AIBU to refuse access to my bedroom?

[SecretChocolateStash]

My landlord and I arranged mutually agreed a time today for a gas engineer to come to do the gas safety check which is due.
This was arranged several weeks ago.

The day before yesterday he emailed to say the EPC (energy rating) needs doing too so he will send someone at the same time.

I’ve had a google and it seems that this epc inspection involves the assessor checking windows lights and radiators in every room of the house, plus the loft and for cavity wall insolation.

The gas engineer would only need to be in the downstairs to check on the gas meter and boiler so I hadn’t especially worried about cleaning and tidying as the downstairs of my house is usually tidy enough for unexpected guests. (That’s the rule I try to live by)

However, the upstairs isn’t guest ready.
The bathroom and guest room/office are fine and I could quickly have a wizz around DS’s room to make it presentable but the master bedroom is a bit of a dumping ground and I have piles of washing (clean to be ironed) and boxes of clothes and shoes to go to the charity shop and stuff in bags to go to the tip.
Really it looks a mess and I really don’t feel up to sorting it out and making it look presentable just for a check that I wasn’t expecting.

Wibu to say I would prefer to rearrange but if the do want to do it today they can do every room except the master bedroom?

Just let them do their job, nobody will care what the room looks like as long as they can access radiator, window and anything else they need to do.

@Shedbuilder

I have to go into peoples' houses to carry out surveys and do epcs and we don't care how tidy they are. We do prefer it if you have put your dirty knickers etc away so that we don't have to move them.

The person carrying out the epc will need to measure and assess and photograph the windows, the radiator and its controls, the boiler/ hot water cylinder (which is sometimes in a bedroom). They'll also need to photograph the light-fitting. They can't carry out an epc without access to it all.

Please don't waste the epc surveyor's time by letting them come out, then telling them they can't do the entire property. They get paid a ridiculously small amount for what can be hours of work.

They will have seen far worse than your bedroom, so just make sure they can get to the window, radiator and can photograph the light. (They're looking at the kind of bulb that's being used, not whether your lampshade is dusty). They'll also need access to your loft, so make sure that the space beneath the loft hatch is clear. They really won't judge you on your tidiness or dusting skills.

So that there is no confusion for the OP . The actual time in the house is not "hours of work " . It took about 20 mins maximum.

@MakeWorkYourNewFavourite

Someone has just come around to fix my boiler. I thought he'd just be going near the boiler. He is now balancing the system, which involves going in every room of the house and pissing around with the radiators. I asked him to come back next week, but he clearly thinks I'm nuts. I haven't cleaned my house in weeks. I've just been so so busy. And some rooms are massive dumping grounds! Absolute tips. Covered in cat hair. He's still in the house. I want to die. He's also a friend of a friend, so now everyone will know what a dirty, dirty bitch I am. Bloody hell! On the plus side, he doesn't want to charge me because I run a cat rescue. I don't know what to make of that. I think he thinks I'm mental and feels sorry for me. But, the heating is on!

ahaha! this reminds me of the time I made the mistake of asking the man who came to install my smart meter if my fire had a flue. We had only just moved in and I had never seen it. He then said it would be best if he checked in the loft, meaning he had to come upstairs into my junk room get my ladder then go in my loft, then go in my back garden through my kitchen and dining room to make sure it came out of the roof. I had a tiny baby at the time and I was totally not prepared for someone to be in my house.

They really won't be bothered about a bit of mess, some of the things you see as a tradesperson are shocking! An untidy room won't phase anyone.

I’ve rejigged the piles to make it look a bit neater, and all the random stuff l has been thrown into drawers.
I’ve given it a Hoover and it looks better than it did.

When we first bought our house it needed some urgent work doing in the master bedroom. We’d just moved in and were in the middle of decorating it so it honestly looked like a building site. Still let the workman into the room, he needed access to it and I just had to get over myself basically.

They need access to that room to complete the checks. Give it a quick tidy if needs be, maybe shove the boxes under the bed or something.

DS’s bed was built into the space (there is literally an inch of space between the wall and the bed at either end)

The inspector could climb up onto his bed to look at the window but the radiator is behind the bed so is completely hidden.

There is no way the bed could be moved out of the way,
The only option would be to empty all of the stuff out of it and dismantle the bed completely to remove it from the room.

I haven’t agreed to the epc inspection btw, I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time but I know what my landlord is like so I was prepared for the person to turn up regardless of me not agreeing to or acknowledging the email about their visit.

I used to work for an LA on a notorious sink estate (which I also lived on, before anyone rips into me) and to be quite honest, unless your house is a candidate to be on Britain's Filthiest Bastards or something, they will ALWAYS have seen far, far worse. Just get it done, then you don't have the worry of it hanging over you.

I'd shove the piles of clean clothes into a wardrobe and put the charity shop stuff in the car (if you have one) so it is out of the way and as an added incentive to get rid of it.

Although it seems stressful, just remember that if you get both out of the way today you won't need to worry about it again for ages!

OP, if it's stressing you out so much do you have any spare blankets or such-like you can cover it over with?

Legally. He only needs to give you 24 hrs. This does need to be done ASAP. It’s his legal duty.

Don’t worry about the mess. They won’t. You say it’s not guest ready. But he’s not a guest. He’s just a bloke who has come to do the check.

You're right, VivaMiltonKeynes, most of the hours of work (unless the house you're assessing has had loads of extensions of different ages, sun rooms and is built from non-traditional materials and has hexagonal rooms and a startling variation in ceiling heights) go unseen.

Get it out of the way if you can, then its done.

If you really can't face it, can you tell them your DS is isolating as a close contact and is using your room so that room can't be accessed today?

I wouldn’t be having any workmen in the upstairs of my house unless it’s an emergency. Guess it depends on covid rates in your area. Mess wise, unless you have faeces on the floor they won’t care.

It doesn’t need to be done until April so it’s not urgent, I think the lands sees it as a way to get all of his obligations for the year out of the way in one go.

They do not check that at all, they check the boiler, Carbon Monoxide alarm if you have one, and I think Smoke Alarm, never ever have I known them check windows and radiators.

I think I’m going to email him and just say I can’t move the bed in one of the bedrooms so if the inspector can do the certificate without full access to everything it’s fine but otherwise it will need to be done in the new year.

Legally. He only needs to give you 24 hrs.

I do wish people would stop spouting nonsense. This simply isn't true. Even if it is written in to a tenancy contract.

If you can't do it then tell them to reschedule after Xmas as your isolating from Covid.

Instead of wasting time on MN go get it done, I’m sure it’ll only take a few hours maximum. Come on OP you can do it.

@SecretChocolateStash

It doesn’t need to be done until April so it’s not urgent, I think the lands sees it as a way to get all of his obligations for the year out of the way in one go.

That is pretty urgent, he legally needs it done and rightly wants it out of the way, at the least possible inconvenience to you. Just leave everything as is and let them at it. When it’s something he has a legal obligation to do, there is a high likelihood it will be impossible to get appointments at times next year close the the deadline, let alone at a point you find convenient.

No they will definitely not be looking to take the bed apart to get to a radiator, you are way overthinking. Just leave things and let them at it, they’ll be out in 20 mins and you’ll never have to think about it again.

They will have seen worse.

@SecretChocolateStash

I think I’m going to email him and just say I can’t move the bed in one of the bedrooms so if the inspector can do the certificate without full access to everything it’s fine but otherwise it will need to be done in the new year.

OP, you are seriously overthinking this and stressing over nothing. I think when the EPC he came to ours, he glanced at the windows to see if they were double glazed or not.

@BethlehemIsInTier1

They do not check that at all, they check the boiler, Carbon Monoxide alarm if you have one, and I think Smoke Alarm, never ever have I known them check windows and radiators.

“An EPC is performed by a Qualified and Accredited energy assessor who visits the property, examines key items such as Cavity wall, floor and loft insulation, domestic boiler, hot water tank, radiators, heating controls windows for double glazing”