To not want LL and Wife to tag team me when asking for things to be done?!

[IrratatedCrow]

So I’m not social, at all. Im an antisocial person who likes to hide in their shell of anti social anxiety. Though I’m polite when I have to be I try not to deal with people or the general public unless I really need to. Unnecessary conversation is a chore and incredibly awkward for me.

So I need perspective because of how I am and I’ve never dealt with a LL directly. I’m dealing with a rented property through landlord the directly as stated, which is fine. He and his wife are elderly and quite chatty, so every time I make a request for something to be fixed I have the two of them down, landlord takes note of what needs to be done then que half an hour of awkward chatter about why they both think said thing doesn’t need to be fixed.

Yesterday I asked LL if he could come see the bath taps upstairs and the shower because the water pressure is immensely shit. Takes an hour for the bath to properly fill, warm tap becomes unbearably hot to the point where it can’t be touched and the shower (power shower linked to taps) is nothing more than a light dribble, you move it to get a better angle and the water stops. I’ve not been able to rinse my hair properly since moving in.

The plumber LL had in to fix the toilet (different issue) had looked at the shower/taps on my request and said the bath tap needs replaced as it’s old but the shower will always be that way because the oil tank is lower than the water tank, or something to the effect so always shite water pressure. So he suggested a new tap and an electric shower which he could provide and install for £120, I told him I’d chat to LL.

Que LL looking at issues and the next half hour with him and wife tag teaming to tell me basically that it’s working therefore there’s nothing wrong with it....I couldn’t get a word in with either of them! This happens constantly and I think it might be easier to deal with if it’s just him?

Is this normal? Does it happen often with other private LLs? Is LL/wife right about the shower/bath taps?

Of course they're not right. The shower is shit because they had a shit installer putting it in, it should always have had a power shower with a pump. The bath tap is clearly broken.

They're just browbeating you to avoid paying any money out. Landlords will sometimes try this, yes.

If you have no water pressure to have a shower and can't have a bath instead then they are not right. They need to fix one or the other.

Spoon, how the heck do I ask them to fix shit then?

Blue, their argument is it works. Yes it’s a light stream but the shower works and yes it takes almost an hour for the bath to fill but it WORKS. They literally repeated this so many times ...

"It works",hmmm,
"OK Mr and Mrs Landlord,I've heard you both,now I need you to listen to me .I agree,it functions,it has water dripping from it.It does not however succeed in functioning properly,to do what a shower and bless me,also the tap,should do:which is....".(Fill in your reasonable expectations.)
Give them an analogy:"Let me explain what I mean by "works" I have a colleague in my office who comes in late,types some emails,potters about,shops on line,goes home. She "works" The emails are work.But she ,like this bathroom does not do WHAT SHE IS PAID TO DO.Please fix it.
Practice this. It works! It's assertiveness ,it's a real boost !

Write everything down in and email

And ask there response in writing only, say that you will leave the property due to unstable living conditions

Are you on Facebook? Join a group called Tenancy Matters UK, some great advice on there about how to deal with LL who try to avoid maintaining their properties. Sounds like they think they can just talk you into submission.

I wasn’t given an email for the landlord so I’m assuming he doesn’t use it or doesn’t want to give me it. I’m tempted to offer to pay half of the installation just to get a decent shower. The stream is incredibly light and since I can’t get all of my hair rinsed my hair literally looks like you’ve dumped it in a frying pan, covered in grease! I did text explaining the whole thing though and I didn’t get a reply within a day so I added a “Please” to which I got told he’d reply a week later ...

Yes Bean, I’m on Facebook. Will give that group a look to see what they say too!

So just home after a long shitty day and even more awkwardness.

Had another meeting with LL and his wife today, got told that LL spoke to plumber’s boss who said it would in reality cost over 500-600 pound for the installation of an electric shower and that he didn’t know what his worker was talking about. Apparently I’m the only tenant who has ever complained about the shower/water and he’s not willingly to pay for a new one, I’ve been told to clean the shower to see if that helps the problem so I’m stuck now.

To top that off I’ve been told by his wife that I’m rather greedy for demanding a new shower (I didn’t demand ...) and dramatic, that the shower works and the house is in perfect condition otherwise. So yes, fun day!

*full day! Not fun!