> Beautifully restored
rental properties
in St John's, Worcester
[ Uninteresting news ]
>
DULL, UNINSPIRING STORIES OF PROPERTY MAINTENANCE, OR...
Tales of delegation from the west side...
Of little interest to anyone other than me, the tenant and my accountant, maintaining and repairing the properties is, nevertheless, important work. It's one of life's unfortunate realities that all things must eventually break (or fall) down. As an enthusiastic landlord, I really do try to differentiate myself from the 'disinterested others', preventing or sorting out problems quickly and efficiently.
It's the only way, costs the same and makes life so much easier.
12/23
>Boiler changes often come in twos. When they do, you need a decent heating company to sort the problem. Enter LCH Plumbing and Heating. Having banged my head against a wall, trying to get someone to commit to actually doing the required work, via our friendly Facebook group I found Sam, who runs LCH, based in Lower Wick. Within the past three months they have taken so much hassle away from me, even sorting out a tenant's bathroom whilst we were 'off galivanting'.
During the annual GasSafe certifications, two boilers were identified as in need of replacement. Both replacements were costed and work scheduled. There were no ‘I’ll get back to you’s or ‘I’ll check my diary and call you after the weekend’….or even ‘I’m a bit busy at the moment. Can’t it wait?’
I love LCH. If I could have their babies, I would.
05/20
> A life under lockdown is god’s revenge for Brexit, with plenty more to come. So as we grit our teeth and close our eyes to what's going on around us, these halcyon days of sunshine and free time present opportunities that cannot be wasted, for fear of one day being asked by our grandchildren what we did during the COVID/19 lockdown, hanging our stupid heads in shame and answering “Fuck all really”.
Aside from the obvious social and physical distancing to keep us safe, there’s much that can be done to help us stay the right side of bonkers.
I am enormously impressed with those that turn their hand to new skills, proving themselves to be industrious and ingenious. For some tenants, Digging For Victory has taken on a new meaning...as they transform their courtyard into a space for everyone to enjoy.
We’ll get thru this shit-storm together and come out of it stronger, more resilliant and much better prepared for what was essentially an totally avoidable catastrophe. We're an island. We could have avoided the worst, instead of fanning the flames by every day letting 15,000 visitors fly into our airports.
01/20
> I've just been asked to manage a property for a good friend who has better things to do than mess about with decoration, niggles and gripes and a whole lot of regulations and compliance. First things first, we need to make the property as maintenance-free as possible, which means getting rid of some very choice colours on the walls. By simply decorating, using a Dulux Dove White, we can create a calm, stylish colour palatte that is so much easier to maintain...and live with.
Updating the lighting, removing furniture and cutains that are only in the way, we can give a new tenant a very stylish, fresh looking home ; one that will be quick and simple to freshen up when the time comes. Letting voids are very expensive, so by minimizing refurb time, the new tenant can get in quickly. and everyone is happy.
I have no financial interest in this property, but i do have an interest in getting the best possible tenant, who really appreciates a modern, stylish home. I also have an interest in not having to spend days sorting out colours and finishes.
11/19
> Well this was fun. I recently had the opportunity to refurbish a house. Getting the keys back, I was able to see how some people can be so f***ing stupid. Despite constant requests for the tenant to please ventilate the property, the house remained closed up for most of the year. Walking down the street I rarely saw a window open and knew I had a real problem when the postman told me that he regularly saw wet washing on the radiators.
The concept of condensation is when warm, moist air comes in contact with the interior face of solid brick walls during the colder months. It's not complicated, but I'm seriously considering writing a book on the subject, such is my extensive, recently acquired knowledge and my desire to never have to spend three weeks scrubbing walls, over-painting children's drawings on walls, doors and fireplaces, wading thru four and a half years of cooking grease and ripping out kitchens. I am now also a firm believer that blocking up vents and disconnecting fans didn't help matters. I may sound calm, but I'm really not. Dirty bastards.
With toys back on the pram and an empty house, I got cracking and everyone behaved themselves. New kitchen floor and carpets (Tom Brooks), kitchen replastered (Rob Caddick) new kitchen units, halogen hob, oven and chimney extractor fan (Me and Howdens), new granite work tops (GoForGranite), boiler service, new shower, new radiators, kitchen re-plumbed, new windows (Superior Trade Frames) and fully redecorated (with the help of a very good friend) and ready for the most delightful couple (thank you Connells again) to move in a few day’s later.
I've given the shiny new tenants my book to read, but suspect they won't be needing it.
12/17
> During a recent safety check on a central heating system, a potential problem was identified. The incumbent boiler was actually less that six years old, but in the long-term it was more economical and practical to simply replace the whole boiler with another make; one that came with a 7-year parts and labour guarantee. Now, this isn't much of a story I know, but it does demonstrate that planning ahead is very much part of how all my properties are maintained. In the short-term, boilers can easily be fixed, but there are times when it is better for everyone if it is replaced with a better, more reliable one. I'm actually happy that we caught this one before it became unreliable, tho some toys were thrown out of a pram for a few hours.
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11/17
> The trouble with Victorian houses is that the character they possess doesn't stretch as far as the drains, which is precisely what we discovered the other day, at the front of one of the properties. A swift diagnosis of a cracked coupling/joint, after a CCTV camera inspection from our friends at Severn Trent, means that repair work is already scheduled and hopefully minimal/zero disruption for the nicest of tenants. I do enjoy it when companies get their (and my tenant's) s**t together.
07/17
> We are proud to announce the safe arrival of Meg, our new runabout. Aside from a much-reduced carbon footprint, having Meg means that I will now also be wearing an enormous smile on my face, as she really is so much fun to nip around in. Everyone points and waves. It's what disabled rock-stars must feel like.
Meg's official name is a Renault Twizy. She is a two-seater, tho' the rear pillion seat is better suited to a landlord's toolbox than a decidedly wind-blown Mrs. Ellis. For the mildly curious, Meg is 100% electric, charges off a domestic 3-pin socket, has a top speed of 52mph and a range of about 45 miles on a 50p charge. Love her.
06/17
> A recent walk around Worcester as part of a history tour helped Mrs Ellis and myself to reacquaint ourselves with our home town. We saw it in a completely new light and consequently were able to empathize with two prospective tenants who wanted to relocate, to get away from their Birmingham workplace, to something less... Birmingham. Both chose Worcester as somewhere worth investigating. It was like Tinder for house-hunters.
With good access via road or train, the suburb of St John's is a fantastic place to live (and work elsewhere) and I can completely see why people want to settle here. Good choice.
04/17
> Rather like the proverbial bus, letting voids often come in twos. That's the time when you need a good letting agent on your side. Clearly motivated by the promise of Maltesers, within minutes of the notice being received, the Connells letting team had dived into their archive and uploaded images and text to Rightmove. Within no time they had a prospective tenant lined up for a viewing, which ended very well. Why wouldn't it? The house was in immaculate condition (ish), tho it still got the usual makeover as it was time to change and upgrade carpets...and take the opportunity to install granite worktops, a new Neff double oven, white ceramic double sink, pull-out spray tap and upgrade all the downlighting to new LED units. All within one week.
On to the next property...and exactly the same outcome. Such was the prospective tenant's enthusiasm to get in, that this time there was no letting void. As one moved out, the next moved in. Luckily this house was also returned to me in immaculate condition, with everything just as I left it after the original renovation. I love my tenants, even when they leave. Clearly the 'no scum' policy is working well.
02/17
> Storm Doris did it's worst when visiting St John's the other morning. As I lay awake, wondering if any of my chimneys had blown away and how many fence panels had been flattened in the wind, a text popped up on my phone to say that an aerial mast had snapped in half. This wouldn't normally be the crisis it sounds, but it was the start of half-term and clearly two small children were just about to drive their mother insane with their incessant whining.
New aerial and mast installed the following lunchtime; TV signal restored; medals handed out; crisis averted.
02/17
> A warm home is practically a birth-right, which is why, when there is a problem with a boiler, it's a major priority to get it fixed. Well, despite all our best efforts, a relatively new boiler wouldn't fire up the other day. There was plenty of hot water, just not in the radiators. A call to the UK manufacturer's helpline didn't help much either. For once it appeared as tho we weren't being stupid and an engineer's visit was booked for after the weekend.
In the meantime, two free-standing oil radiators were dropped round to the house to keep everyone warm over the weekend. Problem diagnosed as a broken digistat which we by-passed to enable the heating to function until a new one could be sourced and fitted. Thank you Ideal Boilers. Great service, all covered under their 3-year warranty.
Turns out we were being stupid.
12/16
> Unless you're the turkey, of all the times for an oven thermostat to fail, the week before Christmas isn't the best. In such cases it's just easier and quicker to simply replace the whole oven with a much better Whirlpool one, which was fitted the same day by my friendly electrician.
Christmas was saved ! God bless us, one and all.
11/16
> Older properties, with solid walls, can suffer from condensation, which is caused by inadequate ventilation during the colder months. It just is. The combination of solid walls, efficient central heating and a tenant's need to breath in and out is the primary cause, along with their other needs to dry washing and cook food.
As much as possible, windows need to be opened on a regular basis, tho of course this isn't always practical. In the past I have provided desiccant dehumidifiers to avoid the problem (becoming a bigger problem).
In an end-terraced property, we installed a Nuair Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) system into the attic space, which introduces fresh, filtered air into the home. The effects and benefits were almost instantaneous. If you're interested, the running costs are about £7.00 a year. Amazing.
Update 04/02/18 : Two more properties fitted with similar ventilation systems, to reduce condensation
11/15
> When one tenant moves out, there is often a short space of time to carry out any normally disruptive repairs. What some might call tightness, I call an 'obsessive need to control costs', even when it doesn't actually save me money. This is why we took the opportunity to upgrade the bathroom spotlights during a letting void. The existing ones were getting old, expensive for the tenant run and a bit manky. The new brushed-metal LED ones are just lovely, cool running and of course, a fraction of the cost to use.
04/14
> The combination of a prolonged period of wet weather, followed by heavy winds, means that fences can often blow down, especially if, like me, they're getting on a bit. Well naturally the call came in from a tenant and I was straight on the phone to Mr. Tanzerelli, before the rest of Worcester even got a look in. The resulting close-boarded fence panels and concrete posts were swiftly installed along the entire length of the garden and should outlast me, tho secretly I hope they won't.
EVENTS TOO DULL TO INCLUDE :
> Pin drops out of internal door hinge
> Boiler pressure needs topping up to 1.7 bar
> Rear door lock jams
> New lever-handle for bedroom window
> Vinyl floorplank expands in bathroom
> Kitchen tap gets replaced
> Extractor fan fuse blows
> Bathroom mirror light won't turn on
> New shelves fitted in child's bedroom
> Replacement glass replaced in kitchen window
> New toilet seat fitted
I would get out more, but it doesn't seem to help.
[ The service he provided was spot on, responding quickly and efficiently ]
This Is The Day / Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band