Worried about our young people's utter lack of initiative

[ThisDandyWriter]

I work for an English letting agent and every year I'm utterly shocked at our young people (ie students) utter lack of initiative/entitlement and lack of self resilience. A few examples of the sort of things that we encounter
My smoke alarm is bleeping, why is that?
The light in our bedroom has gone out, can you send someone out to change the bulb
What does a fuse board look like?
My washing machine is smelly, I think it needs replaced
This house has got a massive damp problem as water (ie condensation) is running down the windows in the mornings

We had to stop offering an 'emergency' line (which is not compulsory) because our staff were getting calls at 2am about seeing mice, light bulbs blowing, smoke alarms beeping, boiler not working (in Aug and has an electric shower).

Today a tenant has emailed to say that she's locked herself out and we need to open the office to get her a spare key.

When I was at Uni, Google wasn't a thing, so if there was an issue, I'd call my dad and try and sort it - I very rarely contacted the agency or landlord.

Today, we have all the information at a drop of a hat, but they can't be arsed to Google or try and sort something themselves and the first stop is to email (or get their mum or dad to email - don't get me started on that). The lack of initiative is genuinely worrying.

So please, if you have kids at uni - spend a bit of time with them explaining the basics!!!!

And encourage them to actually read the information they are sent - the amount of questions we are asked which is covered by information sent out (about important things like handing in your keys, how to claim back your deposit) is ridiculous!

How can you not paint a cupboard? You dip the brush in the paint and...paint. Apologies in advance if you have no arms. But all able-bodied people can paint. And if you don't know what to do with a curtain pole, a YouTube video will teach you in five minutes.

unless the mice/rats have power tools, they're not getting in!

Mice and rats can eat their way through almost anything.

Well i have arms but that doesn't mean I can drill holes and put up curtain poles. I am sure lots of people can't.

What do you actually mean by "can't", though? You put the drill bit in the drill, tighten it up (again, if you don't know how that's done, there's a million videos), hold it against whatever you want to drill into, press the button, and it drills. When it's drilled deep enough, pull it out. Anyone who has normal hands and normal eyesight can do it. None of us is born knowing how to do anything, but this is something that's very easy to learn.

I don't own a drill. Why would I?

Comments didn’t really go the way you expected hey?
try showing some respect for the people paying your wages.
utterly grim op
ps. Mice are not normal

Not concrete unless it’s already got cracks or other deterioration.

Why would a you young first time renter have tool kits and power tools?

I am always intersting in landlords telling tennants not to dry clothes indoors but at the same time not providing a tumble dryer. People can't leave the windows open all day if they are out at work etc so what do they think will happen?

And also at this time of year students will have only just moved in usually so definitely not responsible for damp.

Nail on the head. Landlords need to stop thinking of tenants as meal tickets. If they don't want to provide a decent standard of accommodation with all facilities, then they need to look at other investments.

If you own your own home then you can paint the cupboard and change the curtain poles yourself without needing to call in a handyman, sure.

However in a rented property often the barrier isn't skills but permission - I've never rented anywhere where I was allowed to apply paint or alter fittings, most wouldn't even allow candles or hanging pictures on the walls using picture hooks!

If you aren't allowed to do it yourself but it needs doing, what can you do but call the landlord? (Who might say "go ahead and do it yourself" but equally might prefer to get a professional to ensure the quality of the paint/making good etc).

Why would they not? Are they all rolling in money and able to call out tradies all the time? You can get a cheap drill for less than you'd pay per hour to get someone else to put up a curtain pole or something equally bonkers.

The landlords should be paying tradies to put up curtain rails or paint if they don't want to do it themselves not the student. Students pay enough rent to cover that.🙄

I leave my windows open while I'm out. Nothing has " happened"

It's not their job. Most tenancies ban the tenants from doing anything to the property. They're already paying probably at least £150 per week to live in the property (shared with others of course, so sharing communal facilities), so why should they pay more to buy tools to do things that the landlord should be doing?

Yeah I don't see why the landlord can't put up basics like a curtain rail

Maybe you live somewhere with a very low crime rate and don't have to worry about being burgled then. I hope so because if you are burgled your insurance will probably be invalid. I don't see why students should risk that.

I do live somewhere with a low crime rate but even so the windows ( like lots of people's) lock in an open position but not enough for anyone to get in through them Even my fatter cat can't fit.

And if you are in a block and not even on the ground floor it's even less risk of burglars ( unless you are expecting spiderman to break in)

Again, that depends on the landlord fitting relatively modern windows with such a "lock".

Modern? Mine are at least 20 odd years old. My neighbours has such windows when I was a kid in 1980

A few clauses from one of my son's tenancy agreements...

"To notify the Landlord or the Landlord’s Agent promptly and in writing of any Fixtures or Fittings which are defective or in need of repair"

"Not to carry out or instruct others to carry out any such repairs in or to the Premises without the prior written authorisation of the Landlord or the Landlord’s Agent, except in an emergency. "

"Not to decorate or to make any alterations in or additions to the Premises"

"Not to hang any washing, clothes or other articles outside the Premises"

"Not to hang or place wet or damp articles of washing upon any item of furniture, Fixture or Fitting or room heater"

"Not to affix any items to the doors, walls, windows or any of the Fixtures and Fittings on the Premises either internally or externally using glue, nails, sticky tape, blue-tac or similar adhesive fixings."

" Not to do anything which would render the policies of insurance held by the Landlord on the Premises and/or on the Fixtures and Fittings void or voidable or to increase the rate of premium on any such policy, such as leaving the property unsecured"

"3.86 Not to make or allow any unreasonable noise and in particular:
3.86.1 not to hold or allow to be held any social gathering;
3.86.2 not to sing or allow singing;
3.86.3 not to use or allow to be used any vacuum cleaner or other mechanical appliance;"

Not only is the tenant prevented/banned from doing any internal repairs/improvements, they're not even allowed to use a vacuum cleaner, and certainly not to leave doors or windows open when they're out.

I don't think some posters realise the prohibitions/restrictions placed on tenants these days.

Lovely for you that your windows are designed that way. My student dcs windows aren't usually and even where they are they are advised not to leave them open if going out. It's apparently quite easy for burglars to force them open so insurance still invalidated potentially.

So are the students expected to fit new windows too?

WTF are you going on about? I replied to someone saying about MODERN windows. Well they do t have to be modern do they to have the ability to lock open.

Can see the people who are the ones that ( along with their offspring) bleat about everything

If they don't have those windows it isn't their fault though and even if they did it is still advised not to leave windows open when out of the house. And trying to insult posters who don't agree with you is a bit pathetic.