To expect tenants to let tradesmen in?

[ForeverBubblegum]

Gas safety certificate is due on a flat we rent out, so we hired a gas engineer DH knows through work to do test and service boiler at the same time. The gas man offered to call the tenant and arrange a time with them so with permission I passed on the tenants number. All seemed simple enough.

A week or so later we got a call from gas man saying the tenants weren't in at arranged time, but they would reschedule. Today another call, tenant was not in to let them in again, and this time they are billing us for their wasted time (far enough, they could have been doing other work)

So was I being unreasonable to expect tenants to be home when they arranged to be? Should I have arranged to go with a key myself? Probably will have to now (obviously with notice), but seems like an unnecessary intrusion on their privacy.

"Do you really think letting agents, or council officials in the the case of public housing, will sit in a tenants home waiting for the gasman to arrive? Or all day waiting for a delivery of a new fridge etc"

What has complicated these issues is the loss of workers rights and zero hours contracts. If a tenant is in this position and suddenly gets called into work and they say no im waiting in for a workman they might not get asked again if its ZHC.

Definitely be careful. I got a shitty email from my landlord over not letting the plumber have access for the gas safety certificate - I sent a fairly unimpressed reply back pointing out that I hadn't heard anything from any plumber, but would certainly grant access if asked.

Luckily for me the plumber managed to definitively and unequivocally prove himself to be a lying toerag several months later - the landlord fired him and I think we're on better terms now. But it was pretty shitty when it was just his word against mine.

Pretty crap on the part of your tenants, but shit happens. They could have last-minute changes to their own plans or just be plain disorganised. Or misunderstood and thought you'd let the engineer in.

Stay within the law, but YWNBU to request to let the engineer in yourself for a gas check on a certain date and time.

@Selmababies because the private landlord profits from the tenant. If I buy something from a shop I do not sit in the stockroom waiting for the delivery. If I am in receipt of a public service, such as social housing, or for instance a doctors appointment, I am happy to wait. That is the obvious difference. A private landlord works for me, I contract him for a service and maintaining his own property is part of that service.

Tenants in more precarious situations may feel that they have no choice however. That is due to the unfair nature of the housing and rental market in this country.

@JasonPollack
A private landlord works for me, I contract him for a service and maintaining his own property is part of that service.

A private landlord works for you? Don't be ridiculous- you're not their employer!

I think we'll need to agree to disagree on this.

A private landlord works for me, I contract him for a service

Interesting!

So if they evict you, they're firing their boss?

"If I am in receipt of a public service, such as social housing, or for instance a doctors appointment, I am happy to wait. That is the obvious difference"

Thank You for this Its very helpful comment which proves what ive been saying for years Its come along just at the right time too.

Housing associations are PRIVATE companies. They dont come under the FOI.

Too many people still dont know what they are talking about.

What one rule for a private tenant and another rule for a social tenant leads to.

propertyindustryeye.com/letting-agent-furious-after-social-landlord-escapes-prosecution-despite-gas-safety-breaches-in-1000-homes/