Water damage/tenant issues

skint_chick

I need some advice from you good people on here. I have a house that I rent out and before anyone says anything I'm not an evil landlord and have never had any problems with tenants before. I recently got new tenants - a family of 4 - and during the first month they called me to tell me that the kitchen ceiling was leaking so I called a plumber friend to take a look. He said that nothing was leaking pipe/toilet wise but that the tenants were not pulling the shower curtain when they had a shower and water was lying on the bathroom floor and slowly seaping through the tiny gaps between the floor and skirting board - so he siliconed them up and I asked the tenants to use the shower curtain and ventilate the bathroom by opening the window a little after they had showered (there was condensation all over the walls/ceiling. Then a few days later they called to say there was a hole in the ceiling - more water had got through because they were still not using the shower curtain correctly and water was coming over the edge of the bath and not being cleared up.

Then this week the shower broke completely and is beyond repair. I didn't install the shower - my previous tenants did and never had any problems with leaking water - and the plumber has removed the unit completely leaving a mixer shower with very good water pressure. I filled the oil tank with £200 of oil when they moved in, and the shower can be heated with the immersion heater. The electric shower is not on the inventory and I made it clear to them was not mine when they viewed the house. They are making a fuss about me replacing the electric shower b/c they don't want to use the heating (b/c once it runs out they have to buy more oil!!) and don't want to use the immersion heater - b/c then their electric will run out. We are communicating through the son as the parents don't speak English.

Do I have to replace the shower? I'm unhappy about it b/c of the water damage they were causing by not clearing up after themselves, I still have to pay to fix the ceiling when the water dries out (at least it's stop leaking now) I want to be a good landlord - I offered to get a shower installed if they bought one (and removed if they wanted to take it if they move)

N79

skint_chick wrote: »

I need some advice from you good people on here. I have a house that I rent out and before anyone says anything I'm not an evil landlord and have never had any problems with tenants before. I recently got new tenants - a family of 4 - and during the first month they called me to tell me that the kitchen ceiling was leaking so I called a plumber friend to take a look. He said that nothing was leaking pipe/toilet wise but that the tenants were not pulling the shower curtain when they had a shower and water was lying on the bathroom floor and slowly seaping through the tiny gaps between the floor and skirting board - so he siliconed them up and I asked the tenants to use the shower curtain and ventilate the bathroom by opening the window a little after they had showered (there was condensation all over the walls/ceiling. Then a few days later they called to say there was a hole in the ceiling - more water had got through because they were still not using the shower curtain correctly and water was coming over the edge of the bath and not being cleared up.

Then this week the shower broke completely and is beyond repair. I didn't install the shower - my previous tenants did and never had any problems with leaking water - and the plumber has removed the unit completely leaving a mixer shower with very good water pressure. I filled the oil tank with £200 of oil when they moved in, and the shower can be heated with the immersion heater. The electric shower is not on the inventory and I made it clear to them was not mine when they viewed the house. They are making a fuss about me replacing the electric shower b/c they don't want to use the heating (b/c once it runs out they have to buy more oil!!) and don't want to use the immersion heater - b/c then their electric will run out. We are communicating through the son as the parents don't speak English.

Do I have to replace the shower? I'm unhappy about it b/c of the water damage they were causing by not clearing up after themselves, I still have to pay to fix the ceiling when the water dries out (at least it's stop leaking now) I want to be a good landlord - I offered to get a shower installed if they bought one (and removed if they wanted to take it if they move)

As there is another shower available for use no you do not need to replace the electic shower. You can also hold the Ts liable for the damage to the ceiling ete should you wish as flooding the bathroom is not acting in a tenant like manner.

Fire_Fox

Surely the other shower was using the electric anyway? It doesn't sound like you are dealing with your tenants in writing, why not as you may need a paper trail?

skint_chick

Do you think I need to write them a letter explaining that I'm not replacing the shower as there is another one and that they have the option of using the immersion heater or the oil central heating? I'm quite concerned that they have told me they are not going to heat the property as this won't help with the damp issues - especially as they are attempting to dry clothes inside the house without opening any windows. I find it difficult to communicate with the tenants as they do not understand much English and maybe having a written letter they would be able to show someone and get it explained to them properly. I almost feel as though they think I've left them with a cold water shower even though they did say they didn't want to use the heating.

skint_chick

Firefox - I have written a letter but the tenant's son keeps calling me several times a day until I answer, it's getting very frustrating as using the heating would cost them less than the electric shower and provide heating for the house but they don't seem to want to know

clutton_2

does your local council have an interpreter service ? some housing departments do .. check it out

also google for translation services.. i used these to write to some Polish tenants as they did not understand what was going on...

legally as landlords we dont have to do this tranlating but it shows good will

are they claiming all their benefits and can they afford fuel costs ? Asylum seekrs get a pitifully tiny amount to live on with income support

skint_chick

too much info

Jowo_2

Tell us more about the tenants locking themselves out, issue with the grass and why the cooker had to be replaced. Were these maintenance issues that a landlord is obliged to resolve or further examples of where their lack of understanding about their responsibilities means that you have to run round after them? Or was the contract not clear on the process for lost keys, who maintains the garden and so on?

Did you have a schedule of condition in place that lists the condition of the property (fixtures, fittings, walls, etc)? You will have issues justifying any deductions from it if you do not have this.

A landlord is obliged to keep all appliances in the property in good repair that are present at the outset of the tenancy. I don't think you can shrug this off by missing it off the inventory. I believe that there are ways of a landlord 'gifting' things to the tenant which should be upfront and in writing (I could be wrong but the landlordzone forum has solicitors as members and you will find this useful).

If a tenant damages something (assuming the landlord has proof it isn't a maintenance defect and is their fault) then the cost is deducted from the deposit.

Talk of paying for translations is bizarre - surely the children can translate the letter that reminds them of their responsibilities relating to damage, heating/ventilation and so forth?

Secondly, I am alarmed that they are not heating the property - tenants are obliged to adequately heat and ventilate a property. The failure to heat the property and the water leaks will inevitably lead to damp and mould.

I think you should just ask them to leave at the end of this current fixed term if they have the mindset that all they have to do is pay the rent and chuck everything else at you, plus you face an uphill struggle in communicating to them their responsibilities and presumably making them adhere to it.

What arrangements did you make for contacting you?. Tell the tenants son who keeps bugging you (and send a letter to the tenants) that he may report ...emergency issues to you by telephone but that all non-urgent issues must come to you in writing.

Send them a letter reminding them of their responsibilities and address their behaviour issues (heating, damp, ventilation). Include a leaflet on how to avoid condensation (most local council and housing association sites have a leaflet for their tenants that tell them how to avoid mould - i.e. not drying clothes indoors and so forth).

EDIT - typo corrected (thanks Bitter and Twisted below for pointing it out) to make clear that urgent issues should be made by the tenants by phone, previously this mentioned 'non-urgent' by mistake).

BitterAndTwisted

I agree with what Jowo says, although he made a mistake when advising you to write to the tenants IN ENGLISH: they should communicate all urgent issues by phone and non-urgent ones in writing only.

Write your letter telling the tenants that they took on the property with a fully-working shower and that is still what they have now but how they choose to heat the water is their choice a they have more than one and is therefore not your concern. Remind them that the damage to the ceiling was caused by them not using the shower-curtain properly and by not mopping up the floor after use. You have engaged a workman to try to prevent water seeping downstairs but this is not a permanent solution and the cost of repairing the ceiling will be borne by them.

Remind them that drying laundry indoors even with adequate heating but without adequate ventilation is almost guaranteed to cause condensation and mould and should this result the cost of rectifying same will also be borne by them.

Leave any issues about translation services up to them to deal with. Presumably their English was good enough to read, understand and sign a tenancy agreement, so it should be good enough to understand their responsibilities. Sometimes people conveniently lose their ability to understand plain English when it suits them.

Serve them with a Section 21 to gain possession when their agreement ends. These people sound like more trouble than they're worth tbh.

skint_chick

too much info