Landlords beware of cowboy contractors…..

One of our tenants recently reported that her boiler had stopped working. The timing was terrible, as the weather was turning colder and her young son had been unwell.   

We let the landlord know there was an issue and sent our regular contractors out to assess the situation. It wasn’t good news; our contractors reported back that the boiler had a serious leak and a repair would not be an economical option.   

Within 24 hours we had sent a quote to the landlord for a new boiler installation. The tenants would be without heating and hot water for the weekend but our contractors could get the job done on the Monday.   

The landlord decided against our quotation. He wanted to use his own contractor, which of course is his right to do. Monday came, and Monday went. Tuesday came and went. The week came and went, but there was still no contractor. There were plenty of excuses but no contractor, no hot water and no central heating. The tenants were very unhappy.  

Finally, late on the following Saturday afternoon, a contractor arrived. By Monday morning there was a new boiler. It didn’t work. By Tuesday contractors were back on site. They worked all day and by the end of it the boiler was working, and the tenant had heating and hot water. But the tenant was still worried; she hadn’t got a good feeling from the contractors and wasn’t convinced that they knew what they were doing.  

We rang the landlord to ask if they had given him a new gas safety certificate, he said they hadn’t. By Wednesday morning the tenants were concerned and I was concerned as well. I sent my own contractors to do a gas safety certificate and to check all was well. It wasn’t.   

They found multiple issues with the installation of the boiler, one of which could have been life-threatening. My contractors shut off the boiler. They are going back tomorrow to rectify the issues and ensure the boiler is safe. I will charge all of this back to the landlord. The tenants will be due compensation for their 13 days without heating and hot water. The tenants are deeply unhappy with the landlords and will not remain settled in the property for long.  

If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you see the cost of cleaning up after a cowboy…..