UK Landlord Forum / Life

Couple moved into  ground floor studio flat 7 weeks ago.I had an agent find and set up tenancy,and hold deposit in scheme.I have taken on all other management for the first time in some years.

She rang with a whole list of issues within 24 hours.Most were not my problem,or were covered by the extensive information folder I left.The washing machine was broken ( not reported by previous tenant) so I had a new one installed the same day.I will from now on run a cycle before reletting!

I give my landline,requesting that calls are made weekdays up to 6.30,unless an emergency arises.

She phoned me Christmas Eve 7.30,saying the toilet was blocked,very slow to empty,for 2 weeks.There had been no mention of this,though she insists she had phoned several times, but my phone was "not working" I have had no problems with it whatsoever.The flat is less than a mile from my home.

My partner spent Christmas morning with drain rods.I will spare you the details.Had the ground been frozen we would have needed to call out an emergency service.Other flats have branches into the blocked area,but he is almost certain source of the blockage is this flat.Face wipes and sanitary items had been flushed.When told this,tenant insists she would never do this.

What is the procedure if this reoccurs? Obviously as a landlord I have to provide repairs.Even if I can legally request they pay for a contractor in future,they are on a low income and could not afford it.I doubt if the deposit would cover the costs.

Should I write  (tactfully) explaining the need to avoid this happening again,and that their deposit could be forfeited?   

   

To be brutal - being almost certain of stuff ain't gonna be enough. If you want to pin this on Tenants firmly, then you'll probably need some kind of professional to judge and write you an email or something. Because they're newly installed, it could still easily be the previous Tenant... there's just no proper way of proving that it's their responsibility which isn't going to collapse your relationship completely. Tread lightly.

The Christmas Day poking around doesn't sound good... but it's a nice anecdote for when you get invited to dinner parties, right? I find that a lot of my funny stories (?) come from dealings with my Tenants (I should pay them royalties, really).

All that said, the whole list of issues can demonstrate two things... a Tenant who will care for your property, wants things just so, and will always alert you to any problem you would want to deal with - all good... or some kind of perfectionist firmly entrenched in the Tenant Bubble of immunity with unrealistic ideas about what your obligations are. The first you probably want to keep, the second you don't. Now... I probably would not get too officious at this stage... why not take the approach of once-bitten-twice-shy or, as Dubya, said:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."

This settling-down period could be it. Most of all... don't panic. It could go well... the Tenant has had a blockage, you have resolved it, they have had a warning from this, even if they did it then they might now change their behaviour, so it will be a non-issue in the future.

Thank you very much Hippogriff.I am going to take your advice,stop this habit of catastrophising. I don't have to act. My hero Jack Reacher says "hope for the best,but prepare for the worst",but I suppose you just have to wait to see how some things work out.All being well,this could be freak occurrence.
The comic possibilities have not escaped us.My partner's graphic descriptions have already ruined a few friend's festive dinners.When asked how it went,we can truly say "We had a totally Crap Christmas".
It is great to get some other perspective,and I wish you a healthy and prosperous 2018.
   

Your hero is Jack Reacher? Not bad.

I have multiple... I am going to go with Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Number 6 (from The Prisoner) and, let's add, Elon Musk (for just getting stuff done).

I added Elon only recently obviously. I figured he deserves it - not really giving a crap about shareholders (yet) and just coming up with wacky schemes.

Will we even have drains on Mars?

Jack's not my only hero,but if I come back as a bloke I want to be like him.I'd like to see some smartass tenant try to get the better of him.He'll be at my dream dinner party,next to Elvis.
I very briefly met Patrick McGoohan pre-The Prisoner.I was a chambermaid in a London hotel.He gave me £20 to bring a bottle of whisky to his room (there was no room service)
What sort of rents will you be hoping to get on Mars?

Astranomic... astronommick... ...pretty high.

Groan!  Christmas Cracker Joke?