Unreasonable landlady

akamossy

We have been living in our rented house for over 6 months now. In that time we've had two things break, firstly the dryer which is also causing major damp issues in the house. Clearly a fault of the location of the dryer and the dryer itself but the landlady seems intent on blaming how we use it for everything going wrong. The shower broke yesterday and she was trying to gain access to the house without us there last night to just look at it before she called a plumber. We said no because we are not in, and we've had issues before with her just turning up at times and not telling us. We told her she could go in once on her own and regretted it afterwards when she proceeded to not just do what she was there to do but snoop around.

She seems to think that if something needs to be fixed that she can gain access without permission which from what I can gather she can't from all the literature I've read on this. Can anyone clarify this for me? She gets so defensive when something breaks but is it not her responsibility to keep on top of repairs etc... She doesn't seen to have a clue what she's doing and I'm fed up of her now!

ted1

Where you emptying the lint filter after every load? Is it vented yo the outside it is it a condenser ?

A broken shower may imply a leak which could be considered a emergency fix which could grant her access.

akamossy

ted1 wrote: »

Where you emptying the lint filter after every load? Is it vented yo the outside it is it a condenser ?

A broken shower may imply a leak which could be considered a emergency fix which could grant her access.

Of course I empty the lint filter. It has a pipe going through the wall to the outside. It's not an emergency fix, it hasn't even been looked at only by us. She's allowed in while we are here not when she just shows up unannounced when I made it clear we weren't in the house and she was told what time we would be back. I've also been here all day today, no sign of her at all. So it's clearly not something she really cares about. The only problems we have with her is when we ask her to fix things. She gets extremely put out about it. I've lived in 4 other rental properties and I have never had a problem with a landlord or with repairs. And the reason she wanted in last night was cuz she didn't want to call a plumber out costing her money. If she was showing up at the door with a plumber at hand then we would have said she could go in no bother. But she would be able to do nothing on her own. I've been sitting in all day waiting for her cuz I know the minute I leave she'll ring saying she's outside. I have a big day at work tomorrow and I need a functioning shower.

pwurple

It seems reasonable to me. You're a new tenant and stuff is suddenly breaking, I understand why the landlord wants to take a look before calling the appropriate person.

As a landlord, I usually ask tenants to arrange a time with my plumber/electrician themselves, and the tradespeople send me the bill. However, the tenants need to be there ~ 1 year before I do that. otherwise I pop in to check it first. This is in case the issue is misuse or deliberate damage.

akamossy

As I said she can look all she wants when we are present. I've read our rights and they all state she cannot come in without express permission. The high rent I'm paying for this is not so I can get given out to when something stops working and she makes herself out to be a martyr by fixing it. Does it not state in landlords responsibilities that she is responsible for everything that should be in working order. I don't really see how it's possible to misuse a shower. You turn it on, you get in, you have a shower, you turn it off you get out. End of story. Mid shower yesterday the shower just stopped. Hardly my fault and as I've stated already she has been told when we are here and that she can look when we are here. We have already dealt with her coming into the house without permission and just showing up at all hours of the night without telling us. Is this normal behaviour? Am I just reading my rights wrong? This house is spotless. Two appliances have failed, none due to misuse as you say so I don't appreciate her argumentative tone everytime I speak to her. May be her house but it's my home and I'm paying through the nose for it. And I'm now uncomfortable and unhappy living here. And at the beginning we'd have been happy to stay on here longer than a year but we certainly won't be now. And it's hard to explain someone's attitude here. All I asked was, was I reading the rights of a tenant right? And was she allowed enter without permission

pwurple

Mate, you can't have it both ways. You can't block her from coming in, and expect stuff to be fixed simultaneously. This is unreasonable.

Agreed, the time of a visit should be arranged with you, but if you don't let her in SOME time, it won't progress.

And it's perfectly possible to take a hammer to absolutely any item and break it. If you can dream it, it's been done.

handlemaster

This sounds like a dream tenant. I will watch out for more posts in the future

newacc2015

akamossy wrote: »

As I said she can look all she wants when we are present. I've read our rights and they all state she cannot come in without express permission. The high rent I'm paying for this is not so I can get given out to when something stops working and she makes herself out to be a martyr by fixing it. Does it not state in landlords responsibilities that she is responsible for everything that should be in working order. I don't really see how it's possible to misuse a shower. You turn it on, you get in, you have a shower, you turn it off you get out. End of story. Mid shower yesterday the shower just stopped. Hardly my fault and as I've stated already she has been told when we are here and that she can look when we are here. We have already dealt with her coming into the house without permission and just showing up at all hours of the night without telling us. Is this normal behaviour? Am I just reading my rights wrong? This house is spotless. Two appliances have failed, none due to misuse as you say so I don't appreciate her argumentative tone everytime I speak to her. May be her house but it's my home and I'm paying through the nose for it. And I'm now uncomfortable and unhappy living here. And at the beginning we'd have been happy to stay on here longer than a year but we certainly won't be now. And it's hard to explain someone's attitude here. All I asked was, was I reading the rights of a tenant right? And was she allowed enter without permission

You are failing to realise she owns the house. She wants to make sure her asset is looked after. I personally dont see the price of the rent as relevant. Are you be accommodating for her to access the house for repairs? Some tenants believe they are reasonable allowing a LL access, but the times not be suitable for them.

She is expressing willingness to repairs. You cant expect her to only work around your few free hours a week. If she wasnt willing to repair, she is not giving you your rights. But I think it will be hard for the likes of the PRTB to believe she denied your rights, when you arent being accommodating to her.

akamossy

How am I not being accommodating to her? We told her what time we'd be home last night which we weren't there in the evening cuz of being with family cuz of a recent death and I've been here all day today waiting for her because she said she'd call over today but gave me no time

TheChizler

She absolutely cannot come in without express permission or reasonable notice, she owns the property but it's your home.

skallywag

akamossy wrote: »

She seems to think that if something needs to be fixed that she can gain access without permission which from what I can gather she can't from all the literature I've read on this.

I don't understand this aspect of your post. From what you have written it seems to me that she did indeed ask your permission, which you declined to give?

Supercell

If you have a vented dryer that putting steam into the room it's likely that the vent is blocked. We had that issue with ours. There is a mesh at the outside to stop stuff coming in but it was also stopping the drier blowing out dust properly too , over time it built up and was blocking the machine from venting all the steam properly and it ended in the utility area instead, might be worth having a look, easy fix if that's the problem there.

Immaculata

She is right in that she is entitled to gain access to the property to assess the situation regarding repairs, but you are right in that it should only be by prior arrangement and with your consent.

So, I suggest that you say to her that she needs to agree in advance with you before entering the property again - every time.

Immaculata

She is right in that she is entitled to gain access to the property to assess the situation regarding repairs, but you are right in that it should only be by prior arrangement and with your consent.

So, I suggest that you say to her that she needs to agree in advance with you before entering the property again - every time.

akamossy

Thanks for all the info guys. I'll be talking to her about it anyway thread can be closed now thanks

foggy_lad

ted1 wrote: »

A broken shower may imply a leak which could be considered a emergency fix which could grant her access.

Only from a cowboy Landlord's perspective.

MadDog76

Don't know why posters are giving you a hard time here ......... the LandLady is completely out of order giving you attitude about repairs and she most definitely should not be trying to access your home without permission, especially when you're not there.