UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hey all,

I had this debate with my mate down the pub yesterday: If you need to do some work on a property do you think it's better to just DIY and save money or to get a professional in to do the job, giving you guarantees that it willbe done properly, and a recourse if it goes wrong as well as saving you time in many ways? (guess which side I was arguing for)

Let me know what you all think?

Tim

If you've got both the skill and the time then DIY.
Don't do any electrical work other than replacing a bulb 'cos if it goes wrong; a) it could cost you an arm and a leg to put it right; b) you might injure a tennant with all that implies and  c) if your property sets on fire your insurers won't pay out !.

I agree with what Caerhays said.

I wouldn't attempt ANY Electrical work unless you're qualified. Moreover, you're not legally allowed to do any work on gas appliances unless you're on the Gas Safe Register.

For all other DIY, it depends on what level of skill is required.

But it's important to remember that a bodge-job may seem quick and easy, but they can easily cost you a lot more to repair. Only attempt a job if you're positive it will be nothing short of high quality.

At the risk of doing a bodge job, the only way you can better at these things (I've found at least) is by doing.  Otherwise you'll always be paying people for stuff you could have learnt yourself.  Give it a try I say!
(obviously not plumbing & eletrics though, too much could go wrong!)

Hi Tim,
It depends on what you are doing? If you're fitting wardrobes or painting and decorating you can probably do this yourself. If you want a top quality finish you may want to consider a professional. I guess it depends on the type of tenants you want; if you're looking at the student market the quality of finish may not be that important, but if the tenants are going to by London City professionals.

You must remember as a Landlord you have a number of legal responsibilities which mean that you will need to get someone in. For example, you have duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to arrange maintenance by a Gas Safe Registered engineer for all pipe work, appliances and flues, which you own and have provided for your tenants use.

You must also arrange for an annual gas safety check to be carried out every 12 months by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. You must keep a record of the safety check for 2 years and issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed and issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in. For this particular issue you may want to take a look at http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/default.aspx?popupcheck=true

For other services like plumbing and electrics, I think it's best to get a professional to do the work. The key here is getting someone you have built a longer term relationship with and who is reliable, trustworthy, and not going to charge the earth for simple jobs...!

Quote from: semiproinvestorTim1 on January 11, 2010, 01:31:00 PM
Hey all,

I had this debate with my mate down the pub yesterday: If you need to do some work on a property do you think it's better to just DIY and save money or to get a professional in to do the job, giving you guarantees that it willbe done properly, and a recourse if it goes wrong as well as saving you time in many ways? (guess which side I was arguing for)

Let me know what you all think?

Tim

It's all up to you Tim, there is no need to argue with that, if you to DIY, then do it, although its kinda tiring but you can save a lot.

Hello Everyone.

As a Landlord what are the biggest problems you face on your properties repairs?

I would just like to learn more about the pain points you experience in your profession so we can bring you the best product.

I would love to hear back from you, even if it is only one sentence!

Kind Regards,
Landlordrepairs

Hello Landlordrepairs,

I don't want to sound smug, but I have no problems.  I've built up a set of tradesmen over the years who get a lot of business from me and also a lot of business from friends because I recommend them on to friends and associates.  It becomes a virtious circle.  The get a lot of work because their quality is good.  Because their quality is good, they get a lot of work.

There have been a few walleys over time, they soon get on the black list and people get warned off using them.

Hope this helps you.

DIY is cheaper but remember if you prefer to be on the golf course or what ever you like doing getting a trades man in is all tax deductible why pay the tax man put your feet up and get the job done properly

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the feedback that you gave us last time we asked, it really helped us in terms of research and it was much appreciated. We have been building up our platform slowly over the last few years and are preparing to go live very soon.

We know most landlords already have a set of tradesmen, like your good self, which is good news all round because now it is possible for good landlords to recommend Landlordrepairs to them so that other landlords can book trustworthy tradesmen too, omitting the walleys. Tradesmen are only invited if recommend by other landlords, especially the new BTL landlords, and we think that they will benefit a lot from that, ensuring that all are safeguarded against rogues and unnecessary extra costs.

As all tradesmen will be recommended by good people like yourself on the platform, Landlords will be able to get up to three quotes per job, you will be able to compare the quotes from our site with the quotes from your current tradespeople and weigh up the odds. Every pound saved is every pound earned.

Our support includes end of tenancy jobs, emergency jobs, maintenance jobs, just to mention a few.

We want to provide an accessible platform that suits both landlords and tradesmen alike. If you have any suggestions of what you think you might like to see on such a platform we would love to hear from you.

Thanks

Landlordrepairs

I think it's safer to get someone else to do. There are certain things you can do yourself like plastering (potentially) and decorating but anything related to the water or electrics i'd play safe,