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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect my tenants to understand?

354 replies

Littleelffriend · 24/10/2017 18:45

I own a flat which I rent out. I wanted to sell it but no takers so I’m stuck . The rent doesn’t cover the mortgage but better than nothing. I got new tenants 5 months ago, lovely couple no issues.
Since they moved in there have been numerous problems. The roof started leaking, I got it fixed within 3 days. The cooker broke, I ordered them a new one straight away. They blocked the toilet with wipes, I paid for an emergency plumber the same day.
They called Friday and said they had no heating or hot water. I had an engineer out within 2 hours. He said he had to order a part which would be here today. It’s the wrong part, and it won’t be fixed until Friday now so a week of no heating or hot water. Totally shit, no argument from me. But my tenants are now being crap about it, going on about how frustrating it is. I know it’s frustrating, but these things happen and I’ve done my best. Aibu to wish they would be a bit more understanding?

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 25/10/2017 06:21

not having use of a shower doesn't mean you're"filthy"; you can heat water and wash from top to toe every day.

You can do that while you shiver because your home has no heat, with only a partial assurance of cleanliness as a result. And you don't have to be a sweaty Betty to end up quite pongy by about day 3 of the top to toeing. Plus you have your hair to attend to.

Living in your own home is not supposed to be a character builder.

What if a tenant has an important interview to dress for?

HeteronormativeHaybales · 25/10/2017 06:28

In some countries, incl where I live, having no heating in late October makes the property technically non-functional and meand the tenant is entitled to reduce rent - sometimes to zero - for that period. When we ended up with no heating for ten days in a cold October due to issues being found during gas maintenance works, damn right we withheld rent for that period and damn right our LL sucked it up (although we were little inclined to be charitable as we found out at that time that she hadn't acted when other tenants had reported smelling gas Shock She was lucky we didn't take legal action - or that the place didn't explode leaving her in court for manslaughter).

If by 'understand' you mean 'happily suck it up and don't complain, never mind withholding rent, for they are mere tenants', YABU.

hannah1992 · 25/10/2017 06:32

I had the same problem with my last house. I rent and my agents were brill. My boiler went (the law here is they have to have it fixed within 14 days) it was about 10 days due to ordering part etc. Although it was a pain in the arse. I looked at it this way. If I owned the house and I was repairing it I would have still been in the same situation.

You've done your best and yes they can moan about it but sometimes especially with boilers it can't always be something that's fixed in the same day.

I agree with give them a couple of fan heaters for heat.

I had to just wash but luckily I had a friend up the road who didn't mind us grabbing a quick shower and kids having a quick bath.

HeteronormativeHaybales · 25/10/2017 06:34

I think, btw, that the sympathy for OP not being able to sell/not covering her mortgage is misplaced. This seems to me to be one of the risks homeowners take. It's an example of the British fetishisation of home ownership that these risks are sympathised with and tenants are expected to forgive unprofessionalism, but tenants should put up and shut up.

Btw, OP, I'd have had them paying for the wipes thing. Can't stand people who flush wipes. Angry The other stuff, not their fault.

scaryteacher · 25/10/2017 06:47

Kuniloof Not true....where I live the tenants pay for boiler servicing. We dutifully got it serviced annually by the firm the l/l specified. It still stopped working. These things happen sometimes. As both a l/l and a tenant, I understand this.

KoalaD · 25/10/2017 06:47

I think, btw, that the sympathy for OP not being able to sell/not covering her mortgage is misplaced.

I agree. I have (or had, as am now a homeowner, thank fuck) zero interest in my LL's mortgage woes. Why would I??

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 25/10/2017 07:00

I think as a society we need to stop seeing homes as investment vehicles

It's someone's HOME at the end of the day

Yet it's treated as some kind of ISA !

Being a landlord should be far more regulated and people should ideally have training

You have to train for most life skills but not for providing a decent home

Nakedavenger74 · 25/10/2017 07:24

For all the posters who hate LL’s, where would people live if there were none?

Err I'd probably be able to afford my own property rather than bolstering someone else's investment portfolio. Investors with available cash artificially raise prices. Simple. My old rented flat in London (two bed first floor in Brixton) sold for £700k. To buy it I would have needed £100k in deposit alone.l which is impossible to raise on a standard salary. Who bought it? An investor with ready cash and a load of other properties.

Bubblebubblepop · 25/10/2017 07:30

Koala but if you'd lived in England/ Wales where no such law exists, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. So the fact you phoned and chewed them out where you live is irrelevant

kuniloof your post is absolutely bonkers. Of course well maintained boilers breakdown. What kind of idiot would replace an entire boiler when it only needs a part replaced?

KoalaD · 25/10/2017 07:34

Koala but if you'd lived in England/ Wales where no such law exists, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. So the fact you phoned and chewed them out where you live is irrelevant

I don't believe that there's no law about how long you can leave tenants without hot water in England and Wales. It'll be different, but there'll be one.

And I didn't chew anyone out. I reminded the estate agent of his obligations. Which he knows as well as I do.

It's called not being a doormat.

JonSnowsWife · 25/10/2017 08:09

Totally agree with you @heteronormativehaybales.

JonSnowsWife · 25/10/2017 08:11

What kind of idiot would replace an entire boiler when it only needs a part replaced?

A sensible idiot when they realise they could no longer obtain the part. Like my LL did. It really isn't that hard to work around if you're willing to meet people halfway Hmm

JonSnowsWife · 25/10/2017 08:14

For all the posters who hate LL’s, where would people live if there were none?

Well given a distinct disproportionate high number of renters are renting from LLs with mortgages @nakedavenger .

I'm guessing they'll be able to stop working all hours God sends to pay another man's / woman's mortgage, and be able to save up the deposit to afford their own.

sandgrown · 25/10/2017 08:24

We had no boiler for 7 months because we could not afford a new one. We survived with an electric shower and boiling kettle for hot water. OP has responded quickly and seems a very decent landlord.

frumpety · 25/10/2017 08:24

Bubble that's me told !

OP I can understand the tenants frustration , they thought it would be fixed at some point on Tuesday , so 4 days without heat and hot water , then you let them know on Tuesday that it won't be fixed until Friday ? I appreciate that this is not your fault , but surely you can understand why they are so fed up . Let them have their moan , it will be fixed on Friday .

LakieLady · 25/10/2017 08:26

We were without heating/hot water for over 2 weeks recently, thanks to a cock up at the company who sent the required part to the wrong end of the country. Despite being over 60 and riddled with arthritis, I managed to keep myself perfectly clean by heating pans of water on the stove and carrying them upstairs, and standing in the bath and pouring it over myself with a jug. I washed my hair at the kitchen sink, wit some help from DP.

I felt very stupid when I found out that there is a perfectly good shower tucked away in an obscure corner of the building where I'm based.

I can understand your tenants being pissed off, OP, but I don't really see what more you can do. I'd recommend taking out some sort of service contract that covers urgent repairs.

Re the buy-to-let mortgage, it is usually a condition of a residential mortgage that you live in the property/don't rent it out. If you have let the flat without either getting permission from your lender or converting to a BTL mortgage, you may in breach of the terms of your mortgage. In theory, they could foreclose on it if they found out.

JonSnowsWife · 25/10/2017 08:26

Tenants will say I’ll be in for 30 mins in the morning and 20 in the afternoon and then get shitty when it isn’t doable

This is one of my bugbears. Maybe it ISN'T doable. Maybe the tenants have important shit to do too? Like working. Or the school run pickup. Or a hospital appointment that might overun (I had an 8:30am one day, I was still waiting at gone 12!). Once, a place I worked in, overan with a very complicated legal case, everybody was supposed to have had left by 5pm, the usher, the clerks,etc. We were all still there at gone 7pm. It was 9pm by the time i got home that evening, and no, I wouldn't have been able to nip home in my lunch hour to a workman which would have been more suitable for the LL and workmen. We didn't bloody get one that day! Basically with all the best will in the world, the tenant(s) can't always work around you as a LL neither.

If you can't grasp these basic concepts and both of you cant have a working tenant v landlord relationship professionally then maybe the 'profession' should be reconsidered.

I completely empathise with accidental LLs like the OPs. Not with those who make it their business and then moan when they tenant expects certain things from the service you are providing.

KoalaD · 25/10/2017 08:30

We had no boiler for 7 months because we could not afford a new one.

Yes? That's because you don't have a contract with yourself to provide yourself with a property maintained to a certain standard.

People don't seem to understand that you (legally) cannot just choose to maintain a rental property however you want. If you're willing to live like Little House on the Prairie for months, good for you. You cannot impose the same on your tenants.

CatchIt · 25/10/2017 08:30

Jesus! Sometimes I think MN is a parallel universe!

As usual the OP has been completely twisted into epic unreasonableness because people haven’t bothered to read the post.

Personally I think it’s the plumbers fault for ordering the wrong part but hey, as long as the OP can be bashed because she’s an evil LL, that’s ok.

If the part takes 5 days to arrive, it takes 5 days, there’s not a lot that can be done about it. 🙄

DressedCrab · 25/10/2017 08:33

I'm amazed at the number of posters who expect OP to produce a fully functioning boiler from her arse.

Boilers break, plumbers can't be on call 24/7 and neither do they have every possible spare part to hand. OP is doing all she reasonably can.

As for those who say she should pay for a hotel? Barking mad.

JonSnowsWife · 25/10/2017 08:38

As usual the OP has been completely twisted into epic unreasonableness because people haven’t bothered to read the post.

Why? The fact they disagree doesn't mean they haven't read it. They just disagree.

JonSnowsWife · 25/10/2017 08:39

I'm amazed at the number of posters who expect OP to produce a fully functioning boiler from her arse.

Yes. Stupid them. Hmm I was simply saying mine was fixed another way.

A tenant expecting central heating and hot water is not an unreasonable thing. That's all most sensible people are saying.

Urglewurgle · 25/10/2017 08:45

I work for a housing association and, this time of year, we wouldn't class no heating as an emergency (unless there is a vulnerability or medical need) and the first appointment would be within 5 days.

Hot water is never classed as an emergency (unless vulnerable or medical need). You can always boil the kettle, or if they have an electric shower use that.

I do think they've every right to be pissed off though and you have to appreciate that.

Leilaniii · 25/10/2017 08:52

I am renting and came home to no hot water a few weeks ago. I will be honest, I went absolutely feral at the Landlord's Agent. Having no hot water is miserable.

Not saying it's your fault, but I can understand their 'frustration'.

picklemepopcorn · 25/10/2017 08:55

Those saying that tenants pay for a service which they are not getting- anything you pay for can be out of action while it is repaired. If your laptop breaks down within its guarantee period, you send it off for repair and manage without it for a few days. There is almost always a delay in sorting these things out, with the best will in the world, paying for something doesn’t mean their can't be snafus.