Horrid Landlord, Horrid Agents

scroogest

Running_Horse wrote: »

Best of luck in the new place, but you may find the next landlord even worse. It would be interesting to hear her side of the story, as it takes two to have an argument.

With a very big lot of luck, we will complete on our purchase. If not, then we go into temporary accommodation until we find something else to rent - and then look again for something to purchase.

Oh our landlord hates us. Simple. We are very unreasonable people for not putting our entire lives on hold because her window cleaner wishes to visit and collect money and needs the side gate unlocked on 'Maybe next Mon, Tues or Wed'. He is such a busy windowcleaner, he could not possibly be sure so we just have to leave the side gate unlocked for 3 or 4 days. Obviously if something went missing from the garden shed it would be our problem.

Her first gardener elected to visit on Mondays and then did not show for about 4 weeks. He then showed up once. Then he stopped coming. He said he wished to 'come when he wanted to'. She wanted us to consider this. We said no, we wished for the terms of the lease to be upheld. That's where things started going wrong basically. The gardener would not abide by his own day-selection and so he left her.

Next gardener was fine by our standards. He arrived on the right day, did what he had to and left whenever he felt like it. She however found fault with him and dismissed him.

Next gardener is the present one. Dreadful service. Often showed up on wrong days. If she wants to inspect the garden they arrive half an hour before her and stick a dozen or so flowerpots into the soil while others mow the lawn quickly. Used the hosepipe during a hosepipe ban. Often arrives with several staff who then sit on driveway eating lunch, smoking and having a chat for at least 40 mins. There have been times when that's all they did, and then left. During autumn and winter the driveway looks like a grassy field because it has loads of moss growing on it. We ask them several times each winter to please get the gardeners to remove it and every year it is never done. We do it ourselves after we realise it's not going to happen. It would be easier if they just said no, do it yourself.

Our landlord stopped doing annual leases since last year. Each time she asks for more money, and wants only a six month lease.

Even funnier, she has 'friends' in the street who it seems keep tabs on us. There was a time when she emailed us - not long after we moved in- to say that her friend down the road noticed the windows were not clean. There was nothing wrong with the windows.

Each time we tried to organise the window cleaning with her wonderful window cleaner, he just would not show up and makes no contact either. Eventually she said she and her estate agents would handle it. The windows have not been cleaned for about 6 months now and are quite dirty. ??

Essentially this house was her parents house. They died here I think. We only found this out AFTER WE MOVED IN. She has a deep emotional attachment to the house and is obsessed with the garden. I am sure she would have a very different take to the whole story. I have no issues with the gardener or plumber or electrician or anyone. They just have to follow procedure. I do not want unexpected people arriving when they feel like it. I also have things to do and sometimes I would like to enjoy the garden or have friends over without having 4 men parade about with lawnmowers/leafblowers/shears or sitting on the driveway having a lunchbreak when I also need my driveway space if I am having friends over.

From our perspective the tenancy would be most convenient for our landlord if we simply paid her the small fortune she asks, and then lived elsewhere. :-( We were not allowed to even remove the awful old curtains she has in the house, as she did not want them taken down and stored.

To the person who said that we should be grateful that the gardener wants to attend the plant- the gardener arrived on Monday as scheduled but simply did not water it. He did however inform the agents/landlord of the problem. They then emailed us saying the gardener told them the plant is dry and needs watering. As I said in the first post, the garden is green and lush. Only this one lillandy (sp) tree is brown. The other lillandy trees are green and getting bigger every day. The tree is ill I think. Now if the gardener was that interested he would have watered it. Instead he pitched up at 5:15pm and after mowing the lawn left at about 5:30pm. That does not indicate a concern for the tree, it just indicates that he is trying to cover himself by telling them about it so if it dies, he can't be held liable or something like that?

olly300

OP for some reason you have managed to argue with your LL when the real problem is with the workmen she employs who she can't keep tabs on. It is impossible to keep tabs on workmen when you are not there. (You will lean this when you have a property yourself.)

I suggest in your next place you try and maintain a reasonable relationship with the LL so when their workmen don't do the job they are paid to do you can point this out to the LL and are believed. This means they get made to do the job properly or are sacked.

Also you should ask before accepting a tenancy whether you can remove anything. The LL is quite right to refuse to allow you to remove the curtains simply because some tenants will not bring them back or will let them be destroyed in storage.

In addition if she or a relative lived in a the property before you moved in and got on with the neighbours, then they are likely to report things about you as they not being tenants they have a bigger investment in the area. It's human nature I'm afraid.

BTW you can use grey water (bath water, washing up water, washing machine rinse water) for plants particularly trees. Also you are lucky having a tenancy agreement which states you don't have to take care of the garden.

scroogest

olly300 wrote: »

OP for some reason you have managed to argue with your LL when the real problem is with the workmen she employs who she can't keep tabs on. It is impossible to keep tabs on workmen when you are not there. (You will lean this when you have a property yourself.)

I suggest in your next place you try and maintain a reasonable relationship with the LL so when their workmen don't do the job they are paid to do you can point this out to the LL and are believed. This means they get made to do the job properly or are sacked.

Also you should ask before accepting a tenancy whether you can remove anything. The LL is quite right to refuse to allow you to remove the curtains simply because some tenants will not bring them back or will let them be destroyed in storage.

In addition if she or a relative lived in a the property before you moved in and got on with the neighbours, then they are likely to report things about you as they not being tenants they have a bigger investment in the area. It's human nature I'm afraid.

BTW you can use grey water (bath water, washing up water, washing machine rinse water) for plants particularly trees. Also you are lucky having a tenancy agreement which states you don't have to take care of the garden.

How would I prevent an argument, when I say 'the gardener is using the hosepipe during the hosepipe ban' and she replies 'I am sure he is aware of what he needs to do.'

If life was as easy as you would have me believe, nobody would ever have any complications because everyone would avoid 'arguments'.

I think you fail to see that my issue is the trespassing. Not even the pathetic workmen she employs. It is the estate agent and Landlord telling the gardener to go ahead and trespass, and him going ahead and doing it. That is the issue. I might have been in the garden doing any number of normal or 'abnormal' things, I do not see why I would want to have a gardener hop over the fence/gate and join me. That is the point of it. The gardener is not my friend or my relative so I have no reason to want his and his workmen's company. Maybe other people regularly have long and satisfying friendships with all the gardeners/plumbers/electricians and dustmen but I am not inclined to.

ps. At no stage have we actually had some kind of shouting match with the landlord or the estate agent. We prefer the written word so that at a later stage, nobody gets to lie. We have had several disagreements via email. I thank you for your advice, it must have been well intended but it is simplistic in my honest opinion. It is all very well to patronise people by telling them what to do- unfortunately none of what you said is applicable to my situation as everything has already happened. I asked what my rights are in the first post, I did not actually ask for a lesson in how to accept shoddy treatment because 'arguments' are bad. It is fairly obvious to me that disagreements between tenants and landlords or employer and employees or husband and wife or even forum member and forum member are not helpful, unfortunately such is life- disagreements and arguments happen.

pps. Our landlord pays the gardener in advance. Six months in advance to be precise. Basically we can complain every day and he already has his money. I doubt he will refund any to her or anyone else.

sooz

scroogest wrote: »

The gardener comes on Mondays only. On tuesday the agents said someone had told them about a plant looking dead in the garden. It is a big sort of lillandye(sp). We had no intention of watering it as they requested. We pay for water, we think the tree is ill as everything else is green and lush and we don't want to help her out in any way.

I know you say relations with your landlord and all their workmen are strained, but if someone tells you that a plant needs watering, why didn't you just agree to water it and then do so, rather than allow this situation to develop?

I agree that from what you say she sounds a bit obsessed with the garden, but even with your once a week agreement, in the height of summer plants need more watering than just once per week.

If you were concerned enough about the gardener using the hosepipe during a ban, you should have removed it from the tap, and left a watering can out next to the tap instead.

scroogest

sooz wrote: »

I know you say relations with your landlord and all their workmen are strained, but if someone tells you that a plant needs watering, why didn't you just agree to water it and then do so, rather than allow this situation to develop?

I agree that from what you say she sounds a bit obsessed with the garden, but even with your once a week agreement, in the height of summer plants need more watering than just once per week.

If you were concerned enough about the gardener using the hosepipe during a ban, you should have removed it from the tap, and left a watering can out next to the tap instead.

I have said many times in posts that the plant is ill. It's about 10metres away from a huge lillandye(sp) hedge. The hedge is growing and is lush and green. EVERY other plant in the garden is perfect. We had soaking rains for about two weeks not even a fortnight ago. The tree is ill.

Furthermore, if the tree just needed watering, why did the gardener not water them when he arrived last monday? He did NOT water them- the gardeners left buckets lined up near the tap and they were all half filled with dirty, stagnant stinking water- these buckets were untouched for probably the last 2 months.

I understand your point, but if the plant is ill, watering is not going to help it. Everything around it is in perfect condition. If you could see how the garden is 'maintained' you would see why it is pointless trying to communicate with the gardener or even try to 'compromise' with the agents/landlord.

Our own lease has been willingly contravened by the agents and landlord. We have plants growing right up against our windows very high- and every time I open the window I have problems closing them. It is very hot these days and the plants growing into the house basically, bring insects. We have in the past asked our landlord/agents to please ensure these plants are trimmed but the landlord is not interested.

Loretta

scroogest wrote: »

I have said many times in posts that the plant is ill. It's about 10metres away from a huge lillandye(sp) hedge. The hedge is growing and is lush and green. EVERY other plant in the garden is perfect. We had soaking rains for about two weeks not even a fortnight ago. The tree is ill.

Furthermore, if the tree just needed watering, why did the gardener not water them when he arrived last monday? He did NOT water them- the gardeners left buckets lined up near the tap and they were all half filled with dirty, stagnant stinking water- these buckets were untouched for probably the last 2 months.

I understand your point, but if the plant is ill, watering is not going to help it. Everything around it is in perfect condition. If you could see how the garden is 'maintained' you would see why it is pointless trying to communicate with the gardener or even try to 'compromise' with the agents/landlord.

Our own lease has been willingly contravened by the agents and landlord. We have plants growing right up against our windows very high- and every time I open the window I have problems closing them. It is very hot these days and the plants growing into the house basically, bring insects. We have in the past asked our landlord/agents to please ensure these plants are trimmed but the landlord is not interested.

I am sure I read something really stupid about the hosepipe ban, you can't water your own garden but you can pay a gardener to come round and water it with your hosepipe and your water because it is their livlehood, I don't think I dreamt it

HenryWeston

scroogest wrote: »

I might have planned to be having a nude yoga party or something or anything.

can i come to the next one ?:D :j

seriously though, your post highlights the problems of renting, especially when you are renting off an amateur landlord.

scroogest

Loretta wrote: »

I am sure I read something really stupid about the hosepipe ban, you can't water your own garden but you can pay a gardener to come round and water it with your hosepipe and your water because it is their livlehood, I don't think I dreamt it

When I rang the water supplier last year they said that he was breaching the ban. They have however lifted the hosepipe ban since early June- typical. They arrived this morning and had the hose running for about 35 minutes.

Still, it's not so much the water issue as it is the rudeness and the trespassing.

scroogest

HenryWeston wrote: »

can i come to the next one ?:D :j

seriously though, your post highlights the problems of renting, especially when you are renting off an amateur landlord.

You are invited to the next one, just please do not attempt to scale the wall or bring a hose. :-)

The landlord is unrealistic. All we want is peace and privacy. Our rent is always paid on time, we have not damaged anything on the property, we don't create disturbance and we are happy to abide by the lease. It is she who has an issue with understanding that she has a mutual responsibility to uphold the terms of a lease which she signed.

You are right about her being an amateur landlord I think. Prior to us being here there was a kindly old 'foreign' couple we heard and I assume they conceded to all her demands. Prior to that her parents lived here.

I suppose we are different to the average tenant in that we value our privacy. I don't drop by my friends' houses unannounced so why would I appreciate anyone else doing that to me?

In the first week of living here a tap failed to work. No water ran when you opened it. We emailed her. She rang my husband and asked him if he was using it 'correctly'. I rest my case. :-(