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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have been out twice in a day?

31 replies

RainbowPonywithWings · 17/03/2019 18:58

I live in a block of 4 flats all owned and rented out by a Housing Association. Block is 2 flats downstairs, 2 upstairs and narrow staircases to the upstairs flats. There’s a communal entrance but we all have our own front doors.

On Friday I opened my front door at 10am to find a man painting it (I hadn’t been told) asked if I could get passed with my 3 year old and went out to a group. Came back at around 12.30 for lunch and there were stood on a small stool in the middle of the staircase painting the ceiling. Guys moved to let me, DD and pushchair past.

At 2.30pm I needed to go out again as was due to pop in on my granddad. They were still on the staircase painting the ceiling. The man not painting told me that if I went out again they couldn’t let me back in again until they left at 6.30pm (my daughters bedtime). I said I’d be back about 4.30pm and they replied that me going in and out all the time meant they were behind and I’d have to wait until 6.30pm to get back into my flat unless they could catch up and leave earlier.

I did go back at 5pmish with my mum and they begrudgingly moved when she stood repeatedly asking them what they were doing (mum didn’t come into my flat or they’d have had to move again when she left).

But AIBU to think it’s normal to go out a couple of times during a day? The other residence in the block all work until 6pmish and their children are either in childcare or have moved out so it didn’t really matter to them.

Or should I have “stayed put” until they left? Just been mulling this over, and considering whether to discuss it with my HA in case it happens again?

OP posts:
QuestionableMouse · 17/03/2019 19:00

It's weird they expected you to stay in all day. I get it might be a pain to move everything so people can get past but it's part of the job imo. They can't hold you prisoner just because they have painting to do!

TheQueef · 17/03/2019 19:01

Just do what you normally do.
Ignore the grumpy workpeople.

Crunchymum · 17/03/2019 19:02

My DP is a decorator and it's part of the job that you have to move out of the bloody way for your clients (he works privately though but still)

BuffaloCauliflower · 17/03/2019 19:03

Yes they were very unreasonable, of course people are going to come and go. Definitely say something to the HA

SummerInSun · 17/03/2019 19:03

Of course you shouldn't ha e stayed put. Totally reasonable and entirely normal. I would probably just have given a friendly laugh and said "very funny, see you later".

kaytee87 · 17/03/2019 19:05

Yanbu. I would mention it to your housing officer if you have one.

StoneofDestiny · 17/03/2019 19:05

How do you paint a door properly when it's shut?

thenettyprofessor · 17/03/2019 19:05

I would phone all my friends and ask them to come round in 10 minute intervals. You have a right to do what you want, when you want!

Original poster
RainbowPonywithWings · 17/03/2019 19:07

How do you paint a door properly when it's shut?

They were just painting the front of the door, not inside my flat or anything.

OP posts:
WhenZogateSuperworm · 17/03/2019 19:07

It took someone a whole day to paint your front door? How big is it??

PuzzlingPuzzle · 17/03/2019 19:07

You returned at 5pm and they were very much able to let you in, it just required them to move a bit?! So it was utter nonsense that they couldn’t let you in until 6.30pm then...
I don’t know about a housing association but having rented, I would complain to my landlord about this and would ask for reasonable notice of future maintenance works if it was going to impact access to my flat.

IncrediblySadToo · 17/03/2019 19:09

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bloody idiots.

You should have just said ‘Who do you think you are?’ Hmm

When he was rattling on about running late you should have said ‘That’s not my problem. If people want to work uninterrupted then they should make a request it in advance’ 🤷🏻‍♀️

Don’t be intimidated by twats like that!!

Original poster
RainbowPonywithWings · 17/03/2019 19:11

So it was utter nonsense that they couldn’t let you in until 6.30pm then

They only moved because my mum was annoying them, if she hadn't been there I can well imagine them keeping me waiting until 6.30pm

It took someone a whole day to paint your front door? How big is it?

No they did the whole communal area including the ceilings, hence why I couldn't get past them because they were on the narrow staircase.

OP posts:
Foxmuffin · 17/03/2019 19:11

Sound like complete jobsworths! Of course you can leave as and when you please!

SingaSong12 · 17/03/2019 19:20

It might be a pain for them but tough, you have the right to go in and out. HA should also have let you know it was happening- what if you were getting a big online supermarket delivery?

PuzzlingPuzzle · 17/03/2019 19:23

They only moved because my mum was annoying them, if she hadn't been there I can well imagine them keeping me waiting until 6.30pm
So they were perfectly capable of moving and once pushed by your mum they somehow managed it even though they’d previously declared it impossible until 6.30?! So in short, they were trying to restrict your access without having given any prior notice of works, not out of necessity (because they very much could move) but out of pure laziness. You should definitely complain.

UrsulaPandress · 17/03/2019 19:25

You need to channel a bit more of your mum.

LittleMissNaice · 17/03/2019 19:26

So they were completely blocking the stairs? That sounds like quite a fire hazard.

BobTheDuvet · 17/03/2019 19:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Heismyopendoor · 17/03/2019 19:31

Phone up your HA tomorrow and complain. They are not very nice guys and also ask why you didn’t receive notice of the works.

vintanner · 17/03/2019 19:31

They were painting a communal area so should know that people would be using the 'communal' area.

I would def. complain to the HA, because they can let the company they used know about the rude workmen and also, so they know they made a mistake by not informing you of the works (you should receive an apology from both HA and workmen).

PlatypusPie · 17/03/2019 19:31

Surely your HA, as your landlord, should have given you some kind of advance notification- even a note through the door the day before would have been courteous and considerate.

Original poster
RainbowPonywithWings · 17/03/2019 19:32

No notice but that isn't uncommon for my HA, they often turn up for "planned" repairs of my flat unexpectedly

OP posts:
diddl · 17/03/2019 19:34

"me going in and out all the time meant they were behind "

You need to tell the HA so that they don't hire the incompetents again!

Kb8219 · 17/03/2019 19:34

Phone housing association and complain about the attitude of the workmen!