Call Guinness Man does Housework

On Wednesday a letter arrived that meant I had to change my plans over the past few days. The latter was from the managing agent for my house, or to be exact the new managing agent for my landlord. What made the past few days rather frantic was that this change of agent was sudden and I was being told to change the account where the rent is paid. As my rent is paid by standing order, I had to go to the bank to make that change.

The letter did not explain why this sudden change, but as I discovered latter my initial thought that the old agent had gone bust looks to be accurate. However, while there was enough information in this letter to tell me that it was genuine, I telephoned to make sure. However, it was other aspects of this letter that really caused me to have to change my schedule. The new agent was asking if there were any issues outstanding regarding repairs and such.

Now as I have mentioned here before, I am happy with my landlord, but there were things that I have been waiting on getting done. As I started to list these it occurred to me that the Gas safety check was overdue. When I mentioned this, from their computer file it became apparent that there has never been one issued for this property while I have been here. Now I have never thought the boiler system was unsafe, but this is a legal requirement and is the only way that I know that there is not a safety critical fault that could...

So I was telephoned by the Gas fitter that day to arrange an appointment and he wanted to do it the following day. Therefore my regular trip to the supermarket was off. Also I had to get the bank payment changed as that was due out on Friday. The problem is the bank is in one direction the supermarket in the other, plus I did want to ensure that the place was fit to receive guests. While the place was reasonably clean, I will admit that it was not tidy. Well I am a man!

Well I got some of the place sorted before the bank, then the financial bit done, I was straight back to finish off the housework. It was not just the bits that folks could see, but I did a nearly complete job. The only bit that is still untidy is my office.

Now I know that my female readers will have mixed feelings about this, they will be thinking “Typical man boasting about what we have to do every day” as well as thinking “Call Guinness a man doing housework, that's a world record” But I do try to keep my place in a semblance of order. But there are times when I am just as lazy as the next man. Anyway, I am pleased that I have done it, and do feel pleased with myself for doing it. It also gave me the chance to get rid of all my recycling, I am lucky that there is a recycling point in the village. Also as I keep on picking up other peoples litter, bottles and cans in particular, it can sometimes look as though I am collecting rubbish. I do take this to recycling but often that depends on if I am passing.

With the boiler checked I am now happy and all the radiators will be working this winter. Plus I may finally get the one in the bathroom I was promised too.

My cat, Trouble, got herself excited as she thought that I was going to have a visitor and she could get an extra fussing, but was really disappointed when it was just workmen and hid under the bed and sulked.

Now I will admit that gas safety does remain a bit of a bug bear for me. I have never had a landlord that has properly or fully complied with the law on this. This can be from as simple as having to remind them that the checks need to be done, to the insanity of a previous landlord who endangered my safety because she was to bloody minded to comply with the law.

However I think that things are going to change. As CORGI will no longer be the regulator on this matter. The government have asked the company that runs the Criminal records checks and the TV licence database to run the registration of authorised fitters. Unlike CORGI they will be more proactive in ensuring that only authorised people carry out the work, plus it seems as though they will be keeping checks on when gas safety certificates (CP12) become over due.

The sooner they take over this the better, as at present as soon as you complain, as a tenant, you suddenly find that you get asked to leave. Yet no matter how bad a landlord is regarding gas safety, the Health and Safety Executive (The Prosecuting Authority) only prosecute when a death occurs. If landlords were taken to court and fined the two thousand pounds for non compliance as the law allows, all landlords would comply and the six hundred deaths that happen each year would be avoided.