AIBU to refuse access to knobhead gas engineer

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Hi, long time lurker, new poster.

We rent. Have done our entire working lives. Never had any problems. Rented long term in London, had super relationship with previous landlords, even got card and flowers when we left and told if we ever need to go back to the area to give them a call.
Moved out of London to cheaper, nicer area. Landlady sends round gas engineer who for reasons unbeknown to me behaves like an arrogant fucking cockwomble. Parks on my drive without asking so I couldn't get my car on when I came home. Husband was already home and let him in thinking I was expecting him (I wasn't) I walk in to my living room and he's there and doesn't even acknowledge me when i ask what he's there for. (landlady forgot to tell me) I ask him to please take his shoes off. "I can't" he says then without asking telling me what he's doing he walks upstairs, boots on, starts opening all my cupboards, I call up asking what he's looking for (boiler obvs), I tell him where it is. Doesn't say a word to me, just opens it. I go down stairs, in the kitchen telling husband what a rude twat he is when he barges in the kitchen, in between my husband and I having a chat, not an excuse me, no, "I just need to check the oven" or similar....no, nothing, not a word. He turns my oven off with the kids dinner in it. I say, 'erm excuse me could you wait until I take that out' I get (with back turned to me) "No I haven't finished" He then TAKES MY TEA TOWEL AND CHUCKS IT ON THE FUCKING FLOOR" Now this would be bad anyway but I suffer from chronic OCD and general anxiety disorder. I threw him out there and then. I felt so invaded. My home is my orderly 'safe space' and it was such a horrible experience. My husband told letting agent to tell landlady never let him back. Letting agent was witness as she rolled up halfway profusely apologising that she forgot to tell me. She was standing in kitchen with us when I chucked him out.

Now I must say, we are a landlords dream even if I say it myself. Professionals, rent paid early each month, house immaculate, new quality carpet laid at our expense, long term renters. Our previous landlords have always appreciated this and never made us feel like second class citizens or 'just renters'
Despite knowing I have OCD (I let landlord know before I moved in as it seriously affects my life and home access, always need shoes removed, funny about strangers using my loo etc) she was happy to go ahead. Now the gas certificate is due again. I'm being told it HAS to be the same guy, he's the ONLY person qualified and it leaves all previous guarantees void if anyone else does it. Is this true? I can't find anything online about this. Now I know I need to allow access for maintenance but I also know I am entitled to live without harassment and live in peace. Do I really need let the man who i had to chuck out round my bloody home again? I have never had a single problem in the 20 years I've rented so I don't feel I'm being unreasonable asking the landlady to give a bit more consideration to really good tenants who i am told are a rarity. The letting agent has explained how damn rude he was. If it was her home I'm sure she wouldn't allow someone who had offended her in her own home back, why is it acceptable for her to force this arsehole on us again? AIBU to refuse access?

He sounds like a right pig and I totally understand where you're from. You can buy those disposable shoe covers yourself to hand out at the door - Amazon do them for £4.99 for 100. Might be worth it for the future - they can refuse to remove their shoes but you're perfectly at liberty to say they have to wear shoe covers.
Stay firm & refuse to have him back

It's downright disability discrimination if the lettings agent cannot arrange a safety check with another person - or doesn't permit you to arrange your own via a gas safe engineer.

My partner is also a gas engineer you should hear what he says about them. He has a degree and he loves studying they hate the way he talks he sounds to posh. He used to work in the corporate world, customer service is very important.

What should have happened after the last inspection was for the landlady/letting agents to find a new engineer for this year's check. Obviously that didn't happen.

My concern is the inspection must be carried out as it is a legal requirement and if it is due before Christmas you may struggle to get another engineer. I suppose for you it will be balancing how you (justifiably) feel about him vs how you feel about being in a property without an up to date safety check

I hope it works out.

If he's done all the previous checks how come he had to go rummaging for the boiler. I think you've been told a load of nonsense

Good point gratedcarrotstick. If he was the one that fitted it he wouldn't have been rummaging! It's bollocks.

I think your LL is trying to go cheap and she likes how cheap he is. When is he doing the gas safety check.

IMO your LL can organise another engineer, to refuse is just to be petty since the agent can back you up on the nature of the previous visit. You are not obliged to put up with a rude and careless engineer, who may not even do the job properly.

I don't have OCD but I can sympathise with a lot of what you say about having that sort of workmen in the house, we are having works done at the moment and you would think they own the place. Not good customer service IMHO and I can't wait till they've finished. Another job we had done recently were good as gold, got the work done quickly and well and left no mess, so I don't have it in for all of them, just the ones having a laugh.
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Excellent point grated. Don't let them push you around OP

I'm a LL and I choose who does inspections, not the tenant. We have a trusted plumber who has done work for us for years.

It's rude to ask people to take their shoes off, I don't understand why people think this is normal. It isn't. I certainly don't take my shoes off when visiting or ask my guests to. Weird.

If the LL says it's him or move out, what would you do?

NoSun, what do you think of the engineer's behaviour and manner, shoes aside? Do you find it acceptable? Would you have him back?

He doesn't sound that nice but it isn't my call. OP was rude asking him to take his shoes off and it went from there. He was certainly brusque.

It's the LL's call so if she's happy with him OP doesn't have much choice.

OP was rude asking him to take his shoes off

No the OP was not. Most tradespeople who come round to my house ask if I would like them to take their shoes off. I don't care too much if they don't, but it's obviously accepted practice that you either take them off, or at least ask.

NoSun If as a landlord you knew that your tenant couldn't accept the engineer into her home for proven mental health reasons, why would you not want to do everything in your power to keep her happy? The tenant is the one paying the rent. You have more to lose?

It's never happened here. Their shoes are clean when they arrive.

NoSun, it is good manners, and in my own experience normal, to offer to remove your shoes upon entering a person's home. The person you let to has the right to quiet enjoyment of the property whilst renting, you (or your bank) owning the bricks and mortar doesn't change that. It is not bad manners to offer to remove shoes, and it is perfectly within the rights the person living there to ask, surely? They are not asking you to strip naked.

You obviously have a good plumber to service your property, but are you saying that you would employ a rude (although cheap) gas engineer and insist upon their returning at the expense of goodwill from the tenant?

It's the LL's call so if she's happy with him OP doesn't have much choice.

Oops, my mistake about goodwill then.

I find it weird that you think its weird to politely ask people to remove their shoes. I remember a thread on here about this a while ago. It got heated. I never wear shoe in peoples houses and where I'm from its common practice. People just take them off or ask. Carpets where babies crawl don't need filth from the outside. I have cream carpets no way would I want outside shoes traipsing on them. Regardless of whether you feel its normal or not, a polite request does not deserve such rudeness. If you believe that is justified then I feel sorry for your tenants. You sound a lot like my landlady. If it comes down to it I'd move, no problem. Last tenants she had in trashed the place so bad she was in tears and they left with mountains of unpaid rent. Bailiffs knocked for them months after they had gone. She is more than welcome to try her luck again with rolling the tenant dice. As much as I don't want to, I'm in a good position to move where I like in the same area with a less up their own arse landlady.

Your idea of clean is probably different than mine. Dogs piss on pavements as do other animals. It's not being walked on my carpet where my baby crawls. Never been a problem anywhere I have ever lived and I'm nearly 40. So if it was me being weird I'm sure it would have been brought to my attention by now.
Missing the point anyway. It's turned into a 'shoe' thing. There was far more to it than that if you read my post properly.

He sounds obnoxious. All the gas engineers we have ever had have been excellent with good manners. They are from British Gas, though - if that makes a difference. The character you had was rude and surly.

The gas engineer has treated you disgustingly. His treatment would have been poor anyway but seeing as you disclosed OCD/GAD, it was utterly appalling behaviour. Some people are nasty.

AND..I didn't actually ask him to remove his shoes when he entered. I watched him walk mud all over my lounge and had him blank me when I asked him what he was here for etc. I asked him as he went to go upstairs. With, "Oh excuse me would it be ok if you removed your shoes if you're going upstairs" I was more concerned with the fact it was ok to just walk upstairs without checking it was ok first. That's the main issue.

I wouldn't want him anywhere around me ever again and I would report him to his company, too. Register a formal complaint.

My plumber is lovely and very good at his job, so I wouldn't change him if my tenants took against him. They aren't likely too, though, they've met him a few times and they are also lovely reasonable people.

She couldn't turn the boiler on, he was there in an hour. Her fault, as it happens, she wasn't doing it properly. He showed her what to do and didn't charge us or her for his time.

Is your house a fully-managed tenancy with the letting agents? IE you go direct to them with issues rather than to the landlady?

If so, he probably has a contract with them to do the inspections for all of their managed properties, which is why they won't send anyone else