Tenant Issues

[caringcarer]

We let out a house to a new tenant. When they moved in there was a brand new kitchen and all new white goods: washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer, cooker, hob and a large fridge freezer. We had gas and electric checks and certificates issued and painted all rooms and cleaned all carpets before they moved in. Tenant saw our cleaner and asked to borrow it to clean the carpets herself. I agreed so they were cleaned twice. After a few weeks she text to say the bath was blocked and water did not run away. We went up and saw water slow to flow away so called plumber and he plunged it and said the bath was blocked with lots of long black hair. The tenant has long black hair. She also said there is a smell in one of the bedrooms. We can smell nothing. We asked plumber of he could smell anything but he said no he couldn't either. Two weeks later she text to say shower did not work. We went up but shower was working fine. Two weeks later text again said shower did not work. We went up and ran shower for 20 mins and it was fine. She said fuse flipped down so we got electrician to checkout fuse box and he tested and said it was fine. Three weeks later she text and said boiler was going off so thought it was broken. We went up yet again and as weather warmed up she had thermostat at temperature that meant it went on and off to keep to temperature she had it set at. So nothing wrong with boiler. At the same time she asked to borrow our industrial carpet cleaner again which which we agreed to as she says one of rooms smells. We can still smell nothing. Now she has text me demanding carpet is changed for new laminate flooring. I want to tell her there is nothing wrong with the carpet and so she can't have new laminate flooring as we can only legitimately claim expenses on replacing old/broken items and the carpet is only 3 years old and nothing wrong with it. We have other properties and keep them up to a good standard. AIBU to refuse her laminate? We have already paid for a plumber because she blocked bath with her own hair and an electrician when there was nothing wrong with electrics.

Can you come and be my landlord?! You sound great! Tenant sounds like hard work. Although I sort of sympathise with her about the smell. Our third bedroom proper stinks in the morning, sort of like stale kebabs. It's not nice and we have no idea why it smells like that.
Do not rip up good carpet just because she wants hard floor, she took on the property with carpet so she needs to suck it up. Be wary in case something "accidentally" happens to the carpet and you need to replace it.

jaseyraex - Agree with you here. My dd1 has an absentee Landlord who has not touched the house in reality for six years. My dd has had new carpet laid and front room and bedroom decorated at her own cost. It is all tasteful and remarked upon as such by landlady on the only time she has visited.

Last year she had the house valued and dd was worried she was going to sell it. She told dd it was for remortgage purposes but I didn't believe her. dd panicked and looked for something else. I think the value was a lot less than she thought as where dd lives there is a ceiling price for town centre properties and it is very low. Both the agents commented on the poor state of repair of the property and one actually rang the landlady and told her exactl that. Cue landlady ringing my dd in tears! Sort your flaming property out then you selfish woman.

In comparison op, you sound an excellent landlady. This tenant is odd and I think you also need to get yours "valued" with a view to sale within the next few months...

Do you not have a break clause in your 12 month AST? They are quite common, have a look and see. If you do then use it.

You have made a rod for your own back by being so nice and accommodating but you now need to start saying no. Next time she asks for a tradesman tell her that if there is nothing wrong or her action are the cause of an issue then she will be paying. Also tell her that there will be no laminate flooring and that she does not have permission to make any changes. Never lend her your carpet cleaner again, she could claim it is proof you know the carpets are dirty and smell. If she wants to clean them she can hire a cleaner herself!

Gather up all of her previous communications, make sure you do as much via email as possible. There is one thing you can be sure of, she will be a nightmare at the end of the tenancy.

Oh, and be absolutely certain to keep the inventory/check in safe, make sure you have all proofs of having served the PI, keep the gas safe etc bang up to date and NEVER agree anything verbally, EVER!

She has started as she means to go on, it is YOU that needs to change, to counter her demands and unreasonable behaviours. Which is really sad as you sound like a great landlord!

She sounds like an utter pain in the arse. When’s her term of rent up? Can you find someone else?

If my plug holes seem slow or blocked I chuck a bottle of sink unblocker down, I wouldn't call a plumber. You could suggest she keeps a bottle handy? She sounds like she hasn't been responsible for her own place before.

My hair regularly blocks the shower. We use unblocker gel or (.much cheaper and main ingredient) caustic soda.

I manage a property for my brother who is abroad and the woman is a complete panicker who calls me at the drop of a hat when anything at all goes wrong. It’s a massive five bed Victorian house so inevitably things go awry. She started calling the maintenance guy herself without permission and I made it clear that if she commissioned work she would be meeting the cost unless it was an absolute emergency.

Your tenant is playing you for a new floor. The answer is no. Next time she calls about a supposed malfunction be clear that if it is something she can easily sort or no fault found then she will be invoiced.

One thing re the shower, the pressure may be affected at peak usage time if she is in a block, I have come across this and a pump/ power shower may be the solution.

I am a Guardian reader, CherryChasingDotMuncher, and I'd be the first to insist a landlord meets their legal obligations, which all too often they are not in aibu.

This is obviously not the case here. OP, do not replace the carpet with laminate. You could consider allowing her to replace it at her own cost (including disposal of carpet), but at your own discretion. I'd advise putting your reply in writing, and consider a written agreement to clarify maintenance that you expect tenants to do e.g. keeping plug holes free of hair. Hopefully your contract will already touch on this.

She is driving me mad with her continual texting. On the day she thought boiler was broken but it was not when we went to see it, she had text me 3 times, left 2 voice messages and 1 further missed call and all in 5 hours I was at work with my phone off. I told her she only needs to leave one text and her own dh did apologise and say not to pay too much attention as his dw gets stressed. I also use unblocker gel for sinks and baths in my own home and told her she must do the same as it turned out she had caused blockage with her long black hair. I am going on internet to buy a plug hair catcher form Dunelm and will give it to her when it is delivered. If she needs a tradesman I don't let her call them herself I always go and assess first but as we use the same tradesmen for several properties and our own home they come quickly for us. I am holding firm about the laminate floor. I have told her she can't have it. I am a bit worried she may deliberately ruin the carpet but my dh says if she does she just gets more identical carpet as we have some left on roll as we put same carpet in all our houses. She has called when she says she can smell something and we have been straight up but can't smell anything ourselves but she insists she can. I wish I had only given them 6 months contract but unfortunately we gave her 1 year so will have to struggle through with them until next Feb. If things don't improve I shall be giving her notice in Dec though, Xmas or no Xmas. I don't want to be mean especially as she has dd and I want her to enjoy the property as it is now her home but she is a difficult tenant and it is so noticeable because we have always had really nice tenants in the past in all of our properties. We would rather charge less rent to get nice people in. One family have been with us for over 8 years and another family almost 6 years and one young couple stayed with us for 4 years whilst they saved deposit for house and we took them champagne when they bought their own property we also give champagne when a new baby is born or a wedding so we are definitely not horrible landlords. We have been invited to a tenants wedding and I generally pop in for 20 mins with little gift for new babies.

Wow @caringcarer do you have any properties in kent?? You sound like an awesome landlady

I am a Guardian reader and also a LL. Our property is up to an excellent standard and, of course, we go above the legal standards. However, my advice would be to get rid as soon as legally possible. We have it in our contract that if a technician is called out for a false alarm then the tenant has to pay. We learnt this the hard way after one tenant started calling out people for complete non-issues and then sent us the bill.

Pay to join the national landlords association. You will get guidance there.

I shall be looking to add clause for call out for non issue to the contracts as each one expires and comes up for renewal and also standard tenant maintenance such as keeping plugholes free of hair. Just seems so odd as we have never had anyone do that before. Sorry no where near to Kent.