Pilot Error

[JK0]

Back home again, having replaced the shower and tap.

Today I had to replace that shower again. That's a bit bad, isn't it? Four years and running off soft water too. The temperature (flow) control had no effect.

[JK0]

My friend wasted my day today. (Yes, the guy with the BMW & the Audi. )

In view of those two cars being nearly clapped out, my friend decided to buy a Lexus. He found a 12 year old one in Harrow, an hour's drive away. It's £3800 and 82000 miles. Despite my warnings, he is intent on getting it, so persuaded me to go with him today (in the BMW without aircon) so I can drive the Lexus back here.

The car seemed okay, so we all trooped into the house for my friend to pay. Bear in mind that I have always told him to take cash for buying cars. He then found out that his online banking is capped at £1000. 'Can you pay, and I'll pay you back J?' he asked. 'What, on my imaginary computer?' I said.

In the end the owner drove us to NatWest, and my friend got £500 from the cashpoint to reserve the car. My friend still thinks I'll be going again next week to drive his new car home! I told him to make a mental note where the station is.

[JK0]

My new tenant is a pain...

Within 15 mins of moving in, she was on the phone to the agent saying she couldn't get the key out of the door. Then ten minutes later she managed it.

Today's problem is her pans won't heat on the inductive hob... I bet I can guess what the problem is.

[Stew]

Really enjoyed reading the saga's, first time I have seen this thread, thanks for such a good read

[JK0]

Not a tenant this time, but a washing machine repair man for a major brand:

They texted me last night that they would be at my rental flat today between 1415 & 1615. I got there around 1230 just in case, and sat down to wait.

And wait.

Finally the phone went at 1615. The guy said he would be there in 15 mins. 1630 came & went, as did 1645, 1700. Finally I rang him at 1715.

He said he'd been to the house(!) and was told the machine was fine. I asked what address he went to.

'9 B*****s Road.'

My flat address is 9 B*****s Court!

[JK0]

I dropped off the keys for the recently vacated flat with my friend who often finds me tenants. Spoke to him Wednesday night and said I would be calling for the keys Sunday lunchtime if he had not found anyone.

My friend asked if I would fit him a new extractor fan in his bathroom, so today I loaded up my car with fan, tools, drill etc, before heading over there at 1pm

It took a while for my friend to come to the door. Still in his jimjams, and obviously just out of bed. He handed me the envelope containing the keys & EPC. I asked if he wanted me to come and look at his fan... 'Not today thanks'.

Came home and removed tools from car.

[JK0]

A tenant moved out on Friday in fear of Coronavirus, and I picked up the keys on Saturday. I was pleased to see the place was fairly clean. I went over this afternoon with Hoover & Viakal, as there was some limescale on the sinks. Opened the oven to check, and found some mouldy samosas left for me. I guess tenant didn't clean oven?

[JK0]

Why do my half witted tenants insist on calling out emergency plumbers, when they know very well I pay British Gas for this service? My tenants aren't simpletons.

Should I reimburse them, or tell them it's their own bill to pay?

[nukecad]

I wouldn't say 'messy'.

From those pictures - untidy or cluttered at the most.

The worktops (and the floor) look clean so I wouldn't call It messy, just cluttered.

Different people have different standards about what is a mess or not. (Ask a teenager - if you can get one to talk instead of grunt).

Oh yes, her machine her responsibility.

[JK0]

This afternoon I've been over to the flat to look at the machine. OMG, I wish she had unscrewed the door. It looks like someone's used a crowbar. This is the remains of the door latching mechanism. The various parts of the door have been separated for some reason. They are resting on the side of the sink:

[ATTACH]1393[/ATTACH]

Sorry it's blurred. There is now only one lug for the latch to fit in. The other seems to have been broken off by the crowbar. The corresponding piece on the machine has dropped inside.

I'm minded to tell my tenant it's up to her to arrange and pay for repairs. Any thoughts?

The saga continues...

My tenant obviously did not want to repair my 5 year old £1600 Siemens washer drier, so discarded it and replaced it with a basic Hoover washer that doesn't even dry.

Today she left a note for me that it doesn't work. I wrote back that it's not my machine, so up to her to repair. Does that sound fair?

BTW, I thought my kitchen was messy:

DSCF0032 (Medium).JPG

[JK0]

I went to visit my friend yesterday, (to repair another tap) and found him watching 'Free Willy 3'. I couldn't understand why the film seemed to be narrated, until I realised he had the audio description on. I told him, that was a service for blind people, and he should switch it off, as he can see. He told me that he'd previously seen the film at work, and it was just the same there. (He works at a care home.)

[JK0]

My friend's BMW is still at the garage, so he has been using his old Audi A6 automatic estate.

He rang me this afternoon: Could I give him a lift to pick up his wife from work, as the Audi was now playing up? The symptoms he described sounded like a binding handbrake, so I suggested I put my car tools & trolley jack in my car and head over there.

I put the Audi in neutral and was able to push it back & forth, so did not think it was the handbrake. The selector looks like this:

maxresdefault.jpg

He suggested I take the car round the block, and it seemed fine to me. We then went out together, and he showed me the problem. It randomly seemed to lose power, so he turned round to come home. Looking down I noticed the gear selector was in 4, rather than drive. I asked: 'Why do you have it in 4?'

He said: 'Oh that's 4 wheel drive.'

I said: 'Just leave it in D, and let's go for a drive.' The car then ran fine.

He's had the car for 3 years!

[JK0]

Just been over to my friend's, as he asked for more water softener salt. I went in the bathroom to wash my hands and noticed the tap was loose. 'Why didn't you tell me your tap was broken?' I said.

'Oh, I didn't want to bother you'.

I left after eating our lunch together, and said: 'I'll bring my plumbing tools over next time to do that tap'.

'Oh, you can go & get them & come back', he said.

My reply was unprintable.

[JK0]

What planet do these tenant come from?

Planet grievance I believe. My friend who recently rented a flat from me rang me last week. His storage heater had cut out due to being overheated and the heat not being used.

I said: 'I showed you how to reset it.'

He said he was tired and I should come over to do it.

'How many favours have I done for you?' I asked. He grudgingly agreed to reset the heater himself.

[JK0]

I may have mentioned that my friend & I went to buy an E46 BMW two years ago. He came over last week saying the man had diddled him by selling him a car with no spare wheel, and could I get him one from Ebay.

We had a look at Ebay, and saw that the car normally comes with a skinny spare tyre. He did not want one of those, so got me to order a full size spare & tyre. He's just been to collect it, and went to put it in his boot which looks like this...

wheel_well.jpg

Have a guess what we found under that black plastic piece? You guessed it, the skinny spare wheel!