Landlords Query

[cris r]

Hi my son rents his house out. On Friday the boiler broke so between my husband and my son they had an heating engineer out straight away. The valve had gone. The heating engineer noticed that the flu was an out of date model
Currently being updated free of charge by the company ( it's a fairly new house)
So he said he could fix the boiler but as he had to order the part Monday was the earliest day he could get there. My husband arranged for two heaters to be dropped off. The tenant was a little difficult when my husband wanted access for the engineer on the Monday but eventually said the neighbour would let him in.
The boiler is now repaired but my son is finding it difficult to get a date for the new flu to be fixed as the engineer says they could call any time in the day
( totally unfair in my view ) the lady clearly does not want to wait in all day what can we as landlords do......thank you for any replies

[Cloverjo]

Could one of you wait in all day? I can't see what else you can do.

[Retrochic]

Tell the Engineer that he either gets you a date or you get someone else. In fairness, you Tenant is getting a repair to her boiler free of charge, and if it were her own house she would be expected to stay off work for the day to allow access -there should be no difference that she's a Tenant,she should make arrangements to be there for the repair -make that clear to her.

[Old_Geezer]

Were I a tenant I'd expect the landlord to sort out the service they are being paid for. But that might mean the landlord waiting in all day for the tradesmen. For sure there is the option of pressing the engineer's company to either state a half day and stick to it, or go elsewhere.

[Peter Pedant]

well you could wait in the house for her
BUT she would worry about you going thro her stuff
OR she can wait in - but it is a days wages
OR you can get a key and get the engineer to ring you or someone else with a key and let him in

OR a neighbour....

This a safety issue - I am surprised that the tenant isnt that worried that the central heating isnt working...

all part of a landlords day.....

[Retrochic]

The landlord has a legal responsibility to maintain the property especially the boiler, and provide repairs and replacements. They do not have any legal responsibility for waiting in for Tradesmen. We recently replaced a boiler in one of our properties and two radiators -at a cost of £650 plus refunded a weeks rent as they had to move out to parents as they had a newborn baby and the heating was not working -oh and the trouble we had making sure madam was in for the plumber -and she wasn't even working!

[Baldric]

As a Landlord, I am quite happy to do the waiting about for a Tradesman if needbe.
All our Tenants are Ex Services, including a couple I served with in The RMs.
We have no problems with trust, we've trusted one another with far more than house contents in the past, and if someone is working on one of our properties I like to be there.

[cris r]

Thanks for all the responses. Yes my husband actually phoned the engineer to get a fixed time. But he managed to fix him down to a weekend call. The respone to this was I will have to look at that date which is tecnally one month away. I know we don't like waiting in but as was mentioned if it was our own house we would have to wait in. Think she is just being difficult ..... My husband said he would wait all day if need be.. Just to put his point across.