To be wth - letting agent advice please

[whyarepeoplesobananas]

Need some advice on this to see if it's as weird/unprofessional as I think.

No hot water last night, boiler well and truly gone, ok not great two DC's under 4. Letting agent has an online reporting tool so nothing to do but log and call in the morning. Which we did.

When we clicked the issue on the digital tool a pop up tells us to continue reporting on there but for this problem to also call the emergency line, I mean in my head it's v urgent but not an emergency as summer. Called twice no answer.
Gets an auto-response from agent saying that this problem (heating and hot water) is classified as urgent and that they will attempt to deal with urgent queries in 3 working days.

We were a little eeekkkk, what does that mean, have someone out or just respond, being Thurs eve we were a little panicky and the thought of it not being dealt with until the start of next wk - we have nowhere to go as the three people we could ask have covid!!! I called the emergency no again and left a vm saying we've just received this email, if someone receives this tonight I'd appreciate a quick call or text just confirming that 3 days won’t be the case and stop me panicking I was nice and jokey about it.

45 min later nothing, and as we have a really good (small city) FB page I thought I would ask on there to set my mind at rest;
"Does anyone rent with xxxx and has had experience of no hot water/heating, and their xxxx online reporting system? We reported the problem via xxx but have received a response back saying this has been categorised as urgent - it then lists all the urgent issues (emergency issues above this are basically major structural problems). And that they will aim to deal with the issue within 3 working days of the issue being reported.

I'm not sure what deal means, but I'm taking from this it could be into next week before its resolved given it's Friday tomorrow😅😱. Surely this can't isn't right, is it? I was thinking there would be some kind of 24hr call out for boiler issues??"
We're all just recovering from covid, DC have conjunctivitis and just wanted some reassurance before I went to bed that I wouldn't be waiting 3 days. I haven't rented since 2007 so have no idea what is to be expected.

Fast forward to this morning they email DH to say someone organised for today, great, they then followed up with call to confirm - I picked up, I was bright and breezy on the phone and like oh thank god, thank you, yes seen email etc. and was about to say we were panicking as your online thing says the above, but, to say the agent was being aggressive was an understatement, I thought DH had maybe complained this morning or there'd been some kind of altercation and he'd not said, so I said sorry is there a problem do you need me to get DH, when they exploded at me, not in volume more tone IYKWIM. How they would have expected me to come directly to them if there was a problem, how disappointed she was in me, at which point i was like I'm sorry what, they then proceeded to to tell me how they were members of the facebook group and they had seen the post last night and they were really hurt (they sounded more angry but ok) that we were complaining on there and we thought they wouldn't fix the problem they always fix problems like that in 24 hrs, so I was like, whoa, well if you've seen the post you'll know I was talking about your reporting platform and the message generated from that, which distinctly does not say 24hrs it says 3 working days!!!

She then said “well that's what the emergency phone number is for you should have called that as per the tenancy agreement....."we did, 3 times, left two messages one asking the exact question I put on facebook. No one ever got back." Her response was to shut me down and say "we can go round and round on this I don't think there's anything more to say". I was just completely baffled and kept saying what, sorry, I then said look I'm not sure what's happening here...." at which point she slammed and I mean slammed the phone down.

I just feel hair dryer'ed and I do not appreciate that, I mean this is unprofessional right.? Also feel a little spied also who is she to tell me what I can post on Facebook.....I looked at the member list and none of the lettings team are members of that group.

DH has emailed the branch manager asking them to call him - emailed back saying they are on leave today and can't call.....picking up emails and no out of office though 🤔

@satelliteheart your post was nasty though wasn't it, please don't me as your axe to grind.

Op, judging by your tone and aggression on here, I don't for one second believe any of your communications with your letting agent were as "breezy" as you claim, nor that you were in any way apologetic or as passive as you've made out.

I'm not really interested in arguing with you as you're clearly a quite angry and bitter person. But it might be worth reflecting on the many posters on this thread telling you that you're in the wrong before you have any further discussions with your letting agent

your post was nasty though wasn't it, please don't me as your axe to grind.

I don't have any axe to grind, why on earth would I?! You're not my tenant and I don't need to deal with your hysterics over not getting a call back within 45 minutes outside of business hours

@satelliteheart I mean they can listen to the phone call so they can check can't they 👌, we have never complained about anything, we're excellent tenants in what is a high churn area, and whether you think the post was wrong or not there is no excuse for treating people like dirt, they called me if you read the post, after we'd had an email from them and a Whatsapp from the landlord as they were sorting via someone they know when they rang - 2.5 hrs later why would I have had any reason to be difficult they rang to specifically have a go at me.

YABU

Also all the landlords saying they'd be pissed off if their agent spoke to a tenant like that. I'm a landlord, I'd be really pleased if my agents put the tenants in their place like that. I've got no time for this entitled behaviour from tenants. As a homeowner, if my boiler breaks, I may well have to wait a few days or even weeks if it's not a quick repair. Tenants are no fucking different. If the parts aren't in stock or a new boiler needs to be fitted, it takes time. Suck it up like homeowners have to

Tenants are different. They pay for a service, that’s very different to homeowners.

And even if my tenants are being dicks I expect people I’m paying to be professional - which doesn’t include speaking to them like that or slamming tbt phone down (unless tenants are being verbally abusive).

@satelliteheart OP was concerned that the issue might take some days to resolve because the letting agent had told her in a communication that they would aim to deal with such issues within three working days, so by next Tuesday I guess. She wasn't sure if this meant actually have someone attend, or simply get to the email by then meaning that attendance would be some time later. This was at odds with her previous experience of what to expect and she posted online to see if this was really right. It seems disingenuous to keep mentioning the 45 minutes, as that in isolation would be a different matter, although even then a message asking how quickly others had these sorts of problems resolved wouldn't be awful.

Letting agents do have a duty of care to tenants and it is unbelievably unprofessional to behave as they have. I was a letting agent for years and I've posted up thread about the impact of complaints and social media posts (one completely unfounded post on Christmas Eve comes to mind especially as it caused a lot of stress) but I don't think OP's post falls in an unreasonable category and in any event the letting agent's response is not at all appropriate

Really? Because if I was spoken to like that I’d be looking to move asap to a property not let by that agent or landlord. We own our house but there are several agencies (estate and lettings) in town that I simply refuse to deal with.

But you are wrong and the law says you are wrong. Availability of gas safe plumbers is at an all time low because they didn't like the hostile environment during and after Brexit do lots have gone home. The law says repairs must be made in a reasonable time. I had to wait for 12 days. Some of that for delivery of a spare part and then my plumber has to slot me in and that was for my own home. I can't magic tradesmen up and i have multiple properties. A 'reasonable time' depends on how quickly a part can be sourced if necessary, and the availability of plumbers. Get off your high horse and get a reality check.

Typical Mumsnet.

Poster - AIBU?
Whole internet - YES YABU
Poster - no I'm not!

Businesses like letting agents survive on their reviews. You were extremely over the top.

What would you have done if you were the home owner? I doubt you would have got anyone there any quicker.

I don't think your fb post was a complaint or a criticism and they acted unprofessionally with that attitude.

Really? Because if I was spoken to like that I’d be looking to move asap to a property not let by that agent or landlord. We own our house but there are several agencies (estate and lettings) in town that I simply refuse to deal with.

Well you'd be cutting off your nose to spite your face then! That would be a ridiculous reaction!

@backt I don't think OP is BU. She didn't leave a review. She asked if the time frame the letting agent told her they'd get her to her within was correct. If the communication of their's is so damaging that it mustn't be mentioned online, they shouldn't be emailing it out themselves

I think you were totally reasonable. Having been previously left without heat/hot water in January, it’s a big deal! And the letting agent did sweet FA until I said I was withholding rent. It IS an emergency.

Also I believe landlords have 24 hours to repair boilers legally so I’d also be blood furious to have got an automated messsge saying they’d do their best in 3 working days FFS!

How can they guarantee that? Do you think they have gas safe people waiting for a call? It's impossible to guarantee that.

It's within a reasonable time. Three days is reasonable!

@tomatopsste the email made it out like they would try, not definitely but, try to either respond or send someone out in 3 working days.....I wasnt sure even sure which, the wording was deal with the enquiry. Not we'll aim to fix or send the appropriate tradesperson or other.

I've been a homeowner for nigh on 15 yrs previous to this, so I know these things can take time from instruction especially if a part is needed, that's why on a Thursday night the prospect of the clock not even starting ticking on that until after the weekend was somewhat alarming, and as I've said up thread as a homeowner I've always had British gas hoemcare, then a similar policy from a large local heating engineer who had a 24hr call out time as part of their policy and I just assumed a large lettings agency fully managing client's properties would have something similar.

I wasn't complaining I was asking a question, for which I got a load of abuse for.

@BackT read the above....and it wasn't a review. I was asking the opinion of others on a community group who I know, with absolute guarantee have or do currently lease with the agency, the start of my Facebook posts (which I've copied in to the Mumsnet post directly) makes that clear

Well back in the real world, that is utter nonsense.

Honestly, do you believe there is legislation that goes into the detail of what timeframe boilers should be fixed in!

I understand your panic and why you posted on FB. In my limited experience letting agents do as little as possible and are really aggressive.

My ex agent here was always rude and aggressive. She would fly off the handle particularly when cornered because she wasnt doing her job.

I wouldnt worry about it OP.

I think some landlords are really showing what sort of people they are on this thread and the contempt they feel they can treat the people who probably give them very nice lives with, and that if you dare even ask a question of them or the letting agency you're paying an exorbitant amount for - God forbid you actually make a complaint, then They will rain down on you like a tonne of 💩 to make sure you don't make the same mistake again - looking at you @Aprilx

Just to add ours is lovely tho.

Oh and btw @Aprilx once the landlord was involved they actually had someone out in the afternoon, I do think they know them personally though and it was a favour.

It’s not cutting off my nose. When I’m paying for a service I expect to actually receive a reasonable level of service. I’m not paying to be treated like crap and I’ll happily vote with my feet.

Get off my high horse? For having high standards for myself, and anyone I employ, as a LL? Okay then…