The Tenantproof House

[JK0]

Three weeks ago I let a flat to a family introduced by my African friend. Regular readers know that I install a washer dryer and confiscate the trickle vent shutters. There is already an extractor in the bathroom, although I did not have time to put in a humidistat one.

My tenant is already complaining about mould. Heaven knows what the place will be like in 6 months.

(Yes I have told her to open the windows. It is too cold apparently.)

This is the lady that was cutting up a deer in the kitchen.

http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/forums...d-in-your-flat

Yesterday I was called out for the sixth time in two months. Today's problems were the hot bath tap, and the lounge storage heater stopped working.

I grabbed a box of storage heater spares and headed over there. The tap just required a new gland:

http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/plumbing/...skuId=11988708

As mentioned in my other thread, the consumer unit is in a cupboard in the kitchen. My tenant was in bed after a night shift. The place is absolutely chock a block with junk and rubbish, and I had to remove some just to open the cupboard. I wasn't pleased to find the nappy I moved was used.

It turned out that the internal cut-out had tripped in the storage heater due to having junk piled up round it. Also my tenant has already managed to burn a pan ring on the previously spotless worktop. Happy days.

[hech123]

Have you seen the bubbles you can buy that people can roll around in? Why not buy a few of these and ask if your tenants will put them on whenever they are in the house? That way no damage and they have fun as well!!

[JK0]

Yeah, I think my tenant's little boy could use one. On Saturday he sat on the settee eating crisps once his mother got up. He said, I don't like these, and started chucking them around at random. His mother didn't admonish him at all.

I suppose the next thing is, they'll be complaining about mice.

[mind the gap]

Did you ever find out where the deer came from, JKO?

[JK0]

7th call-out today:

Tenant said she needed help reading the electricity meter, as she had received an enormous bill, and also the storage heater I fixed last week wasn't working.

The meter had been read correctly by the meter reader, and the bill was £266 since September. I reminded T that I warned them about having the place at 30 degrees. The storage heater had been turned down by T's children.

Give me strength.

[JK0]

My favourite tenant just called.

She tells me that two of the rings on her electric hob on the same side have failed. It is something like this one:

http://www.365electrical.com/HIZE641...FefMtAodDncAGg

Anyone know if these things have separate fuses for left and right burners that can be replaced? Or should I just buy a new one and forget trying to fix it?

Also, would I need to remove the oven below this in order to get it out?

[Ericthelobster]

Anyone know if these things have separate fuses for left and right burners that can be replaced?

I think it's unlikely - however it's also pretty odd for two (not one or four) to fail at the same time. Hobs aren't exactly complicated bits of wiring so there's not much to go wrong; I think I'd like to eyeball the underside before committing to a replacement. I wonder if she flooded the switches with water or something?

The other issue is that unfortunately there's no standard cut-out size in the worktop, so if you do have to replace it, really you'll want to source an identical hob to be sure of getting one that fits.

Also, would I need to remove the oven below this in order to get it out?

Almost certainly, yes; however it's nothing to worry about - more often than not they just slide straight out; worst case scenario is there's a couple of screws each side holding it to the front edge of the kitchen unit.

She sounds a piece of work, this one!!

[JK0]

Thanks Eric.

[JK0]

I just rang my tenant to suggest she turn on the oven to dry out the flooded switches, and now she says the oven won't work. I suggested she turns on the grill for a couple of hours.

Funnily enough, she did not dispute it when I suggested something had boiled over.

[mind the gap]

Funnily enough, she did not dispute it when I suggested something had boiled over.

Probably that big vat of venison stock.