We have just let our UK house out for the second time. The new tenants have been in for a week and have phoned the managing agents today to report a maintenance issue......the toilet seat is coming undone and is wobbly when you sit on it.........

I mean am I being insane here or are they completely bonkers. Why don't they just get a screwdriver and tighten the frickin thing up? I have a feeling this is going to be a LONG year......

You're preaching to the choir here! In my "old" life back in Norwich, I was a Housing Officer, and quite honestly could tell you stories that would cause you to never sleep again!

Seriously though - have you defined in the contract what you as the landlord are responsible for? Sounds like they are going to be very needy tenants.

Welcome to the world of property management!

OMG Amy I bet you feel like calling them and saying "seriously guys are you for real?".

So you will have to pay for someone to turn up at your house to fix the toilet seat which is wobbly

I would counter their "issue" with a "well unfortunately during our x amount of years there the toilet seat was fine - so i will be deducting the cost for this from your damage deposit due to unneccessary wear and tear"

Bet thats not legal is it

They're under no obligation to fix anything themselves - that's what being a tenant is all about. They might not even own a screwdriver. However, if your agents are any good they'll tell them it's not an urgent matter and they'll just have to put up with it. It's always something that could be fixed when some more major job needs doing (which it will, probably sooner than you think).

We left them with a whole shed stacked full of screwdrivers....! I know it is our obligation to fix things but honestly! And the man tenant is a Service Engineer so surely he is slightly handy?!!

Our new tenants were like this when they first moved in , but all has been quiet now for a while. TBH I don't mind too much- they are tenants after all and having them is better than an empty house. Our agent sorts it all out. They will be safe-guarding their deposit at this early stage- eg letting everyone know that at the end of the tenancy you don't withhold deposit for a wobbly loo seat. Understandable- we do similar things as tenants here.

One of the very refreshing things about us living here is not owning our own house and having someone else fix it!! Of course there are downsides too!!


Gryph

Hey Gryph, have you actually got somewhere new to live yet?

Yup - we have descended even further into surburbia. To the land of no trees. We do however have a mountain view for those with long necks! And we do have a BE member living in the road!! She's on hols though.

Moved this week. Nightmare. Am on pain killers as yesterday spent from 9:15am to 7pm cleaning old house with a 5 minute break.

Next time we buy!!!

We may be going to strathmore rodeo this Sunday, wrong way for you, but let us know if you feel your hat deserves another outing
Best wishes.

I can recommend a good Psychiatrist

When I rented years ago my washing line broke. I was busy tying a knot in it and adjusting the length and a neighbour (renting from the same people) told be to report it as if it had a knot in it when we left we would be charged but if we reported it as ongoing maintenance it would be replced free. I enquired and she was correct. How crazy is that, the system made me a "needy" tenant.

My viewpoint is that I prefer tenants NOT to do repairs. In many cases what they think is a satisfactory result is definitely not so.

As a property manager, with over 45 tenants I have seen and heard lots of stories. loose toilet seats where the mother (same age as me) watched with her son, (aged 21 and training to do car mechanics) while I hand tightened the seat. They were really embrassed.

or the toilet which was blocked for a month and the tenant kept using the toilet

or the tenant who did not have the water turned on properly. I estimated that he did not flush his toilet properly for about a year.:curse:


I have found tenants who have not been able to change a light bulb, and these are the ones that are very quick to complain if something is not clean for them!