Stoke-on-Trent City Council issues safety warning ahead of tenant DIY plan

“PaulF430 - Not sure where you are coming from on that one. How is it free ? The tenants such as Nikki pay rent to the landlord (the council) and the landlord is responsible for repairs !”

“Nikki - I'll tell you what the difference is, people pay a builder and expect a certain standard of work. You're getting it for free....where's your argument?”

“I'll be interested to see how this works out.

The council are indeed avoiding their legal duties as a landlord to maintain the properties. At the moment they don't even want to replace/repair fencing !

Unblocking sinks can normally be done with a plunger, but quite often you need to take the trap apart under the sink to remove the debris. If the tenant does this but doesn't re-assemble it properly they will have a leak and probably call the council anyway.

Bleeding a radiator is quite straight forward, however many of the boilers have been replaced with combi boilers. Once you bleed the radiator the pressure in the system drops. If it drops below the minimum level then the boiler will not operate until the system is re-pressurised. The tenant will then be ringing the council saying the boiler doesn't work. Many tenants (and i speak from experience) do not know how to repressurise the system properly. many tenants over pressurise. This causes the pressure relief valve to operate when the boiler is hot. The pressure relief valves are a pain in the bottom. Because the water in the heating system is generally dirty, you only need a small piece of dirt or sludge to get lodged on the seating of the pressure relief valve and you end up with water leaking through it and out of the overflow pipe outside. The system will now lose pressure constantly and need to be repressurised regularly until the pressure relief valve is either cleaned or replaced.

Tenants shouldn't be messing with electrics and security lights. if they electrocute themselves the council will be liable.

The councils heating engineers and legal department are going to be busier than ever over the coming months !”

“Hy Husband is a Builder, if he does a Job and it's **** people have got the right to call him back because work should have a gaurantee, but when the council do a job everytime at my property i have put the **** right every single time and they refuse to return . So what makes the differents 1 law for the council and another the selfemployed builders.”

“I do appreciate your sentiments there, dear lady; I regularly unblock our outside drains too. I only used Dyno-Rod the once, overpriced and rubbish, there was an old chap whom I used to get to do it for me but he retired, so like your good self I started being self-reliant in that regard. I also unblock the two council grates outside Wivens' Mansions, as they're always getting blocked with leaves and litter. In fifteen years the Council have only been out twice to unblock them. And speaking of litter, I sweep the path and the road and clear the rubbish and gathering waste away, every week, because nobody else will do it, especially the useless council. I think that I deserve a rebate on my council tax for being a public-spirited citizen but doubtless they'd prefer to do me under 'elf n safety out of spite for showing them up for the waste of space that they are.”

“Further to my comment, I am of the opinion and I would believe that corts would be of same that Bleeding of the Radiators would come within the remit of s11 of the Housing Act 1985 as the Radiators forms part of the installation of the property, for the use of Water

Security Lighting again this is in my opinion comes within s11 of the Housing Act 1985, electric installation, further to this, there is a matter of safety in way the Tenant would not have insurance for personal injury to use steps or ladders, it is therefore an issure under the Health and Safety Regulations.”

“E_D Wivens
Nah, I don't to be honest. My sinks don't block up that often its the bloody useless drains outside that keep blocking. I ended up buying a set of rods and now do it myself as dynorod were less than useless. Its quite satisfying when you've had a good prod around and it suddenly gurgles away.
Yes that wallpaper is horrible! And no the council don't put wallpaper up now and what masacist would let them!!
My policy is, if I can do it myself then why pay some other ******.”

“Norris - I was only referring to sink unblocking, and nothing else.

Jobbeone - you don't put Mr Muscle down sinks, do you? That stuff's a waste of time, get some caustic soda crystals, works much better and a lot cheaper. After 27 years of marriage Mrs W still shoves fat and gravy and veg peelings and coffee grounds and all sorts of stuff down the plughole, I'm forever unblocking it. Given up telling her about it, she never listens to me anyway.

She really isn't doing a good job of hanging that wallpaper, is she, that girl? Horrible paper anyway, better suited to an Indian restaurant. Hope that's not her bedroom, who could go to sleep with that all over the walls? And do the council even put wallpaper up for people?

I was brought up in council house, as Mrs W never ceases to remind me; but I don't remember my dad calling the council out to do anything except for really big jobs. All the little jobs he did himself (badly I should add, he was proper kak-handed, but at least he made the effort; by the time I was 13 I was doing most of them for him because I did them properly and it was quicker than waiting for the council to send some useless workmen out.)”

“Shes not making a very good job of hanging that wallpaper anyway. Wheres the ladder? You can get Mr Muscle that unblocks sinks although a bit of plunging would be good for any sign of bingo wings.
Having been a council tenant I totally agree with Kitcrew. In one place someone had filled a hole in the wall with newspaper and wallpapered over it!”

“"and tenants were simply being asked to apply commonsense." I'm afraid commonsense died out when Tony Blair (lawyer) and his wife (lawyer) abolished legal aid, then allowed solicitors to solicit for business.
No win No fee was born overnight and commonsense was history. Church going hypocrite Two Faced Tony now wishes to get back into British politics I believe. God help us all, especially his assassin.”