Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

please help- rookie landlady and tenant problems!

39 replies

whataboutbob · 15/11/2013 16:31

I have power of attorney for my dad and so have to deal with his student rental flat. There are agents but basically they like to call out their contractors and charge inflated prices. So I tend to use a builder I know and trust. Last weekend there was a leak over the weekend, I took a day off work on the Monday, it was fixed by the tuesday. The water was off sunday and monday. I offered £60 per person per day water was off.
Now they are coming back to me (via the agent) saying it was 3.5 days, and also the boiler keeps "cutting out" after 10-15 minutes and they want a plumber to come down.
Because I already have a lot on my plate with Dad's dementia (he's a widower and I have to organise all aspects of his care) I am stressed out already, but I'm starting to hate everything to do with this student flat.
I have got back to them via agents saying it's £60 for 2 days (that's a total of £240). I am not able to get a plumber out next week because I want to be there and I am not going to the city in question for another 2 weeks. I have asked him to keep a record of exactly what happens with incidents, times etc. In the past I have been contacted about problems which on closer examination just aren't there, like a broken lock (it absolutely wasn't broken, same old lock, but the agents said it was and that the council had been round to change locks. hmmmm). I am getting daily calls re "problems" even though I spent £10 000 of Dad's money this summer for a refurb. I think the student is either an anxious type, or is trying to get discounts now I've set a precedent. Any insights about how I can handle this so I can be a reasonable landlady but get fewer calls would be gratefully received.

OP posts:
Crutchlow35 · 15/11/2013 16:47

If it is a boiler problem you absolutely have to call a plumber out. You cannot leave them with heating and water problems just because you are not going to the city for 2 weeks.

You can say that you will send someone out but if it is an issue caused by themselves then they will have to pay for it.

Roshbegosh · 15/11/2013 16:55

If you have agents managing it then leave them to it. Is it the agent or the tenants calling you every day? You don't need to be involved if you back off and let the agent do their job and if the work costs more that's too bad. You simply can't leave your tenants without a working boiler and I speak as a land lady. You have to either stress out dealing with everything yourself promptly or in effect, pay someone else to do it.
Given the way your builder leaves things with problems cropping up afterwards maybe he isn't better than the agent's builders anyway.

Sunnyshores · 15/11/2013 17:06

The main reason for getting managing agents is to let them arrange maintenance - yet you are doing this yourself. So either manage it fully yourself (not advisable!) or get another agent that you do trust. You then shouldnt have to do anything.

As for the current boiler issue, you cant do nothing for 2 weeks. It needs to be sorted now.

In any eventuality I'd join the National Landlords Association for £100 a year - free legal advice, preferred suppliers etc

starfishmummy · 15/11/2013 17:11

Let the managing agents deal with it. But make sure they tell the tenant that if there is no problem found then they will have to pay the cost.

DorrisM · 15/11/2013 17:55

Get a boiler cover policy for the future then the tenants can call them when there are any problems.

Original poster
whataboutbob · 15/11/2013 20:23

Thanks everyone for this reality check. I need to know more about my legal obligations as a landlord. Can you recommend a good publication/ website? I guess I haven t managed things as well as I could but in my defense, with dad s. Dementia , a job and 2 kids it s very hard.
The builder s plumber. Was on ly fixing thee leak, I didn t ask him to check out the boiler.
Is it really correct that f I call the plumber out and there s nothing wrong I can charge the tenant? At this rate I am wondering how anyone makes a profit out of letting. With refurbs, maintenance, compensation when things go wrong etc, agent fees there won' t b much left of the rent money at the end of this month.

OP posts:
bsc · 15/11/2013 20:30

If the boiler's cutting out and you've had a water leak, it's probably a water pressure problem- probably just need a little more water in the system, and it will be fine.
But you absolutely cannot leave them with no boiler!

Elansofar · 15/11/2013 20:44

Check out landlordzone.co.uk

RCheshire · 15/11/2013 21:18

Can you not sell it? Your dad clearly isn't in a position to deal with it and it looks just like a hassle for you?

Original poster
whataboutbob · 15/11/2013 22:12

You are right about the water pressure. It is low which is another of their complaints.but what can you do about it?
I am thinking of selling. Dad may well need residential care so we'll be forced into a sale anyway. But not before the summer.

OP posts:
bsc · 15/11/2013 22:17

There are 2 taps on the boiler that you can open, to put more water into the system- I think you want it to go up to 1 bar (obv depends on your boiler)

If you mean the pressure form the mains is low, no idea how that could be sorted, without investigation to see whether you;ve a leak in your pipe from supplier to the house.

Norudeshitrequired · 15/11/2013 22:19

Don't pay them compensation, certainly not the huge sums you are paying, they will keep inventing stuff.

TheFantasticFixit · 15/11/2013 22:27

The tenants can deal with the water pressure problem and you don't need to call out a plumber. They just need to turn the pressure tap 'on' for about 30 secs until it rises, and then shut it off again. That should sort out the problem - I'm a tenant and we p this regularly when the pressure drops. You might need o locate the tap for them - in previous flats our tap has been directly under the boiler but in our current one it is stuck behind the freezer so a right old faff moving that put of the way first to sort out the pressure.

I'm really surprised at how generous you are as well - I've had no water or heating during winter with snow thick on the ground and the landlord refused to pay towards a hotel stopover for us (we weren't even asking for the full amount!) when the problem ran into the third day. Bloody nightmare! I would definitely tell them that if no problems are found upon call out you will recharge the call out fee to the tenant. If this is all a bit of a headache though I would leave it to the management company to be honest.

Roshbegosh · 15/11/2013 23:28

I don't think I would ask tenants to muck about with the boiler unless I knew they could be trusted to be sensible. I would leave the agents to send a plumber.

optimusic · 16/11/2013 00:07

If the pressure drop is a long term thing, then chances are somewhere in the pipes, there is a small leak.

Found this out at 3 years of having to get the boiler topped up every couple of weeks, and plumber mentioned a possible leak if it happens all the time.

But no, it is not resonable to wait a couple of weeks to send someone in to investigate further.... WOuld you like to live without heating/hot water for 2 weeks? No of course not. I am talking as a tenant and I have taken legal action in the past for urgent repairs to go weeks.

sugarplumfairy · 16/11/2013 00:19

I am a landlady and my tenants boiler broke earlier this year. They ended up being without hot water for over a week, the plumber visited about 5 times with different parts and I ended up having to fit a new boiler. I didn't give them any money in compensation, it's one of those things, to put up with. So long as you get it fixed as soon as possible, then that is reasonable.

As you are not local you need to leave it to the agents or a reliable plumber you can trust to go round. I do not go when my plumber goes, I trust him to do the job and charge me honestly.

Crutchlow35 · 16/11/2013 08:46

No making money at the end of the month is just how it is sometimes.

You don't need to be there with the plumber. Just get him to have a look and tell you what the issue is. Leave this to the agent.

Original poster
whataboutbob · 17/11/2013 09:33

Thanks everyone. Seems like it can be a tricky balance between being a good landlord, and not being taken advantage of. I have sought to cut off the supply of immediate interventions and discounts so the students learn a little self reliance and don't expect rent rebates at every turn. And likewise, I sent the agents a firm email saying it would only be 2 days' worth of £60 per student, not 3.5 days as they were asking and I will not be sending a plumber round immediately. I have asked them to ask the student to keep a 2 week diary of low water related prblems, to buy myself some time. Haven't heard a peep from them for over 4 days which is a relief.
I think maybe the take home message is if you're tending to a significant problem promptly (like the leak or SPFs broken boiler) you don't need to offer compensation. One of my friends is married to a plumber so I'll have a chat with him. I have also contacted the council re low water pressure and if that is not helpful will contact the H20 company.

OP posts:
LadyMercy · 17/11/2013 21:27

OP, try and think about it like this: If your tenants were actually the owners, could they have fixed the problem any faster? Tenants often seem to think that landlords have some magical way of fixing things, just be virtue of owning a house. In reality, whether you phone about the house you live in, or one they rent from you, the plumber is not going to come any faster.

If they called you about a problem and you ignored them for a few days, then went on a long weekend away, you might owe them a rebate.

optimusic · 17/11/2013 23:10

Am i reading this correct.

The boiler is still cutting off after 10/15 minutes but you want them to keep a diary for 2 weeks until you will send a plumber?

soundedbetterinmyhead · 18/11/2013 07:30

What would you honestly be doing if this was your house, that you lived in? Then do that.

Roshbegosh · 18/11/2013 07:51

Will your tenants be without heating and hit water for two weeks then? Keeping a little diary for you? You should be ashamed of yourself, tightwad. You aren't making as much as you hoped out of your dad's rental then? Why should your tenants be inconvenienced by all your excuses about his dementia etc.
You need to cough up and sort this out since you won't let the agent do it as it will shave a bit off your profit. I am a landlady myself and your attitude stinks.

BrianTheMole · 18/11/2013 07:57

You need to sort it out. Leaving them without a working boiler is very poor practice. As well as this, you are likely to cause further damage to the boiler, which will cost you more.

Is it really correct that f I call the plumber out and there s nothing wrong I can charge the tenant?

I doubt it. What does the contract say? I wouldn't be paying them any more compensation though.

YouAreMyFavouriteWasteOfTime · 18/11/2013 08:16

OP you were IMO way too kind with the £60 per day. unless the law has changed since I was a student: I think my room was uninhabitable due to damp for a couple of weeks and I received £0 after seeking legal advice.

make a 'take it or leave it' final offer.

I don't believe their 'boiler cutting out after 10-15 minutes' story. i would ask them to keep a diary for 24/48 hours and email it to you. Then I would take a day off work ASAP and see what happens over your time at the flat. if what they say is true, you do need to act quickly and I don't think you need to be there for the plumber - it is the tenant who you need to keep an eye on.

in short I don't think you should roll over for them again without more info. the dynamic has become them taking the piss out of you and so your father, and neither of you need it.

the rental contract is about fairness to both parties. you need to be fair to them and act on their report, but to be fair to you, I would not take their account as correct.

rallytog1 · 18/11/2013 09:01

You need to get a plumber out asap. Doesn't matter if you are there or not. As long as your tenants are there to let the plumber in, that is fine. You can't delay repairs like this simply because you want to be there but can't be for the next two weeks.

You also need to forget about the compensation you've paid. That has nothing to do with whether or not you now get the problem fixed. Yes, you were a little naive to offer this, but it's done now, and it doesn't absolve you of your obligation to get this problem fixed. Two weeks is far too long to expect tenants to live with a problem like this without you at least arranging a plumber to come out.

Being a landlord is hard work and I'm sorry you've had it thrust upon you in difficult circumstances. However, you do need to get this problem sorted, even if it means you're out of pocket.