Tradies - who decides which one?

[Burramys]

A tenant reported a non-urgent repair to the PM and I was contacted about this. The agent said that tradies normally contact the tenant to sort out dates and times of access, and if the tradie can use the PM's keys. As this is a non-urgent repair I'd like to have the tradie attend on a weekday and in business hours. In the past, the tenant has wanted to be there when a tradie attended.

I'm not sure what my rights and obligations as a LL are in this respect. I think I can select the tradie and after having given 24 hours notice, perhaps longer, and then have the job done at a date and time of the tradie's choosing. I'd like to lock I this to one day and a morning or afternoon.

It's made more complicated by the tenant who for reasons that are unclear does not like one of my tradies. I'm considering using this bloke as he does a good job for a fair price and has assisted me on three renos, or vice versa. Can I say that this is my tradie, and if you do not like him, tough? At the same time I want to preserve good LL-tenant relations. The tenant pays about 13 days late months, just on the edge of eviction, and some payment cheques have bounced.

 

[thatbum]

Well they sound like competing interests, so you're going to have to pick one to the detriment of the other.

 

[bob shovel]

Between you and the pm you can choose the Tradie, you would get final say being the LL.
As for times that would be up to the tradie and tenant, which the pm can arrange. and you wouldn't expect after business hours unless the tenant wants to pay the overtime rates to be there

That's how i see it

 

[Burramys]

Thank you. The PM's advice will be sought. If the tenant does not have to be there then the tenant will not know who is selected to do the job.

 

[thatbum]

Thank you. The PM's advice will be sought. If the tenant does not have to be there then the tenant will not know who is selected to do the job.

Yes but the tenant is allowed you be there if they want to, and you have to notify them of when the work is being done.

 

[elsLan]

Yes but the tenant is allowed you be there if they want to, and you have to notify them of when the work is being done.

If your tenant can't be there just get your pm to provide access for the tradie with spare keys. Solves the issue of after hours costs for the tenant (and not being accomodating). My pm often meets tradies during business hours and just lets the tenants know when she will go through.
If they want the maintenance done they will usually agree.
Otherwise get a notice of entry served with the time and date and they can go through.

 

[Burramys]

If your tenant can't be there just get your pm to provide access for the tradie with spare keys. Solves the issue of after hours costs for the tenant (and not being accomodating). My pm often meets tradies during business hours and just lets the tenants know when she will go through.
If they want the maintenance done they will usually agree.
Otherwise get a notice of entry served with the time and date and they can go through.

Agree. The PM has the keys as does the LL, and it's a question of trust. A tradie who is also a thief would not last long, or maybe the tenant just feels more comfortable being there when a person with a key might visit. The repair was sorted.

 

[wylie]

We had the ludicrous situation a year or so back where the tenant placed into the house we were selling (long story...) demanded we repay her for a few things she had paid for (new shower head - nothing wrong with the existing one), new key cut for the "other" tenants - (what other tenants - we approved a single tenant). We refused to pay for those things due to the PM having taken instructions from the purchaser who was not a party to the lease (really long story... should probably have reported this PM).

The straw that broke the camel's back with this farcical situation was when the tenant said the power was tripping. This we did agree to pay as it was a necessary fix. With about two weeks left until we were to settle, this entitlement mentality tenant, who had done so many things wrong already with the apparent blessing of the PM was told a sparkie would call her. He called six times, text twice and finally in frustration just rang the door bell.

Tenant refused to let him in. At this stage we said "stuff this, new owner can fix it" and let it go.

PM paid for the little fixes, and rightly so, as they had no right to take instructions from the purchaser when he set the weekly rent when he didn't own the house yet. I just really, really hope this tenant is giving the new owner some of the same crap we copped.

 

[Burramys]

PM paid for the little fixes, and rightly so, as they had no right to take instructions from the purchaser when he set the weekly rent when he didn't own the house yet. I just really, really hope this tenant is giving the new owner some of the same crap we copped.

That's mad! You're the owner, you make the calls on what can be done. Most certainly work with the new owner but until settlement you decide. The new owner had no right to give the PM any instructions until after settlement. The tenant, PM and new owner are probably having a lovely time together.

 

[MyPropertyPro]

As always, just make sure everything is done in writing, or phone calls are backed up by emails so there is a paper trail. It's very easy to get lost in the to and fro between four parties (tradie, tenant, PM and yourself) so don't forget the basics of covering yourself!

 

[wylie]

That's mad! You're the owner, you make the calls on what can be done. Most certainly work with the new owner but until settlement you decide. The new owner had no right to give the PM any instructions until after settlement. The tenant, PM and new owner are probably having a lovely time together.

Indeed. We had no idea the PM had taken instructions from the vendor as to how much rent to ask (he asked $100 more than we were getting). It was all kept very quiet until it slipped out one day when I called to see what was happening.

We had agreed to rent it out whilst waiting for settlement, we signed the renting paperwork, but they took direction from the new (not yet) owner. We asked them to rent it for what they thought it was worth. That is their job. But they took direction from someone with no authority.

I believe they realised at that stage they were in a precarious position and we could have made life very difficult for them, so they paid the things that the tenant had spent upgrading the little niggles that weren't up to scratch (pfffft!!!) and we just wanted to settle and move on. We'd just been through the legal system and didn't need any more at that stage.

I doubt the tenant and the PM will be having a lovely time together . I believe they deserve each other, and believe the tenant may just have met her match.

 

[Burramys]

I doubt the tenant and the PM will be having a lovely time together . I believe they deserve each other, and believe the tenant may just have met her match.

One can but hope. You may wish to monitor the news to see about biffo or an exploding IP. More seriously, if an event seems like it will go pear-shaped, I keep all emails in a word processor. Write the email in the WP, add the date and time of despatch, and then send it. Incoming emails are added to the list, with a line such as "sent from PM name at 10.05 am on 11.5.15 received at 1.45 pm on 11.5.15". This way there's good contemporaneous evidence of who said what when. I also have a bound diary, just plain ruled pages, with a hand-written account of events. Words in ink in a bound book are hard to falsify. That is, the information may be wrong but the words are a good record, with everything supporting the date sequence. It's a bit hard to explain.

 

[Xenia IM]

You can use your own maintenance people.

You can arrange it yourself - give trades person the tenants number and get him to arrange a time then invoice you directly.

Or

Get the pm to send a work order.

He needs an Abn and insurance.