Roofing work while a tenant

Pie-Roe · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Karma :

I'm currently a tenant in a flat.

I've lived here for 3 years with no problems, and the landlord is generally a pretty decent guy. He needed to get the roof redone over the flat, told me about it no problems.

Issue is that it's not going to be two days like he said, 2 weeks instead, and after an hour everything I own is now covered in a thin layer of dust and crumbed ceiling.

I'm a bit peeved about the mess and extra noise for two weeks, but before I ask for a reduction in rent or even just some money towards cleaning stuff, I want to gauge opinions on how reasonable it is.
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daemonoid · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Jun 2008 Karma :

Landlord is maintaining the property, good on him.

Many landlords would leave it until water damages all your stuff and then not compensate you because you hadn't warned them about it.

Sounds like your landlord is a good landlord, complaining about him renovating the property you're in seems a tad counter productive. If I had a tenant who complained about something like this I'd definitely think 'stuff it, bare minimum from now on...'
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Pie-Roe · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Karma :

I sort of agree with what you are saying, but I am moving out in 6 weeks, and there's a handover period of a month he could have booked the work for. He said it was weather dependant and I was away for a month in summer.

It's not just a little bit of noise and inconvenience. it's like someones taken a dust extraction unit and spewed it everywhere. I have to redo all my washing, go through all my books on the open shelf and clean them off etc.

I wasn't informed of when the work would start, to prepare by covering stuff, not having two loads of washing hanging etc. I also was told it was two days, so I didn't bother making arrangements to stay elsewhere, but for two weeks it's a bit excessive.

https://youtu.be/IODDj4DMm6Y
Sorry for potato filming.
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Commuter_Tim · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 May 2013 Karma :

Sounds more like youre dealing with a dickhead contractor more than a dickhead landlord.

I've just been made free of from scaffolding over all my ground anchors, front and back for 2 weeks (they finished the job day 1).
I feel your pain. Sad

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hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Bitch at the contractor about cleaning up in your flat, and ask them to give you some dust sheets. Also tell them you want them to hoover up all their shite seeing as how they didn't put dust sheets down in the first place

I think its unfair on the landlord to claim a rent reduction from the landlord, but you mention to him him that you are a bit inconvenienced and considering it, then perhaps ask if he can get the contractors to come down and clean up after themselves, and perhaps suggest that he could threaten to withhold the equivalent of an agreed amount of your rent money from the contractors till it's done.

I dunno, I don't think the landlord is at fault at all.
Why should he suffer for minging contractors?
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sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

Sload · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Aug 2011 Karma :

He probably doesnt even know that there is a problem.
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Pie-Roe · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

STONEY! · Brolly Dolly Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Karma :

Best to speak to your landlord, chances are they will sort something out. Most landlord/tenant disputes are down to poor communication either way.

I recently had to deal with one of my tenants complaining of water damage to their property after instead of contacting me they got a plumber in to replace a faulty tap who didn't know where to turn the water off and ended up flooding the property. They tried to invoice me for the damage and the plumber!

If they had just called me I would have dropped in, turned the water off fitted a tap and job done.

On the flip side the tenants at my other property suffered in silence with a faulty boiler for 6 months becuase they thought it was their responsibility to fix it, the thing only needed repressurising.

prawny1 · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Karma :

Is it just plaster dust or has the insulation been disturbed, good chance of the insulation being asbestos wool if it is old stuff and you don't want that shit flying round your flat.
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daemonoid · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Jun 2008 Karma :

prawny1 · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Karma :

which is why I said if it is the old stuff
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J4mes · World Chat Champion Joined: 18 Mar 2011 Karma :

Read last sentence.

Llama-Farmer · World Chat Champion Joined: 23 Jan 2012 Karma :

Speak to the landlord politely, and thank him for actually getting the roof sorted.

Mention to him the issues, but make it clear you aren't blaming him, just that could he have a word with the contractors about it.

Even if it is not asbestos, it is still not gonna do your lungs any good at all... there is a reason people wear dust masks when working around lots of dust and particles.

Looking at the video it seems that it is currently not suitable to live in given the noise and mess, but it could be that it only takes a couple of days of knocking and banging, not the full two weeks.

Either way, speak to your landlord but remember not to have a go at him... he sounds like a good one for actually getting it sorted... he can then speak to the contractors and find out how much of the 2 weeks the noise and mess will be like that for, (and if it will get any worse), and get some dust sheets or something from them
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prawny1 · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Karma :

Pie-Roe · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Karma :

Spoke again to landlord today and showed him pics of the mess everywhere. He was very apologetic and said he'd asked the roofers if this was going to be an issue and they said no.

He's offered to reimburse the cost of dust sheets, and a shop for cleaning stuff and extra washing detergent etc, which I think is pretty fair.

Also I just wanted to pick up on daemonoid's point here: