Lads. Does anyone know what sort of lighbulb goes in this thing in my kitchen ceiling? I can't even reach it while stepping on the office chair because I am really short. I might borrow the neighbour's step ladder.
But before all that, I just want to buy the right bulb.
Depends on the tenancy agreement. Electrical wiring faults are the landlord's responsibility, but some agreements contain clauses that very minor repairs like swapping out light bulbs are your job.
I used to live in a flat where I had a complete cunt as a landlord, to the point that I just started doing my own maintenance, just so that I didn't have to deal with him. It included changing tap valves in the kitchen and bathroom as well as that one time I removed the entire toilet bowl to replace a leaking waste pipe seal. Which definitely wasn't my responsibility, but spending ten quid on a new seal and a few hours installing it was a lot less hassle than having to bicker with him again about how and when he would have somebody come around to take care of it.
Problem is if you do that and they find out then they'll charge you to get it officially installed on the grounds that you did it wrong. Even if you didn't.
You obviously don't tell them. And even if they spot it, they cannot charge you for having it redone, at least not if you did a proper job.
The onus is on the landlord to prove that your work was substandard and that they are therefore entitled to withhold part of your deposit to have it rectified. So it's a good idea to document any repairs you do yourself with phptos and receipts for spare parts. If you then actually end up going to court, your landlord's chances aren't necessarily as good as many people think.
What I meant was, yes, you can obviously get those minor repairs wrong and then the landlord has a right to have it fixed. But there are only so many ways you can install new tap valves or a waste pipe seal. It's not demanding work, and if you pay a minimum of attention to what you're doing, your outcome won't normally differ from that of calling in a repair service. The landlord can expect you to return the property in good working order, unless otherwise specified. And if you've fixed something yourself and it is in a good working order again that satisfies professional requirements, then that's where that right of the landlord ends.
Again, don't tell your landlord what they don't need to know. And if you know you did a decent job, with documentation, then threaten to take them to court. Because, again, if the quality of your work is largely indistinguishable from that of a professional, then your landlord has no case.
My landlord back then had a habit of taking forever to get back to you when you texted him, then rolling his eyes at you for breaking his stuff (because of course it was your fault when the creaky old stove stopped working) and for stealing his precious time reporting it to him.
At some point, fixing things myself and paying a few quid for the parts from B&Q out of my own pocket just started being less hassle.
