Letting Agencies

[adridude]

What happens when you've called your letting agency up several times up about your boilet being on the bline and they dont get hold of you (and youn are unable to); but they didnt in writing untill last minute!
when they tell you that someone is being let into your flat without your explicit permision to do a normal gas check?

Ok I can agree with health and safety! but I dont agree with the letting in off oddballs... I'd rather be there. but they still did this...

2 weeks later ( i.e. today I stood outside my house in the rain as there was a gas leak and the gasboard advised me to stay away, came around tested and turned me off!

Whats happening here?? Who can I believe? As far as I'm concerned teh gasboard come first as they are the primary gas prople, but what do I tell the agency and what do I do?

So far I warned them that this has to be resolved within 24 hours (as I had warned them well over 7 days ago prior to my boiler problems) now my whole flat building was in danger!

now what? I dont want to tread on any toes, who is right, who can i shout at at teh agency after telling them?

Cheers

Adrian

[meagain]

Originally Posted by adridude

What happens when you've called your letting agency up several times up about your boilet being on the bline and they dont get hold of you (and youn are unable to); but they didnt in writing untill last minute!
when they tell you that someone is being let into your flat without your explicit permision to do a normal gas check?

Even with exigent circumstances, I still believe they're required to give you notice, and you're entitled to turn the unexpected visitor away. Of course, if they're being let into your flat by the letting agent, then they are in breach of the contract ("quiet enjoyment" and all that). If it's other tenants in the building, then perhaps they need some educating. In general, whenever I've shared a house, the arrangement has been (even when one of the residents has keys for all the doors, being son of the landlord) that if anyone was expected, everyone in the house was informed - if it wasn't certain if someone was aware of the visit, that person's room remained locked.

[adridude]

I spoke to her about letting the gas check guys into my house without me being there. She said that:

1) She sent me plenty of notice (which honestly they did, but im a busy man being the senior consultant in the company)
2) She said that by law, a gas check HAS to be done for the safety of others in the building. I said no ways, they can turn my gas off and cap it till its checked; She said no, it HAS to be checked

This annoys me, I dont even feel safe in my own home now. I'm an inch away from changing the locks, but that would be breach of contract as I signed not to.

Any ideas?

[martin2006]

Hi Adridude,
i am a corgi regd gas fitter who deals with this exact scenario on a daily basis
It should have been written into your tenancy agreement that you must allow maintenance to be carried out. That said, you can also insist that no-one enters without you being there. Its YOUR home. I normally instruct the letting agent to write with an appointment, stating that if the appointment is unsuitable, pls contact office to arrange a suitable time. It usually works ok but some people are awkward. When a tenant wont let me in or wont make a suitable appointment, the agent has the right to have your gas supply terminated, they would normally get transco/national grid to do this.
By law, a rented property MUST have a current gas safety certificate. It states on the cert that a further safety check MUST be carried out within 12 months so as to keep the certification continuous.
Its your choice whether or not you let anyone in but be prepared for them to have your supply cut off till you do, they have every right to do this, on safety grounds alone.
As your too busy to be there could you arrange for a friend or relative to sit in while they carry out the checks?

[adridude]

im really not fussed about anyone fixing my boiler etc... as long as I'm there. Not saying that any of these people with ran-sack my place, but I prefer the idea of home being sacred and protected.

They just violated that, and I feel unsafe here!

[Rich44]

I agree with you but you cant screw with gas you would feel worse if there was a serious fault with the boiler that lead to it leaking CO into your property well actually you would feel nothing as you would probably be dead. Take it from me treatment for CO poisoning is NOT nice.

Have you seen what they do to divers with the bends? The put them in a big glass coffin and increase the pressure till your ears get painful and then it keeps on going as CO doesnt release from the haemoglobin in your blood like CO2 does its bonds with it so the only way to get Oxygen in is at high pressure to literally force it in. So you're in this device for 3 hours at a time its so compact you cant even bend your knees more that a few inches and you have to have multiple treatments.

When you wake up from the initial poisoning you wont remember who you are, where you are what planet you are on. You motor skills will barely exist and you wont be able to do anything for yourself (even sit up in bed!)

Then of course there are the side effects spending random times throughout the rest of your life with burning sensation in your feet that feels like someone has put them in a fire so you only get 2/3 hours sleep a night and need heavy duty tranquilisers like Tamezepam to get some sleep and the fact that sometimes you can find it very difficult to release your bladder.

I'm not saying the above to insult you or to say you are in the wrong I just want to highlight what can go wrong and why they are being so funny about the gas checks, the above is pretty much best case scenario the other one of course is there is a gas leak that builds up till its so concentrated that you can no longer smell the gas and then BOOM and you definetly do not want that either.

I agree with your principle about your home being violated but for gas checks if they really gave you plenty of warning you really need to just let them get on with them and find the time to be there or get a friend or family member to be there instead.

I hope you manage to reach some kind of accomodation with your landlord regarding future visits

[adridude]

i do totally agree with your pont of view of safety. I'd rather that I was turned off than some odd person come here without my consent or me being here!

I told them, turn it off, then force me to get the check done, and they said, no can do?

as far as I'm concerned, this is a pack of lies!

[adridude]

also, my personal shrine (home) has been invaded and i no longer feel safe or secure here any more.

[LondonPam]

I have to admit I can understand you not liking someone coming in but under the circumstances you have stated I think it was correct for them to do so. There are deaths every year from malfunctioning boilers and it's imperative that safety checks are carried out. I would feel a whole lot safer now the gas has been turned off!
They can not turn the gas off first then force you to have the check, it doesn't make sense. The check has to be done with gas being on and they have to legally do the check.

[adridude]

I totally agree, and I would hate for any of my neighbours to go through that. Surely they should just turn you off? Just as when you fail MOT they force your car off the road rather than force you to go to a garage?

[Nick37]

Adridude, Look, stop whinning and if you really feel unsafe because someone entered your property, ask the agency to see if you can get the locks changed. As long as spare sets of keys are given to them, as their managing it.
Gas safety checks have to be done, end of story. If you can't make a small, maybe 10 mins of your time to be there then, like Rich & Martin said, get someone else to be there on your behalf. It's simple. I've never in 6 years had a problem with a tenant being funny about someone, who is professional, going in to check the gas. Most tenants do find the time, maybe lunch hour or after work or even before work (depending on your start and finish times of course) to be there. So stop worrying, speak to the agents again, tell them how worried you are and ask them to speak to the LL about changing the locks. If that doesn't work and your still unhappy, hand in your notice and find somewhere else!

[meagain]

It's nice to hear about landlords and agents that actually think about this. Early this March, during that really cold spell, we noticed the hot water wasn't as hot as usual, and the heating wasn't working. I then started smelling gas in the vicinity of the boiler room. Landlady said "I'll send someone out next week." I said "So you won't mind if the house explodes with three of us still in it before then?", and called the gas board in instead. We went without heat or hot water for a week, but at least the place didn't blow up.

[adridude]

Nick37, I don't like the attitude you are using towards me.

When I have over £25,000 worth of sound equipment for the band, my computer equipment and various other professional equipment (work related) stored there, then I get concerned.

Right, I'm unsubscribing from this thread, I've had more help from speaking to other tenants in the flat.

At the end of the day, they could have turned my gas off at the mains. Zero threat then.

Also taking those 10 minutes off? Don't forget some people with with an 'we'll be there in the afternoon' way of things. This is how they do it, and I'm sorry,as my company charges me out at £90/hour, I think that taking 5 hours off waiting for someone who might not even pitch up is unfesiable.

End of discussion, I have nothing more to say.

[Rich44]

Well did you even try to get an exact appointment or did you just ignore them if you don't ask for an appointment then you aint going to get one are you?

I am sorry you feel the way you do but basically i'm afraid you are in the wrong on this one and we all pretty much see it the same way gas checks are a fact of life as are many other aggravating things some people have to stay home who earn considerably less than you and manage ok and then go to work afterwards.

What price do you put on the safety of you anyone else living with you and your neighbours.

I am sorry if this is not the answer you were looking for but it is point of fact unfortunately. I do however wish you well for the future and hope you can move on from this unfortunate experience

[adridude]

most exact I had was between 12 and 6, but its ok, I've spoken to them this morning, and from now on I'll only get people around on weekends (which is what I wanted anyway)