Johnny Vodka
The Abominable Scotsman
I stay in a four in a block style flat. The title deeds say that everyone is jointly responsible for the roof and should pay an equal share in its maintenance. Unfortunately it's my side that seems to take the most damage and, living upstairs, it will bother me before it bothers anyone else.
Anyway, last time (spring 2023) the roof required maintenance, I had to track the two owners through the wall (these properties are landlord owned, downstairs is council). One of the landlords (downstairs through the wall) did not engage at all until the work had been completed (I eventually had to go for it, as water coming in) and said he wasn't going to pay as a slate had been missed on his side (though he spotted this a week after the work had been done)... I said I'd get the roofer back to have a look at it, but he fobbed me off, saying he would take a look at it himself. His words were something like "if it doesn't benefit me, I'm not paying".
Because of timescales and me going on holiday the next day, and it not being a huge amount of money, I just left it. I thought I might be able to recoup some of his share via the council, but no such luck. I've since asked the council about "missing shares" and there's a lot of hoops you need to jump through for them to consider paying a bit more in that situation. It would require a "maintenance account" for the block, but presumably all owners have to consent to this? The council also mentioned some app called Novoville (has anyone used this?) that they use. Basically, everyone signs up to it and it makes the process of agreeing to work, paying, etc much easier, though the app takes a 2% cut of any repairs. I've asked the council what role they could play in making everyone participate... still waiting to hear back.
Anyway, thanks to recent storms and me living up high in what seems like the windiest place on Earth, I have a slate out again and one hanging, so going to need to consider another repair soon. Before I approach the landlords, I'm going to wait until I hear back from the council, because I want to know what role they can play if this twat refuses to engage/pay again. This time I intend to pursue it. I gather any financial claim would need to be via a small claims court, and you might need to pay to have any decision enforced so might not be worth the hassle?? I'm also wondering if I can make a complaint against him as a landlord and effectively threaten his license; though it does look like complaints are most likely to be taken seriously if they affect the tenant, which this won't really.
Starting to get a bit stressed/anxious about this. I'm not great with conflict, but need to make a stand as the roof generally requires maintenance once a year. Anyone dealt with a similar situation or have any advice?
Anyway, last time (spring 2023) the roof required maintenance, I had to track the two owners through the wall (these properties are landlord owned, downstairs is council). One of the landlords (downstairs through the wall) did not engage at all until the work had been completed (I eventually had to go for it, as water coming in) and said he wasn't going to pay as a slate had been missed on his side (though he spotted this a week after the work had been done)... I said I'd get the roofer back to have a look at it, but he fobbed me off, saying he would take a look at it himself. His words were something like "if it doesn't benefit me, I'm not paying".
Because of timescales and me going on holiday the next day, and it not being a huge amount of money, I just left it. I thought I might be able to recoup some of his share via the council, but no such luck. I've since asked the council about "missing shares" and there's a lot of hoops you need to jump through for them to consider paying a bit more in that situation. It would require a "maintenance account" for the block, but presumably all owners have to consent to this? The council also mentioned some app called Novoville (has anyone used this?) that they use. Basically, everyone signs up to it and it makes the process of agreeing to work, paying, etc much easier, though the app takes a 2% cut of any repairs. I've asked the council what role they could play in making everyone participate... still waiting to hear back.
Anyway, thanks to recent storms and me living up high in what seems like the windiest place on Earth, I have a slate out again and one hanging, so going to need to consider another repair soon. Before I approach the landlords, I'm going to wait until I hear back from the council, because I want to know what role they can play if this twat refuses to engage/pay again. This time I intend to pursue it. I gather any financial claim would need to be via a small claims court, and you might need to pay to have any decision enforced so might not be worth the hassle?? I'm also wondering if I can make a complaint against him as a landlord and effectively threaten his license; though it does look like complaints are most likely to be taken seriously if they affect the tenant, which this won't really.
Starting to get a bit stressed/anxious about this. I'm not great with conflict, but need to make a stand as the roof generally requires maintenance once a year. Anyone dealt with a similar situation or have any advice?
