any issues like this to you in a reasonable timeframe. I think as it's a boiler issue which could be potentially dangerous then he should have reported it immediately.

Perhaps you need to remind him of the possible consequences which may occur with a faulty boiler/gas appliance.

I had had a builder there doing some work a few weeks ago so he could have mentioned it then.

Perhaps he did and the builder never told you??? He should be telling you directly though, not via a third party unless they are letting agents.

I have it the other way report boiler losing pressure, told well we cannot fix it unless you leave it with no pressure... Yeah because ok doing that in winter with two children leaving myself with no hot water or heating

YANBU i am a tenant and have a boiler that every so often the same part goes wrong i report it straight away to the letting agents as i cant do without my heating or hot water

It is unfortunate, but it's one of those situations where a tenant may have been put off complaining by past experience.

Many tenants will find that landlords take the mentioning of minor problems as a cue to hum and has about renewing the lease, or put the rent up.

A slow leaking boiler that causes him no trouble day to day, is going to be preferable to a rent rise, or an invitation to leave, from his point of view.

You'll just have to spell your expectations out really clearly I guess.

YANBU.

Tenants should be liable for any costs incurred by not reporting a problem immediately.

He should have done however tenants can be reluctant to report minor issues as a lot of landlords will take the stance that they must be a problem tenant and hold it against them.

YANBU. I'd be taking costs related to the lack of notification out of their deposit. I always ask my tenants to let me know as soon as there is a problem.

Pressurized systems do overflow water sometimes..... there are blummin instructions on the system how to rectify it. Its an easy job not one you need to call an engineer out for. So yes he was being a twat not telling you.

I can't speak of his previous experiences re. landlords but I always respond positively to any tenant concerns. This man has been my tenant for three years and is very quiet and has always paid his rent. When his housing benefit was reduced by a few pounds a week I agreed to a new lower rent so he shouldn't be nervous of bring problems to my attention. I'll have a word with him to see if there is a problem.

Oldraver. I wondered that myself after talking to a friend. I will be going to see him in a few days, by agreement so will take a look and talk him through the procedure.