To think having a workman sent to my home every week is absolutely ridiculous?

[Willow79]

I am fuming.

In the last month and a half my letting agency has sent various people round to do gas checks, legionella checks and to fix multiple breakages caused by a result of faulty installations before my arrival. I am working from home and the kitchen and living room is open plan - every time a workman comes they have several questions for me and I am not able to do my work productively.

Now the oven has broken and a guy is coming to fix it on Thursday. And now, as a result of a gas check, they have emailed to say they are sending someone round to install an additional part to the hob. This is a nice to have so I dont need to use alighter to light the hob, not essential.

I have told them multiple times these endless visits are disrupting my working life. It is actually really starting to affect me. AIBU to refuse?

I have a tenant who is wfh and desperately busy so simply can’t have an electrician round to do statuary electrical checks with no power for 4 hours. I checked. It’s fine. I just needed her to put in writing that she did not want anyone to come in due to COVID. I in turn needed to have made ‘best efforts’ to get the checks done, with written evidence.

The number of checks is ridiculous. Yes, homes needs to be safe but my guess is that they have become so onerous that only good landlords bother.

@Needmoresleep I have never lived at a property with so many checks. Especially during a pandemic - the last guy had his paws all over everything with no PPE so then I had the stress of cleaning everything he touched.

If they can come on Thurs or Fri this week I will probably manage it. Anything beyond that will need to wait.

It's not unreasonable to specify times when you cannot accept the visits and they will have to work around them. Similarly if you want to minimise your exposure in the run-up to Christmas.

In practice it is very hard for a landlord to enter a property if the tenant refuses. Even for the annual gas check. (Though I would be pretty unsympathetic if I was not able to get a boiler serviced and then it broke down.) With COVID it would be impossible, except in an emergency,

There are protocols for workmen. Masks, gloves, etc. Some even require the tenant to have windows and doors open to minimise touching.A plumber I used a couple of weeks ago said he would hate to carry the virus into the home of a vulnerable person so he takes infection control very seriously. You have a right to ask about the measures they will take in advance.

But there are too many inspections. I agree there. The flat which needs an electrical cert was rewired six years ago, and I got the appropriate certificates then and indeed Local Authority building control sign off. The inspection alone will cost three hundred pounds. I would prefer to give the tenant the money. (And no doubt she would agree.)

Why can't you work in your bedroom whilst the workmen are visiting?

If you owned the property you would have to be carrying out these things yourself so there would be very little difference in terms of disruption. I know I have and I'm working from home.

Murray, no. Standard and checks required for rental properties are significantly higher than for home owners.

I read your last post which was basically the same and where you got all the same advice.

Either refuse the visits because it’s to disruptive or accommodate them and don’t keep moaning.

Just say no, if you want to. You do seem to be winding yourself up about it, rather.

You can refuse, but make sure you do so in writing so that your very diligent and conscientious landlord can keep records of this.

Or say you will accommodate this at a certain time and day.

You know it is good, right, that your landlord is so mindful of their responsibilities to you?

the last guy had his paws all over everything with no PPE so then I had the stress of cleaning everything he touched.

Sorry, but that's your own fault for not telling him to wear gloves. You have to take some responsibility. No workman crosses our threshold without gloves and mask and shoe covers.

If I were you I’d simply so no and cite COVID. For more normal times, decent landlords / letting agents will allow you a say over when people come to your home. Mine offer to give my number to the relevant tradesperson so we can agree a mutually agreeable time.

“In the last month and a half my letting agency has sent various people round to do gas checks, legionella checks and to fix multiple breakages caused by a result of faulty installations before my arrival.”
All essential. Fixing oven and hob so the property can pass gas test is also essential.

I would sympathise with you if your landlord randomly sends workmen in to do something utterly unreasonable like repainting the rooms while you are working from home. But it appears your landlord is carrying out essential safety precautions required by law so his insurance remains valid and you don’t die from accident fire, gas leak etc.
Set up your work station in your bedroom. Don’t work in the open plan part of the house.

If you owned the property you would have to be carrying out these things yourself so there would be very little difference in terms of disruption.

But that’s the benefit of renting, isn’t it? You’re not responsible for those things. The OP is moving out and doesn’t have to accommodate days of work. I get that that’s not ideal for the LL.

@Polyxena

LLs can’t win on Mumsnet. If they fix stuff, they’re intrusive and annoying and if they don’t fix stuff, they’re grasping selfish cunts.

I am a grasping selfish cunt of a landlord.

Today DH spent a fair whack of time on the phone explaining to our brand new tenant how to load and start our miele diswasher because she had never had a dishwasher before.

We would have gone around, but for the fact she is 60 miles away in Tier 3.

We also allow pets.

But according to the MN credo we are the scum of the earth.

Thing is, I see so many threads on here about landlords not caring or not bothering to get fixed that honestly, if I was in a rental property I'd be absolutely thrilled if my landlord was on the ball like this. Just let them in, tell them you're working but they're free to get on with things, and that's that. They're working in your home, they don't need to be entertained.

Just let them in, tell them you're working but they're free to get on with things, and that's that.

It’s not, though, is it? If you’re working in a kitchen-diner and someone is also taking the cooker apart, there’s going to be a lot of noise and disruption. I wouldn’t be thrilled as a boss if I was on a conference call and there was a drill in the background. WFH isn’t ideal for everyone, and I get that landlords feel they need to get these things done, but we can’t blame people for putting their work before minor maintenance in someone else’s house.

Crikey, most tenants would be over the moon to have a landlord ensuring important safety checks are done. However are the agents really just "sending" tradesmen round with no prior warning or are they notifying you in advance (which is what they should do) in which case you can reasonably ask for a different time if it's inconvenient.
That said, it's incredibly hard to get heating engineers at this time of year, so there may be limited flexibility. I'm sure you'll be the first back on here complaining if your boiler breaks down and it's -5 outside.

Are you moving to another rental property? Will you need a reference from your current landlord?

Headphones on and talk to yourself :-)

You would soon moan if these things weren't done - but maybe you could agree a specific day they come so its all on one afternoon/am or something

I’m a LL. All these checks are a legal requirement and cost a fortune. You are being unreasonable to complain, these are done for your safety.

Alternatively you can refuse the checks and not allow the tradesmen in. You are perfectly entitled to do so.

OP your post reminded me of the song 'The Gasman Cometh'. Not that's remotely constructive, just couldn't resist mentioning it.

Homes take a lot of maintenance. I’ve had someone round virtually every week for the past few weeks (needed replacement oven and hob, gas safety, plumbing job, replacement radiator going in shortly, tidy up garden and do the jobs I can’t do). This is what responsible homeownership looks like. Even more so for landlords (I am one as well as a homeowner) who have to get all manner of legal checks done.

We are all WFH - dealing with tradesman is just part of living in a property that’s well looked after. I don’t think you’ve got much to complain about.

From a long time renter, I'd think yourself lucky. Usually you'd be nagging for months to get even the most important or even simple things repaired!!

Does your job permit you to go and work in a cafe/library etc while the LL or EA comes round to sort the workmen out?