lodgers and cooking on the landing

Tabieth

DreamsofPretzels. I'm not going to get rid of the whole set up. There is nothing wrong with having cupboards, a fridge and a sink with mains water. It would be cruel to make lodgers descend two storeys just to get a drink of tap water or make a cup of tea!

It’s really not cruel! It’s totally standard for most one or two storey houses that the kettle is on the ground floor. 

theartfullodger

travelodger said:

theartfullodger said:

No way as a landlord (since 2000/..) would allow cooking on a landing.

in your opinion is it OK for my lodgers to have a kettle, toaster and microwave there?

Entirely up to you and the lodger agreements the lodgers have signed.  IMHO kettle yes, toaster no (source of fire..) microwave dunno.

I did have tenants who were told by someone that cooking using electric cooker (tested, entirely legal) that I'd supplied was expensive and they should better use gas for cooking. Happened to drop round (can't remember why) to find a multi-burner gas hob sitting on top of still connected working electric  cooker with a dirty great gas cylinder next to it.  We had a rather direct conversation. Lovely people but...

Slinky

theartfullodger said:

travelodger said:

theartfullodger said:

No way as a landlord (since 2000/..) would allow cooking on a landing.

in your opinion is it OK for my lodgers to have a kettle, toaster and microwave there?

Entirely up to you and the lodger agreements the lodgers have signed.  IMHO kettle yes, toaster no (source of fire..) microwave dunno.

I did have tenants who were told by someone that cooking using electric cooker (tested, entirely legal) that I'd supplied was expensive and they should better use gas for cooking. Happened to drop round (can't remember why) to find a multi-burner gas hob sitting on top of still connected working electric  cooker with a dirty great gas cylinder next to it.  We had a rather direct conversation. Lovely people but...

That reminds me of a friend who gave tenants permission to change the built in oven, and found when they left that they'd got the new one on top of the worktop hooked up to a 13amp plug, with the old one still in place.

travelodger

Grumpy_chap said:

travelodger said:

Thanks, everyone.

I'm really glad I posted this thread now because it has given me a lot to think about. 

Lots of different opinions have been posted in reply, which is great.

DreamsofPretzels. I'm not going to get rid of the whole set up. There is nothing wrong with having cupboards, a fridge and a sink with mains water. It would be cruel to make lodgers descend two storeys just to get a drink of tap water or make a cup of tea!

The local authority have no jurisdiction over a private home with lodgers and have no legal right to enter my home. We have a fire extinguisher on the wall (and on every storey) but I doubt any lodger knows how to use one. The spilled oil is a very good point, so the hob and the air fryer are being removed today. 

Monkey, I never thought about toasters catching fire. I doubt any of the lodgers ever empty or clean it. So I will get rid of that, too.  

So from today there will be only a fridge, kettle and microwave.

Thanks again, everyone!

Could you compromise and exchange the microwave for a combination microwave with grill?

That would make everything look neater and more contained but still allow normal cooking (like an air fryer) or grilling toast so mitigate the loss of the separate appliances.

As well as saying it is safer and neater for there to be less clutter, you could also say that the electric circuits are not properly rated for everything at once.

Could you tolerate the hob if it was at the other end of the array so no risk of spills / dropping down the stairwell?

Sorry, I don't find any of those options appealing. The more I think about it, the more I realise how much danger lies in that innocent looking facility. How easy to put something under the grill, go into your bedroom, sit down and fall asleep, burning your housemates to death. 

Even if the hob was at the other end, it would be underneath a wall unit, no extractor to remove steam or grease in the air. Spattering a painted wall. The whole hob thing is just a terrible idea. We have a perfect good, newly refitted kitchen downstairs.

travelodger

In reply to an earlier poster, I've always made it clear to potential lodgers at interview that the facility on the 2nd floor is primarily to save them time by allowing them to make tea/coffee and a continental style breakfast whilst getting ready for work, packed lunches, and salads, sandwiches and "three-minute ding" microwave dinners. I don't just leave them to assume what that area is for. 

TABIETH: it's not one floor up though. It's two long and two short staircases, landings and doglegs (it's a three-storey, tall townhouse with high ceilings!) Obliging people to go upstairs carrying mugs full of boiling hot beverages and trays of scorching hot microwaved food is courting potential accidents. Better all round for them to have the facility to prepare these things upstairs.

bobster2

travelodger said:

In reply to an earlier poster, I've always made it clear to potential lodgers at interview that the facility on the 2nd floor is primarily to save them time by allowing them to make tea/coffee and a continental style breakfast whilst getting ready for work, packed lunches, and salads, sandwiches and "three-minute ding" microwave dinners. I don't just leave them to assume what that area is for. 

TABIETH: it's not one floor up though. It's two long and two short staircases, landings and doglegs (it's a three-storey, tall townhouse with high ceilings!) Obliging people to go upstairs carrying mugs full of boiling hot beverages and trays of scorching hot microwaved food is courting potential accidents. Better all round for them to have the facility to prepare these things upstairs.

Do they have to eat their dinners in their bedroom? Can't they eat them at a kitchen / dining room table?

If you were building a new place - or doing significant renovations that required inspection by building control - then having a staircase pass through a kitchen on the way to the exit would not comply with building regulations (unless there was another escape route). The escape route would need to be separated from the kitchen by a door.

Now you are not building / renovating - so don't have to comply with the latest building regulations. But the fact this would not be permitted - should give pause for thought.

travelodger

bobster2 said:

Do they have to eat their dinners in their bedroom? Can't they eat them at a kitchen / dining room table?

I make it clear in my adverts, and when potential new lodgers come to view, that the ground floor fully equipped kitchen comes as part of the deal, along with the adjoining dining room (a lovely conservatory with a glass roof) but in practise only about 1 in 10 lodgers ever seems to use the dining room. They prefer to eat in their bedrooms. I suppose they are watching something on TV, Youtube, Netflix etc or just prefer slobbing on their beds instead of sitting upright on a chair. I can only provide and suggest; it's not my business to order how people actually lead their everyday lives unless it infringes the house rules.

Murphybear

Microwaves can catch fire, and this is usually caused by user error like putting metal inside, or by electrical faults. Common causes include placing metal objects (like cutlery or tin foil), flammable plastics, or dirty, greasy residues in the appliance. Electrical issues, such as a short-circuiting power supply or a malfunctioning internal component like a waveguide board, can also lead to a fire.  

WIAWSNB

travelodger said:

bobster2 said:

Do they have to eat their dinners in their bedroom? Can't they eat them at a kitchen / dining room table?

I make it clear in my adverts, and when potential new lodgers come to view, that the ground floor fully equipped kitchen comes as part of the deal, along with the adjoining dining room (a lovely conservatory with a glass roof) but in practise only about 1 in 10 lodgers ever seems to use the dining room. They prefer to eat in their bedrooms. I suppose they are watching something on TV, Youtube, Netflix etc or just prefer slobbing on their beds instead of sitting upright on a chair. I can only provide and suggest; it's not my business to order how people actually lead their everyday lives unless it infringes the house rules.

You are more than reasonable, and they have no excuse.
I suspect they'll accept it, but tough if they don't.
They have a kitchen and lovely dining area. Wow! That is where they should cook and eat - end of.
The sole exception would be as you say - and only if you want - ready-meals and reheating food requiring only microwaves. And hot drinks via a kettle. Ie, the sort of thing you could have inside a bedroom with no reasonable risk, and I'm pretty sure would not be a breach of any reg.
(It is certainly very common for hotel rooms to have tea making facilities, and a sink. Microwave? Not so sure, but I cannot see a pure MW being if much greater risk than a kettle. Of course, it can be, as they can 'arc', and if there's a build up of fats, then it could happen. However, MW-only ovens tend to remain clean, so very little risk. And, they are usually sealed metal boxes, so less again.But still your call, and its more than originally agreed.)
Anything that requires a cooking element that will reach ~500oC is out, as the risk of fire is far too great. So, no toaster. No air fryer. No combi microwave oven. No bagel machine. No deep fryer. 
Is there a smoke alarm on that landing? 
If you asked your local fire service to assess that area, it'll become the talk of t'pub that eve'.

WIAWSNB

And these cupboards, and that fridge, should contain no food that requires cooking prep. I presume there's plenty dedicated storage space in the downstairs kitchen?
I'm in two minds about even a MW up there, but you did provide it yourself. On the next change, perhaps consider losing that too - make it purely drinks prep, and make the fridge commensurately tiny - milk and cold drinks.