Leak in rented house, landlord wojt call emergency plumber, and where do I stand with time off?

lisyloo

Surely you have a sink in the kitchen?
If you think it’s unhygienic then fill a bucket with warm water and strip wash in the bathroom.
Not ideal but no-one is going to die or get ill so it’s not an emergency.

An earlier poster is correct is that emergency call outs are for switching things off and making them safe. They generally won’t have a full array of parts and be able to do a complete fix out of hours and won’t be able to get hold of parts at a weekend.

Do you not have any neighbours who could take a key?
Do you have a friend or family member who could wait in?

If you have no friends or neighbours then there are paid services for taking keys or house sitting which might be worth considering if it enables you to earn two incomes.

Otherwise just take it on the chin and one of you take a few hours off.
If neither of your jobs are in any way flexible or offer personal/emergency leave then one of you has to take leave, but does it have to be a full day?

Clouds88

My letting agent has a key to the property I rent, they always offer to let the tradesman in if things need doing so I think this may be your only option?

I prefer this to be honest, less hassle for me.

lisyloo

Be careful about your DIY repair.
If you did not report it (not saying you won’t) and there was further leakage then your landlord could hold you liable.

I would report that you’ve done an emergency repair but state it needs fixing properly.
Personally I would do that by email with read and delivery receipts.
If no email the snail mail recorded delivery and make sure receipt is safely stored

Naf

lookstraightahead wrote: »

Was it someone they sent round to fix originally

My landlord never does anything until its absolutely essential. So the leaky tap that needed replacing and was getting worse and ever more annoying would never get done.

Naf

lisyloo wrote: »

Be careful about your DIY repair.
If you did not report it (not saying you won’t) and there was further leakage then your landlord could hold you liable.

I would report that you’ve done an emergency repair but state it needs fixing properly.
Personally I would do that by email with read and delivery receipts.
If no email the snail mail recorded delivery and make sure receipt is safely stored

I've told him I've patched it up. My suspicion is that he won't do anything else about it unless another problem arises.

lisyloo

Naf wrote: »

I've told him I've patched it up. My suspicion is that he won't do anything else about it unless another problem arises.

How did you tell him?
If by phone there is no proof that you did

The suggestion was not to get him to do something but to make sure he can’t withhold your deposit for the resulting damage for doing a bodge job when/if it leaks next time.

It’s not very hard to get proof which would could save a lot of grief in future.

lookstraightahead

Record everything by email. Take photos. Your landlords lethargy may lead you to doing something yourself which later you get charged for. Say exactly what you are going to do, clearly, by email.

Personally I wouldn't take time off work for something that is the landlords responsibility. If you owned the house then it would be your responsibility but you don't. You are borrowing the landlords items and you are paying for them to work. Your landlord can't have their cake and eat it.

Can't you move and find a decent landlord?

Clouds88

Naf I hope your landlord is happy you replaced the tap! The kitchen tap has been leaking for years and he’s never replaced it, just some guys have tried to tighten it with little success. Anyway fast forward to now where there has been a leak under the flooring and I have to have the whole floor ripped up and new one laid, they aren’t sure exactly what is causing the leak but the guy thinks it could be the tap that’s leaking so I’m getting a new one of those too. If it is, I bet he had replaced it years ago would have been much cheaper for him

Naf

lookstraightahead wrote: »

Personally I wouldn't take time off work for something that is the landlords responsibility. If you owned the house then it would be your responsibility but you don't. You are borrowing the landlords items and you are paying for them to work. Your landlord can't have their cake and eat it.

That's my feeling about it too. In this case it hasn't entirely/directly been his fault - but if it was, why should I be worse off.

lookstraightahead wrote: »

Can't you move and find a decent landlord?

For an extra £200+ per month, which we definitely can't afford for another couple of years or so.

lisyloo

It is normal to be expected to provide access.

No one else is insisting you take time off work.
If you’ve got no neighbours can you not pay a local shop to hand over the keys?