Issue with a bill to pay with my landlady (responsability)

Thoie

Thomas D wrote: »

Ok so say he has serious plumbing emergency at 5am on a Saturday. What should he do then? Those numbers should be provided before and if they are not then it is perfectly acceptable to use a reputable tradesman and deduct the cost from the rent. Point proven. Shut the thread.

He should turn off the water at the mains and contact the agency. Landlords don't leave a list of numbers to call precisely because you'll end up with tenants calling out an electrician to change a lightbulb.

I'm with the landlord on this one - her offer to pay is more than reasonable given the scenario. What would the OP have done if there was a power cut? What will they do if the ESB strike goes ahead?

ted1

srsly78 wrote: »

RCD is just a special trip switch right? Usually a red switch seperate from the others?

Not special in that it's completely different to others that make it harder to reset. Its generally twice the size of the others and may have a thing to switch as oppose flick.

OP did your girlfriend check with the neighbours to ensure it wasn't an issue with the supply?

If my tenant rang with an issue with the electrics . I'd get them to do basic checks such as plug everything out. Especially anything that has moisture. With regards not teaching sockets. Regulations say that there should be an isolation switch close by. OP are there switches around the work top?

If they were to call someone themselves, them they pay for that person especially after only 90 minutes.

superMarco

If he would let their number I would call him first before calling his contacts...

srsly78

This is an interesting thread.

Most of us know probably know how to work a fuseboard - one bout of sitting around in the dark is usually motivation enough to figure it out. Doesn't take a physics degree to flip some switches.

But is it fair to just assume everyone knows?

Thoie

superMarco wrote: »

She's 1M60 for 40kg..

PS, you might suggest that your girlfriend gets weighed the next time she's at the doctors.

Stheno

srsly78 wrote: »

This is an interesting thread.

Most of us know probably know how to work a fuseboard - one bout of sitting around in the dark is usually motivation enough to figure it out. Doesn't take a physics degree to flip some switches.

But is it fair to just assume everyone knows?

Surely people should learn when they move out of home and are renting? Can't just go around calling out professionals at the drop of a hat?

Thoie wrote: »

PS, you might suggest that your girlfriend gets weighed the next time she's at the doctors.

That weight is low but not excessively so tbh

Mikros

My opinion anyway - I would be inclined to side with the landlord in this case. Having no electricity for a few hours is a right pain, but it's hardly the end of the world in 99% of cases. 90 minutes on a Sunday morning does not seem like a reasonable amount of time to wait before making your own arrangements at a likely inflated price. Under the circumstances I think the offer to split the cost 50/50 is a fair compromise.

Also as has been pointed out already some fairly basic maintenance skills would have located and solved this problem without the need of an electrician.

Thoie

srsly78 wrote: »

This is an interesting thread.

Most of us know probably know how to work a fuseboard - one bout of sitting around in the dark is usually motivation enough to figure it out. Doesn't take a physics degree to flip some switches.

But is it fair to just assume everyone knows?

I think it's fair not to jump from "I don't know how to work out the trip switches" to calling out an expensive repairman and expecting someone else to pay the bill. What if there was a powercut?

What if the fridge breaks down on a Friday night of a bank holiday? It happened to me before. I went shopping the next morning, but it was Wednesday before I could get a replacement delivered (and that was the best I could get, having gone to a lot of different shops).

90 minutes on a Sunday is not a reasonable wait.

superMarco

1But you don't understand also that even when she turn off the fuse of the washing machin, the electricity wasn't working ! Like it was electricity for 2 second, and boum shut down.
It was more serious than just a "fuse" issue...

And for those people saying that it could be a general shut down, it was electricity in the entrance of the building.

srsly78

That's because you have to turn off the washing machine fuse, then turn back on the main circuit breaker. Not difficult.

Stheno

superMarco wrote: »

But you don't understand also that even when she turn off the fuse of the washing machin, the electricity wasn't working ! Like it was electricity for 2 second, and boum shut down.
It was more serious than just a "fuse" issue...

It doesn't sound it tbh, it sounds like a fuse being tripped.

You should have been a bit more patient imo

superMarco

srsly78 wrote: »

That's because you have to turn off the washing machine fuse, then turn back on the main circuit breaker. Not difficult.

What she did but still not working..

srsly78

You flipped the wrong one then.

Fuses getting tripped can just happen sometimes, even when there is no fault. Stuff like electric heaters and so can often cause it when plugging in/out.

h2005

Just accept the landlords offer to pay half and move on. Giving someone an hour and a half to get back to you on a sunday morning isnt reasonable.

Foxhound38

D3PO wrote: »

are you arguing just for the sake of it ? You genuinely think no electricity for an hour and a half is too long a wait ? You think tenants should be able to unilaterally make decisions on repairs after 90 mins ?

give me a break I respect you opinion on here generally even if I disagree but even you cant seriously believe what you have typed

Spot on. An hour and a half? Are you kidding me?

OP seems to think that the REA has nothing else to do than drop everything and deal with his problem on call - that's not the way it works. OP, you should have awaited advice from the agent and followed it.

The stuff about your girlfriend studying or your food going off is your problem tbh. An hour and a half is not a long time, and you had no right to act unilaterally. I'd take the half payment from the landlady and be done with it.

superMarco

Well, thank you for all of your comment, I've learn a lot today, if there is any problem, I will never be right.. Well maybe that its to be tenant I guess

But yeah, she didn't mean to create any issue with the landlady.. Since on sunday you can't really expect an answer from your agency, I didn't know that you should still wait as long as you don't get any answer...

Because I've ask at my work, and they told me that if the problem was coming from their appliance, it to them to pay for it..

She might have to wait longer, but still, this kind of issue sucks.. and our agent did the ****est job for the check up of our apartment because he didn't see a lot of thing.

Anyway, the subject is closed, I will see with prtb and thresold as well anyway

Thanks every body.

ted1

superMarco wrote: »

Well, thank you for all of your comment, I've learn a lot today, if there is any problem, I will never be right.. Well maybe that its to be tenant I guess

But yeah, she didn't mean to create any issue with the landlady.. Since on sunday you can't really expect an answer from your agency, I didn't know that you should still wait as long as you don't get any answer...

Because I've ask at my work, and they told me that if the problem was coming from their appliance, it to them to pay for it..

She might have to wait longer, but still, this kind of issue sucks.. and our agent did the ****est job for the check up of our apartment because he didn't see a lot of thing.

Anyway, the subject is closed, I will see with prtb and thresold as well anyway

Thanks every body.

The agent works for the landlord, how did they do a bad job. What were they meant to see

superMarco

He did a bad job, because when we moved in we had a lot of problem in the apartment, like the door of the wasking was broken, we opened it and it fall off.. the fridge wasn't working well, which mean, every week it was stopping freezing.. The wooden floor is begin to take off, and when we ask him about it, he didn't see anything.. Like as well the plate inside the microwave wasn't here anymore it was a simple normal plate to eat..

A lot of different thing like this.. and all of them are taking weeks to be fixed... the wooden foor is still in a bad state..

For a man that say he's working in an agency, he did a very bad job. (I'm not talking for the electricity one). He also accuse the landlady to take time to sign the lease (took them 3 weeks to have it back signed), and he lied to us about it that every time we asked him for it, he said, yea yea I'm going to send it..

So thats a part of Why she didn't really wait longer than 90minutes to get something from him. He always have excuses for everything, and have to justify..

Anyway.. I'm still waiting for my inventory..

PS : It took him a week and a half to change one washing machine door, because "he was going to disneyland Paris".. Like I give a **** of his holiday.. and he couldn't give us the number of the guy he contact for this or asked someone else to do it.. no no.. we just waited..
As well he talk to my gf like she was nothing, a little bit macho...

Anyways... ^^

The_Conductor

superMarco wrote: »

Anyway, the subject is closed, I will see with prtb and thresold as well anyway

Thanks every body.

Grand then.

Thread closed.

Victor

Thoie wrote: »

PS, you might suggest that your girlfriend gets weighed the next time she's at the doctors.

Keep it on topic. No need for personal comments.

Moderator

superMarco

A last post for tenant who can be in my position, I've ask threshold about it and this is what they say :

"Thank you for your email in response. If the problem with the electricity was caused by a fault in the washing machine and this was confirmed by the electrician then I can see no reason why you would have to pay this charge.

Obviously a tenant would be expected to attempt to contact either the landlord or the agent first but if this is not possible it would not be unreasonable to contact a qualified person."

So, its still their responsability to pay this bill at the end.

Thank you for the_conductor to open again my topic

Topic is definitely close now