Does a tenant have to be in for a plumber (quick question)

Gojira_2

I'm googling for a friend and not having much luck.

They have had a number of problems with the landlord and the property they are renting. To date, over the last year they have had 4 days off work for various appointments (gas certificate, engineer etc). Their landlord lives an hour away so not far.

They now have problems with a blocked toilet. It took the landlord a week or more to get back to them, saying he had been on holiday etc. They have 2 bathrooms so not an emergency as such.

Today, he's given the number for a plumber and told them to phone the plumber and arrange to come out. The plumber won't come out in evenings. Their goodwill is all but gone, and before they respond they want to know if they need to be in for a plumber or if, they can insist the landlord does it.

My understanding is very simplisitic, I thought if you are renting your only legal obligation is to phone your landlord and report the problem, from then on it's the landlord's problem to sort. If you choose to arrange to be in, that's goodwill but the landlord can't insist you take time off work etc, and make your own appointments? But is this right?
I'm googling for them but can't find anything? Anyone know?

I've been directed over here, by someone as I'm told someone on here will know the answer!!
Thank you.

G_M

Either you make an appointment to be there when the plumber comes, or you leave it to the landlord.

So if you are happy for a stranger (landlord? plumber? one or both?) to come in, then check the LL has a key and leave him to get on with it. If not, arrange to be there.

Gojira_2

Thanks G_M. The landlord has told them to make an appointment and they have already time off work for other appointments, they have asked the landlord to be there but he is refusing saying he has to work. The plumber is insisting they work 9am -5pm which is fair enough. But the landlord seems to think that he has given them a plumber and they need to be there, rather than him. The landlord is not a nice person (they are currently looking to move elsewhere, there is a bit of history here) and they just wanted to be sure that they can turn around and say 'legally we've informed you of the problem, we can't take any more time off work for appointment -can you sort the appointment yourself please'.

BitterAndTwisted

More often than not blocked lavvys are caused by the tenants chucking inappropriate things down them. Your friends have a choice: make themselves available for the plumber to call, find their own plumber who makes house-calls at the weekends and pay for it themselves or live with the situation as it is.

taxsaver

I tend to agree and feel it's not down to the LL to be there at all.

All too often people revel in pointing out that it's the TENANTS' home (rightly so) and that LL's and others cannot simply enter (again rightly so), yet when there is some inconvenience, most likely caused by the T's, they want to put it down to the LL to sort and be there!

Gojira_2

There are bad tenants and bad landlords out there, agreed.

Having known these two for a number of years and having had them live with me for a few years of that, they are not bad tenants. The reverse. I doubt very much, they would block a toilet and given that this is the end of a long list of problems, including being left without hot water for weeks, left without a gas certificate for months after being chased repeatedly etc. But this is not the place to get into that. They are better off moving.

I thought it was the landlord's responsibility to sort out repairs once notified. In the last year (since January, so I suppose the last 6 months really) they have taken 4 days off work to wait in for heating engineers etc. We just wondered what the law was regarding this, but can't find anything on-line. Maybe we are googling the wrong thing.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

G_M

Putting aside the issue of fault (lavatories really do not get blocked by human waste/tissue paper - they do get blocked by sanitory towels/nappies etc), we all have inconveniences in life.

I live in my own home - if I need a contractor I have to sit around and wait in for him/her (unless I'm willing to give him a key which I only do with contractors I know well and trust).

Same is true for tenants. Yes, the LL has to arrange/pay for the repair, but the tenant has to be either willing to trust the contractor/LL with a key, or be there to let the contractor in.

The LL has agreed to pay for the repair (it appears), and has selected a contractor. I'd suggest the tenants contact the contractor and either arrange an appointment or arrange to give the contractor the key.