AIBU to think my landlord needs to leave my house now?

[Pleasecouldyougetoutofmyhouse]

My landlord lives directly opposite me, didn't know this until it was too late and everything was settled. Wasn't happy but it's been fine for five years.

I had a problem in my kitchen and he arranged a plumber come round to fix something. LL said he wanted to be there. But what I didn’t expect was LL coming over and then just… staying.

He has been in my kitchen chatting away with the plumber for over an hour. Not checking the work, not discussing anything urgent, just a full-on catch-up like it was a social visit. Meanwhile, I’m just here, trying to go about my day, feeling completely in the way in my own home. I have tried dropping hints, asking the plumber if he's done now, asking the LL if he needs to get back for his dinner, asking if I can come in and cook, and they've just said "yeah, by all means" and carried on standing there talking while I put something on to cook and LL has even had to audacity to say "ooh that smells a bit strong". They were standing in the way of my downstairs toilet and I had to go upstairs rather than wee next to them. Are they still going to be there when I am trying to eat dinner with my kids? Should I invite them to stay and eat????

AIBU to feel like this shouldn’t be happening, and they should both piss off out of my home now? Maybe go over to HIS home? DH is away and I feel really uncomfortable.

I moved away from the UK when I was 3, and only moved back five years ago so I don't know if this is culturally normal here.

I'm a landlord and this is absolutely not normal!

I’m a landlord, this is completely inappropriate. He should not be in your house at all, there is no reason for him to be there if work if being done. Do you rent through an agency? I would contact them and explain what has happened and ask him to leave now as you have things to do

Tell them to leave. Now.

He used an agency to find us but he only paid for the finding us and signing us up service, he manages the tenancy from there on out.

It was his parents home before he rented it to us, he inherited when his mum died. They were here fifty-something years, his whole life, and he's lived opposite for 30 years I think that's why he feels so comfortable just standing in my kitchen.

Just say go away please.

Bright and breezy - stride in. Ok folks, thanks for your help but I need my kitchen back now to feed the children. I'm very grateful that the job's been done.
Then bustle noisily with pans or laying the table.

OK, I'm nervous, but I'm going to take a deep breath and go and tell them.......

yes this!

Ask him if he is contributing to this month's rent he's been there so long...

Agree this is a great approach.

Good luck op. Come and tell us what happened!

Have you done it op? Best of luck, what a dick

Hang on. You've had no problem for five years. Now he has been there for an hour while the plumber he has organized is sorting a problem and you are outraged? Am I correct? If so you are totally overreacting in my view.

Why didn't you ask them to leave?

I agree, he's probably just not thinking there's an issue.

They've gone now. I walked into the kitchen just as there was a lull in conversation, my palms were all sweaty, and I was really nervous
They are two big, confident blokes, much older than me, and one owns my house, I felt intimidated asking them to go. They must have seen on my face that I was gearing myself up to say something because the landlord went "right, well, I'm off but I'll see you back here on Monday then to finish ...." the rest of the job, he has to get a part or something.
And then he said he'd be back and Monday and what time and they left but then they stood on my driveway for a further couple of minutes, still chatting. My window was open and I could hear what they were saying and LL said he'd bring some photographs on Monday to show the plumber 😩🤦so he's obviously planning to have another long chat with him on my house.
Thank God DH is back in the morning!!

If he's been OK for the last five years, I would just treat this as a momentary "blip". He's got chatting to the plumber (who perhaps he knows?) and lost track of the moment. Men are more inclined to be oblivious to you wanting to get tea ready, or have a wee. Just walk in with a big presence and say "good all fixed then, bye everyone".

I should have mentioned, the job took like 10 minutes. They hung around for an hour just to talk. He could have taken his new best mate the plumber over to his own home across the road and made him a coffee if he wanted to chat to him so much. I dropped several hints and they wouldn't go and he was rude about my cooking.

Like I said, I wanted to know if it was normal as I'm not 100% familiar with UK cultural rules.

Well done OP. That is so rude of your LL!

I can't see where OP used the word outraged. She said uncomfortable. Completely different.
Outraged - angry and feeling THEY are in the wrong. Uncomfortable - not sure how to assert herself and worrying SHE might be in the wrong.
Glad they've gone @Pleasecouldyougetoutofmyhouse . Awkward!

Just walk into kitchen next time and brightly say 'oh good your finished, that's great, I will get on cleaning the floor now' then look at them expectantly

Exactly, thank you so much

@Pleasecouldyougetoutofmyhouse "Like I said, I wanted to know if it was normal as I'm not 100% familiar with UK cultural rules."

The situation you've described wouldn't be seen as abnormal really. If he made a habit of it then that wouldn't be good. But as a one off it wouldn't be considered really bad (not in my world anyway). Like I said, men are more prone to this sort of thing. They wouldn't even notice you trying to get tea for the kids whilst they were lost in their "exciting" talk about valves and sprockets!

Pick your battles OP. It's annoying yes but if he has been prompt with the repair work, just laugh it off. It's 1 hour...no biggie.

I don't think it's the worst thing in the world, since this is the first time in five years that you've had any problems with him.
If have been rolling my eyes, but if the work has definitely been finished, I'd have felt fairly comfortable about addressing them (or just the plumber) to say reasonably light heartedly, 'have you finished now? Can I have my kitchen back?' confident that he'd take it in good humour.