Digitalquill

We have been having problems with out boiler for some time now, the problems have come to a head with us only have a partly working boiler which does nothing very well at all, giving us lukewarm water and a heating system that continually requires top-ups of water to keep it going.

Although we have long term plans for the kitchen we have put those on hold for the moment due to money grabbing builders who seem to think we are made of money and want a gold lined extension building! We were going to replace the boiler when we did the kitchen but with things as they are we have had to re-think. I will post more about what our plans are regarding the kitchen in the near future.

Currently the boiler is on the kitchen wall, and as we are struggling for space in the kitchen it makes sense to try and fine another location for it. The downstairs toilet seems to be the obvious solution.

The downstairs toilet is very dated and showing its age, however, for not much cost I will be able to replace it and update it, however, in order to get the boiler in as well I will be blocking up the window, which we never use anyway keeping the blind down all the time. This being so it will be a larger job than it should be, something that I will have to do over several weekends. I intend to get the window bricked up next weekend, this will mean having the window out, maybe even the toilet and sink out to give me access.

I will also be taking down the ceiling, firstly because it is artexed and I hate artex and also because I am hoping that I can grab an inch or so to allow extra room for the boiler.

The first problem I have is finding a compact cloakroom suite, maybe even corner basin and corner toilet.

I mentioned in a post on the 22nd January 2009 that I had taken the decision to cover my tenants with the Land Lord Cover from British Gas. at that time I said I would update you as to how it goes, and as promised here is an update.

The monthly payments cover a yearly service and safety certificate for the property, something that is a legal requirements for land lords to have. The first years cover is now over and as such the second services are also now due. It is down to the tenant to book an appointment for the service and the safety certificate update. This has proven to be a failing, not really with the cover it’s self but with  how it actually works in reality. If the tenant does not organise a time then the do not have the safety certificate for which the land lord is legally responsible. As such I believe that it should be the land lords responsibility to tell the tenant when the booking is and if the tenant can not be at the property for that allotted time then the land lord should have access to the property for the service and gas safety certificate to be done.

I have however been very pleased with the service, I have only had reason to call them out for two separate incidents, firstly a boiler which would not stay on and secondly a burst radiator. These where both dealt with swiftly and all under the cover at no extra expense to myself including a new radiator.

All in all I would recommend the service both to private home owners and Land Lords, however if you are a land lord make sure that you manage the process and ensure that you do not take your responsibility for granted.

If you are interested in more information on the British Gas Cover click here

I have just taken out the British Gas Landlords Cover for one of our properties that is about to be rented. I will be trialing it over the next lease period (probably 6 months) to see how it performs.

It covers me for Gas, Gas Safety Cert, Plumbing, Drainage, Electrics and electrical safety. Which means that I am left dealing with general maintenance which suits me.

There is a monthly cost to the cover £29, however this is tax deductible and as things stand with how precious time is for us at the moment, this is  an investment to get time back more than anything else.

I will blog in the future about how it goes.

As a landlord I have been researching many aspects of property rentals, from legal requirements, to insurance, mortgages and agents who run fully managed services. I have noted that there are rather few sites with provide all these resources in one place that are also aimed at people like me who dabbles in this rather than someone who has 100’s of properties.

I am therefore wondereing if there is an opportunity to create such a resource.