To be pissed off with my tenants changing plugs on my appliances

[ReallyTired]

They aren't electricians. Am I legally responsible for their stupidity if they electrocute themselves? (Gawd forbid!) They did not contact me about any maintained problem.

If there is a problem with an electrical appliance I would rather they told me so I can get someone with half a brain to fix. I have a condensing tumble dryer in the flat. They moved out the dryer and complained it has water in it. Duh! It's a condensing tumble dryer and you are expected to empty the bottle. There are instructions about all appliances. For some stupid reason they decided to change to plug and now they have tripped the electrics.

If the tumble dryer is ten years old why does that necessitate a £50 rent increase every month?

Is it gold-plated?

Tenants have changed the plugs (wow)

And so the electrics have tripped ( bigger wow)

Changing plugs is a fairly normal thing .... If you don't want tenants changing plugs then perhaps tell them at the outset , because they aren't mind readers .

On the face of it, yes YAB a bit U because as people have said, plugs aren't hard to change. My partner and I have done a fair bit of rewiring in our house ourselves rather than getting an electrician out because it's much much cheaper. But the key difference is that it's our risk to take because it's our house. If anything goes wrong it's entirely our fault. I wouldn't do it on a rented property and I think you're getting a bit of a hard time from some people. I wouldn't change a plug in my office no matter how capable I think I am!

You're right in saying that LLs have a duty of care, which changes the situation, and for that reason, I wouldn't want tenants faffing around with any wiring or plugs either. Even a simple job can be done incorrectly and it will fall on you if something goes wrong.

Since you've said they're daft rather than malicious I'd just have a chat with them to let them know that all problems should go through you, even if they think they're capable of handling it themselves, purely for H&S reasons. If you're fairly hands on and they have no reason to think you won't pick up the phone if they call then it shouldn't be a problem.

And she is right, she is responsible if their pfaffing causes damage or injury as she is deemed to be in control of her goods, the ones she provides as part of the let. That it was her tenants that changed the plug may not be a valid defense for her. Which is why such stuff is coverd in a standard AST.

As for the person who said they changed their cooker socket.... OMG! That is specifically covered in regs that are now years old... Electricians must comply to Part P of the building regulations in England and Wales. In Scotland they must comply with the Building Standards system.

So if you did change the cooker socket, I hope you supplied your landlord with your certification, also as per the reg Competency, in this case, will mean a full, qualified knowledge of electrical installations. It will mean you have the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety and you will be able to issue a minor works certificate as a self certified "competent person".

If not you have left them in a tricky legal position!

Btw if you have an agent then there is normally a clause in the agreement forbidding tenants to do any electrical work. You may have one in your TA regardless.

Specifically to avoid this sort of thing, but also to avoid the insurance being compromised if the house burns down or someone gets injured.

I gutted the kitchen at our rented flat and apart from a plaster skim and the sockets, I did everything myself. I was perfectly capable of replacing socket fascias, but had to get an electrician to take them off and then put them on when the plastering was done.

It was just to cover everyone's arse.

So check your agreement just in case it's covered.

Why would you change a plug?

I've never changed a plug. Is that a thing? Should I be changing plugs??

OP don't replace the tumble dryer - you will still be responsible for it. If the old one is not working remove it, or at least make it unusable by removing the plug.

The more you put into a rental the more you are responsible for. If they want a dryer they will have to get one themselves.

I can change a plug but why would you? Why did the tenants feel the need?

Last time I took a plug apart was when an extension lead stopped working. Turned out that over time the one of the wires inside the plug had come loose. Luckily it was an old extension lead with a plug you could easily take apart. It's very rare to have to change a plug, in my experience. You may need to change the fuse, but you can do that without taking the whole plug apart normally. Again, that's very rare.

Changing a plug is a very very simple job. I would be taken aback at anyone contacting a landlord because a plug needed changing. That is like asking an electrician to be sent out to replace a light bulb.

I'd expect most people should know how to change a plug, but I'd also expect most people would know that a condensing tumble dryer needs emptying, so I'm not sure I'd trust these people to wire a plug correctly. That said, have they technically messed with the electrics? I would have thought that meant the wiring of the house not a plug on an appliance. Has it actually done any damage or just tripped the fuse?

I change plugs when things stop working. It's the first thing I do when things go wonky. Change fuse, change plug, check that switch is wired tightly and hasn't come loose. When that fails Google. Only then do I bother calling anyone or replacing something.

I only do this when things are out of warranty. If it's still under warranty I change the fuse and then call the warranty people, with the exception of obviously replaceable things such as filters on washers or hoover parts.

I got a good 6 months extra going out of my old Vax by taking it apart and washing out the water pump. It was still working when I eventually replaced it which I only did when they went were on half price sale because I knew the old one was on it's last legs.

I've never changed a plug either (31) or even seen anyone do it. It wouldn't occur to me to change a plug or fiddle about with it.

Most major appliance plugs are now permanently attached, ie, you can't replace the plug without cutting the cable.

I imagine some were still the old fashioned type when this TD was bought 10 years ago, but if not they will have had to actually cut through the cable.

Bonkers.

"If the tumble dryer is ten years old why does that necessitate a £50 rent increase every month?"

The rent will still be below market value. The tenants can either choose to accept the rent rise or move. It's a business, not social housing. I am within my rights to ask for a rent increase irrespective of the tenants being daft. I probably will have calmed down by the time I decide how much to put the rent up by. It's a bad idea to decide on rent increases when you are annoyed with a tenant.

"Changing plugs is a fairly normal thing .... If you don't want tenants changing plugs then perhaps tell them at the outset , because they aren't mind readers ."

It's my equipment surely it does not require someone to be a mind reader to contact me if there is a problem with my tumble dryer.

And at 10 years old, it has reached its lifespan anyway. Yabvu to increase the rent because of that.
Also I have had tumble dryers but never a condensing one where you have to empty the water. Might have been an idea to explain this to the tenants, rather than assuming and then mocking them because they didn't know.

And this is why renting from amateur landlords can be a nightmare.

OP, one thing I am confused about is that you say that they have been tenants for two years. They would have surely worked out that it is a condenser tumble dryer by now and they must have changed the bottle a few times! Perhaps there is water leaking elsewhere because it has got clogged up with fluff.
Regardless, you have no evidence that it has stopped working because they changed the plug and you will look a bit of a fool and unreasonable if you charge them for a new tumble dryer without even checking.

I am amazed at the number of people on here who don't know how to change plugs. I am not into DIY at all, but I thought this was a very normal skill on a par with filling up the oil in your car.

It isn't really a choice thing any mor though. 10 years ago the new Part P regs were introduced. It is a complete pfaff if you are perfectly capable of changing a plug, but, in rented accommodation, there will always be a higher level of care required and renters should not meddle.

Or the tenants could read the instruction manual..

BTL isn't easy money. Its a gamble like any other investment. With years of people winning big, lots will have to loose big to even it up.

Could it be they have replaced the fuse? It's a ten second job. Perhaps they have used a fuse with a greater resistance than is required.
That would trip the circuit breaker; I take it the wiring is of the modern standard ie consumer unit and not the old fashioned fuse board type.

And as for knowing how to use teh tumbe dryer... that is why LLs leave the user manuals to be read. It is for the tenant to acquaint htemlseves with the equipment.

Cleaty, you are being obstreporous... for no good reason

renting from amateur landlords can be a nightmare

Yes exactly!

If I was renting, I would change a plug, just as I would change a light bulb. I suspect this is a generational difference from reading this thread?

Or are renters not supposed to change light bulbs either? It is much trickier changing light bulbs in some of my recessed ceiling lights, than it is to change a plug.