Is this fair ? concerning tenants

[speckledpig]

We have rented our property out for the past year and a half to a family.
We have some difficulty commuticating as they speak very little English and are new to the UK.
Anyway, We have not had too many problems as things go, the last time a tile was broken and water was leaking through the bathroom and it was fixed. Our plumber (who we know well and who has installed both our kitchen and bathroom and done lots of other work for us) told us too that they had installed a shataff (a special shower head near toilet for Islam, I think)without our knowledge which had contributed to the leaking.
Anyway that aside, I have just received an email from the tenant saying that he had called a plumber out himself on sunday because they had returned from holiday and the boiler wasn't working. He did not call us or mention anything to us at the time. He must have called an emergency plumber I suspect because he has just sent us the documents including what they billed him (£500 +) He also had a gas safety cert done for some reason even though all ours are perfectly up to date and other things. Anyway, he calls me this evening to say ....the boiler isn't working!!
I have tried ringing around the plumber he called who is not answering and the office. I have no idea who these people are but I suspect they took the tenant for a ride with a huge bill and no explanation.
Surely the tenant should have called us staright away if there had been a problem in our property, we have always had things fixed asap for him (even though this is a chore as we have had workmen go around before and the wife will not open the door unless her husband is there so we have had people go around only to be left outside.
I am waiting for hubby to come home to see what to do.

Any thoughts please?

What does the tenancy agreement say?

Surely installing something such as a shower is contravening the agreement, let alone calling tradesmen without agreeing it first?

I would have a bit of an issue with the tradespeople, presuming they knew the place was rented. I can't get any work done on our house unless I give the tradesperson proof the landlord has agreed to pay. They check every single time.

They should call you and you should be able to arrange the plumber.

Also should have asked you about the installation doing you agree you could pick plumber, they could have had a right cowboy in.

They didn't call you to arrange the plumber and they had no need to obtain a gas certificate. That was their choice and they should pay for it.

As a landlord I would'nt pay up, I would tell the tenant that as your landlord if there are any problems you should contact me and I will deal with the problem you don't get people in to do job without discussing it with me. Then bring up about the other shower head that's been put up without permission.
Sounds hard sorry!

Tradesmen, especially gas fitters, will usually refuse to do work in a tenanted house unless they are paid in advance, because often neither the tenant nor the landlord will accept responsibility. Is it the tenant's uncle?

£500 is practically the cost of a new (cheap) boiler.tt

This should all be covered in the tenancy agreement... That's why you have one, and it is legally binding.

We rent out a flat and if our tenants called out a tradesman without contacting us we wouldn't pay the bill. We would also have warned them if we found out they had done something which caused damage, and would deduct the cost of making it good from their deposit when they leave.

It sounds like they aren't the sort of people you want as tenants so I would consider giving them notice.

As tenants it was made very clear to us that unless it really was a genuine emergency we should contact our landlords before calling in any workmen. I think that's completely normal. I wouldn't pay in your situation.