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I guess thinking about it as a LL....I would prefer that a tenant contacts at the point that they are not confident with an aspect of "maintenance"...I'm certainly not trying to get out of a LL's responsibility of providing a safe functioning property to our tenants.
But there is the issue that what a tenant may consider urgent could wait for a suitable appointment and doesn't always need a professional to attend as an emergency call out....and sometimes I guess it's about getting the balance right so that the tenant gets the issue fixed without huge expense to either side.
I've also had a tenant who didnt report a leaking boiler but left it for the flat downstairs to do so when water flowed into their hallway....so really I should be thankfull that this bathroom incident was we hope just a loose screw.frugal October...£41.82 of £40 food shopping spend for the 2 of us!
2017 toiletries challenge 179 out 145 in ...£18.64 spend0 -
I was quite happy to deal with small jobs round my home such as replacing the old shower hose that was leaking. It was less hassle for me to do these things myself and wouldn’t involve having other people entering my home. I also didn’t want to be like the boy who cried wolf so that if I did raise a repair or maintenance issue the landlord would know it was series whether the landlord did anything about it is another matter but at least I had acted in a tenant like manner.
The last place I rented came with a guide that explained, amoungst other things, how to shop for lightbulbs.0 -
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The last place I rented came with a guide that explained, amoungst other things, how to shop for lightbulbs.
Not that I would need to be told how to shop for lightbulbs but maybe LL should consider guides maybe that would limit the phone calls.
In a shared house the LL paid for appliance insurance and we were named so we could call out engineers it was £170.00 a year and we ended up with a replacement oven and fridge freezer whilst I was there. (Note although they were a good make they were both old when they were replaced).0 -
Same here really. I first rented after 18 years as an owner-occupier, so was happy to do minor DIY, especially if it avoided having to arrange for the landlord's tradespeople to visit for quoting and/or to do the work. But I presumed he wouldn't have wanted to know that I was meddling with electrics or plumbing.NaughtiusMaximus wrote: »Agree with the added caveat I would only tackle a job as a tenant if I was 100% sure I wouldn't screw it up. With my own property I would take a little more of a risk on that last point.0 -
NaughtiusMaximus wrote: »:rotfl::rotfl:
Sounds like you could write a sitcom about this pair.
Yes I probably could......
There was also the time that they moved their bed into the middle of the living room because they didn't want to use the central heating. They just used an electric fan heater which probably cost more to run than the newly installed central heating
Also, they never asked permission for the two cats they had which they never let out so they clawed the wallpaper, paintwork, window blinds and carpets (and oh yes they were Toms so sprayed everywhere)! We don't object to pets, but would never have given permission for cats as my husband is allergic to them. He used to start coughing and sneezing the minute they opened the door. It was a nightmare for him doing any work in there.:rotfl:0 -
Yes I probably could......
There was also the time that they moved their bed into the middle of the living room because they didn't want to use the central heating. They just used an electric fan heater which probably cost more to run than the newly installed central heating
Also, they never asked permission for the two cats they had which they never let out so they clawed the wallpaper, paintwork, window blinds and carpets (and oh yes they were Toms so sprayed everywhere)! We don't object to pets, but would never have given permission for cats as my husband is allergic to them. He used to start coughing and sneezing the minute they opened the door. It was a nightmare for him doing any work in there.:rotfl:
How do people live like that???
Makes me wonder what their parents house was like to think that is acceptable.0 -
I've rented from a housing association before so they have some guidance (and that guidance is in very plain English so tenants with different languages or abilities get the idea).
In essence, lightbulbs and loose screws are for the tenant - to the point where we got a free screwdriver and little pair of pliers upon moving in. A nice touch actually!
H.A.s expect tenants to pay for own decorating and carpet, so that is different to private tenancies I've had.
Electrics wise, we were expressly forbidden from messing with anything beyond a lightbulb. Anything else has to be approved and carried out by a qualified person.
Plumbing is limited to blocked pipes.
We did have a way to report small things as well as emergencies, which I used. E.g. a lot of the elderly window latches gave up at around the same time, so when 3 or 4 had gone I logged a report but noted it wasn't critical. However a water leak above the fuse box was taken seriously!0 -
In my last flat, it quickly became apparent that my landlord wasn't very good at DIY himself (he actually said that to me while trying to fix something), but also reluctant to pay for things to be fixed. In that flat I did a few minor things, and didn't hesitate.
My current flat is more at the 'showhome' end of things - more looks over substance and practicality (it's furnished). My landlords have made it clear that they are perfectionists, so that means that I won't try anything myself. I'm not even allowed to put up coat hooks! Thankfully nothing major has gone wrong, but if it did, I would be straight on the phone to them and not try to do it myself.
In both cases the attitude of the landlord has informed how I behave.0 -
Not that I would need to be told how to shop for lightbulbs but maybe LL should consider guides maybe that would limit the phone calls.
Funnily enough this is something that we actually do....there is also a cupboard in each property that contains a few replacement bulbs and some cleaning materials....we call it the honesty cupboard.
the idea is that there is a basic stock of essential cleaning bits and bobs which we say are for the tenants use,subject to them feeling comfortable using the products.Whilst we don't ask for replacement at the end of the tenancy we suggest that if they have found the products useful that they may leave any unfinished bottles they are currently using....it usually rolls on quite well....apart from the tenant who once said they had run out of hob cleaner and could we supply some more.
On the flip side though we also have a tenant who before they make any contact has usually phoned an associated helpline to diagnose a problem to establish who is best to attend and what actually needs fixing.frugal October...£41.82 of £40 food shopping spend for the 2 of us!
2017 toiletries challenge 179 out 145 in ...£18.64 spend0 -
I am a home owner so have no choice to sort theses things out myself (or get someone to do them for me) and it costs me, normally a few cans of beer etc depending on who I asked.
However if I was a tenant I would be asking the LL to do everything (apart from light bulbs) as, as far as I am concerned that is the advantage of renting you don't need to sort out these issues the cost of doing so comes in with your rent.
I wouldn't however expect small issues like this to be done straight away. I would wait until a time when the LL was available (much like I do now in my own home). I also wouldn't expect a tradesman just the LL to turn up with a toolbox - then if they made the problem worse it would be their fault and not mine.
The only way I would sort myself is if I knew I was getting cheap rent, paying market rate I would expect LL to sort.0
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