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Been in my rental flat 'helping' the kitchen fitter to put in a new kitchen
Went in the bathroom for the first time in a couple of years. Mould everywhere , mdf blown and big crack in silicone seal all around the bath.
Ask tennant , 'How long has it been like that ?'
Tenant .- 'Oh years .- I think the bath has dropped abit'
'So you stopped using the shower( over bath) and told me about it ?'
arrrr uhhmmm .No.
The **** has soaked the ply , the walls and floorboards for years probably.
He is a fricken carpenter who understands wood and how water destroys it, but its not his flat so screw it, I'll let the water flood the floor.
Fortunatly its more or less run straight into he underfloor void, once it had chewed its way through the ply.
Think its 4 or maybe 5 boards now I have had my head under the bath. Joists appear solid still amazingly.
One problem is the board that runs under a non supporting wall, then the 4 into the bathroom.
The long run under the wall I can drill out in section and knock in say 6" lengths so the wall stays supported. The next 4 , which are mush also run under a Non supporting wall.
So its probably bath out , jigsaw out rotten boards reveal 3 longways joists. Drill out and replace board that runs under the ns wall in sections .
Then remove the boards and replace with joist width sections, scarfed onto the 8x2 drilled and glued and screwed, Has to be short runs as these run under another NS wall and the boards are too thick to bend under the NS wall and back up onto the next joist.
WHilst I am under the floor void though . Woodworm damage is obviuos but could be 10 to 60 years old, so intend to spray Sika Guard under floor were accessable ( crawl area goes from 3ft to 3in) . Then maybe insulate with Rockwool, secured with scaffolder netting as the windspeed under the house is fierce.
Trying to avoid insurance as they will proably want to knock the house down and start again. Move tennant out , take down walls, replace every floorboard for a 2ft x 2ft area of water damage.
For the sake of £4 tube of silicone sealant , 30 mins of my time. and a tiny bit of disruption. Idiot.
Thoughts on insulation , how to go about it, stable door doesnt need closing. I know its going to be a test
I did rockwool and netting under our old house. Miserable job in a tiny crawl (flat on your back) space but it did improve things. Wherever it met masonry I cut and stapled up trays out of dpc to prevent any risk of damp tracking through. Moved out 15 years later and it hadn't caused any other issues in that time (no interstitial condensation etc when I poked about underneath). Sounds like you have good ventilation under there which is the key.
Just thought - it was also enough extra insulation to bump us up an EPC band which I presume is useful with new landlord obligations coming in sometime. So take lots of photos as proof.
I dunno, I kind of think it’s on you for not inspecting the place at once a year. Presumably you went in once a year for the gas boiler service? What about a lick of paint / replacing carpets / updating kitchen etc. Did you call and ask if there were any problems that needed attention?
What’s actually happened, I think, is that this guy has paid your mortgage for you for three years and you’ve invested nothing back into the flat while he was there.
If you think he was negligent then raise it with the DPS and hang onto that cash. Since you’re doing the work yourself you’ll still end up quids in.
Well said Flaperon. I mean, it's not as it there has been any travel restrictions these past couple of years or restrictions in going into other people's living spaces.
Tenants are legally obliged to report any issues at the flat but if it is not affecting them, they often don't bother. If it is, they want to job done yesterday. Mine didn't bother reporting a leaking washing machine (on the 6th floor of a flat) but when their clothes got stuck in there and they told me on the Saturday and I said I could have a repairer there on Monday morning, they said they'd "manage" till then.
Latest lot can't even source a lightbulb. Bulb went, they went to the shop to buy a new one, were told it was a discontinued model and so told me. Thirty seconds online and I located a bulb, another minute or so and I'd bought it and had it sent to them. Not so much as a thank you.
If anyone thinks renting out your flat is an easy way to get your mortgage paid, think again!
Dps are useless, my tenants caused damp issues by drying clothes and not airing. I warned them on inspection, they carried on regardless.
End of tenancy, report clearly stated tenant responsibility. Cost me 1k to repaint, dos awarded me 300 quid.
Tenant still protested their innocence, claimed flat was poorly built. Strange, 20 years of ownership no one ever caused any problems.
Funnily enough i am not a gas safe boiler engineer so, no i dont go in when the boiler needs a service and safety check. I pay a professional who liaises with the tenants. I pay him and get a safety cert.
Tennants have the right to peace and quiet.
Its their home, not for me to be pestering them constantly
As for dropping £5k on a new kitchen, yes that's wiped out 2 years of profit.
Before the ball ache of unnecessary repairs due to stupidity and laziness.
He could have done, he teaches in college so has been at home more than at work for the last 2 years.