Who's being awkward, landlord or I ?

[buttersquashsoup]

I live in a block of flats and around 6 months ago there was a leak coming through my bathroom ceiling from the upstairs neighbours shower room. All fixed now but the ceiling and walls need repainting. I’m not actually that fussed about it and just glad the leak is fixed but understandably the landlord wants it redecorating. He’s hired a local painter to do the job and pictures have been sent but he wanted to have a proper look to see what the damage was. Landlord gave him my number so he could deal directly with me as it just made things easier. So far, I arranged for him to pop round 3 times and he let me down on every occasion, no text or phone call to say why. Finally he came round tonight and has now asked if he can do the job next weekend and has quoted two days to do the work.

I work full time with weekends off and given that it’s lock down and I can’t go anywhere I’d really prefer to have my home to myself (can hardly lounge around in my pyjamas whilst he’s here). I’m more than happy for him to do the work during the week between the hours of 7am-6pm (I’m usually home by 6:30) but I think weekends should be off limits, I think that’s fair?. Given his unreliability, I’m wary of the work taking longer than quoted as well. When I spoke to my landlord and asked if the work could be done during the week, he said it would be difficult as the painter has a full time job and weekends are his only free time. I don't think my problem though?. I’m tempted to say that I don’t mind waiting until he can squeeze me in during the week. I personally wouldn’t say the work is urgent.

I’ve always got on well with my landlord and don’t want to rock the boat but AIBU for wanting to enjoy my home in peace?

🤔

I own, and if I need people to come do something on the house I have to take what times they can give me: good tradespeople are really hard to come by. I feel that’s part of what you take on if you buy a house.

But you rent. Your downside ISN’T having to do DIY or to have people in when you don’t want them.

Can you just say to landlord that the underlying issue (leak and damp) is fixed and it being unsightly genuinely doesn’t worry you. That you’ll still take care of rest of property, but you really don’t want your whole weekend interrupted given that you can’t go out to escape it. Ask to delay the work even?

Tell him to get a different painter who can come at convenient times

If he’s already let you down 3 times and is squeezing you in on a weekend around his full time job I’d say there is a good chance he’ll piss you around again. I’d stick to saying working week only

Have a drank chat. Explain that he’s let you down repeatedly and you’re concerned about the job overrunning.

Ask if they can put it off until lockdown is over when you’d not need to be in or if they can do it in the week. Just be upfront and honest.

@SnarkyBag my thoughts exactly. I really don't want to waste my weekend waiting around to see if he comes. It's not such a problem whilst I'm in work. If he comes he comes, if not, oh well!

Tell the LL to buy the paint and do it yourself?

I think rather than either of you BU you just need to have a chat and see what you can agree between you. It could be a different painter will cost more and that’s when you’ll find your rent increasing and wonder if it really was worth postponing after all!

Personally I’m not arsed about slobbing about in pyjamas in front of people doing work in my home, so that wouldn’t bother me. It would bother me if I had to go out as I wouldn’t want to leave him alone. That would be the only reason I’d say no.

@Gobbeldegook paint has already been bought and dropped off a few weeks ago. I've never painted a day in my life, honestly wouldn't know where to start 😆

YANBU, the landlord is trying to get a mate to do it on the cheap (or free) instead of actually paying someone to do the job properly. Tell him to hire a professional! It's actually not legal to have a randomer come round your house when they're not properly working due to covid restrictions and anyway, surely his personal liability insurance will be void if he's working under the table? I haven't the foggiest how you sort this out with your LL though, my suggestion would be to ask him to reschedule after Covid restrictions have lifted, maybe saying you're doing overtime or something?

YANBU. The weekend is your time and I wouldn’t want them taking it up either. I think you need to politely insist that a weekend appointment doesn’t work for you.

YABU. You've got the paint, pick up a brush & just do it yourself. It's really not difficult. Saves you faffing with an unreliable decorator & your landlord faffing with arranging around you.

Just need a roller and tray. Leave a inch gap round edges to cut in with a brush

YANBU. You could always say you don’t want to spend significant period of time in the house with somebody else given COVID, so he needs to come when you are out at work?

[quote buttersquashsoup]@SnarkyBag my thoughts exactly. I really don't want to waste my weekend waiting around to see if he comes. It's not such a problem whilst I'm in work. If he comes he comes, if not, oh well! [/quote]
What exactly did you have planned for the weekend that would be interrupted?

I mean its a time where there's little to do other than a short walk

Yanbu. Your landlord's desire to get this maintenance job done on the cheap at mate's rates does not trump your right to quiet enjoyment of your home. Use the phrase "quiet enjoyment of your home" in your written correspondence with your landlord as this is a protected right for you as a tenant. It is perfectly reasonable to require that non-urgent maintenance and repair should be carried out during office hours. It is perfectly reasonable for you to insist that your landlord appoints a painter who can provide that rather than expecting you to sacrifice your own wellbeing to save the landlord some cash.

Your landlord should know better than to be arranging for non urgent work to be done during this lockdown. My letting agent is adement that this isn't allowed.
You are being completely reasonable to decline his request for a workman to enter the property to redecorate due to the current restrictions (and I wouldn't give that decorator the time of day after failing to do his job so many times).

It's only one weekend and I recon you should just do it.
Be thankful you've got a landlord who fixes the damages in your house. Mine certainly doesn't, even when they say they will!

@HaveeeeYouMetTed I don't want to do it and I'm not exactly sure why I should in all honesty. I'm really not fussed if it gets painted or not.

@Sapho47 interrupted was probably the wrong word to use. I just meant I wouldn't be able to relax in my home if he's there all day Saturday and Sunday. I can hardly lounge around in pyjamas or stay in bed. It would be a different scenario if he was only coming for a couple of hours.

This is how it goes. This type of work is off little interest to trades people. It's a small job and not much money for it. Many trades people wouldn't be interested at all because they get much more lucrative jobs during normal working hours. So you are left with those who do it for extra pocket money in their spare time.

I think you are being s bit difficult. It's one weekend, and fell be mainly in the bathroom, you can still use your lounge, kitchen and bedroom to do what you normally would.

Ultimately, be prepared for the LL to say you are being difficult and not bother with it until you move out.

@BunchIsBloom

It's only one weekend and I recon you should just do it. Be thankful you've got a landlord who fixes the damages in your house. Mine certainly doesn't, even when they say they will!

Ah, the old race to the bottom.

How come customer is king in every aspect of life except renting?

No way should OP be expected to do it herself! Is her free time not to be valued at all just because she’s the tenant not the owner

We had a broken wardrobe and bedside table when we moved in- landlord says he’d send replacements, flatpacked. I told him no. We hadn’t caused that damage, I’ve never dealt with a flat pack and I sure as shit wasn’t giving up my free time to build furniture.

In this situation if I was expected to give up my weekend out of lockdown that would probably be ok, but in the current situation- no.

YANBU.

Given that he let you down several times just coming to look at the job, it’s highly unlikely he’ll turn up on time if at all, do two days and get the job done. If this is something he does at weekends around a part time job, the chances are he’ll have a sleep in, come and do a few hours at yours, have an early finish, but then up Sunday because he’s knackered, blah blah blah, and it’ll drag on for two or 3 weekends.

Nope. It’s a non-urgent repair. Tell your landlord to get a professional that can do it during the working week at your convenience. And I say that as landlord myself.