What a weekend (and Monday)!

[CMairiD]

So it reached -14C in my neck of the woods over the weekend.

We generally have about 100 +/- overnight emergency callouts for an entire month. Over Saturday and Sunday we had 118 callouts, 23 burst pipes (roughly equal number of downed ceilings) and lord only knows what else.

Went to one today where they had already cut out three bursts over the weekend and found three more today. The silly woman doesn't use her central heating much cos she's never home. It got so cold in her house that the bloody cast iron HEX froze and split too.

Geez it narks me to have a hang a new boiler in that (mucky!) house where she'll hardly use it and would let that one freeze but for the built in frost stat.

Social housing does my nut ... (if I had one!). :censored:

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

dont you just love tenants? my lad who,s 13 just started coming to work with me this week and saturdays some of the houses have made him feel sick one physically some people live like wild animals worst burst i had last year two cwsc burst and flood 4 flats

 

[CMairiD]

dont you just love tenants?

Truthfully? NO!

I shouldn't say that cos there are some lovely people who I'll bend over backwards for, but ones like that and the one that went to the papers cos we wouldn't clear a block cold-feed at 9 PM on a Friday night (fan heaters left & immersion turned on) when we had ceilings coming down ... well, I wouldn't **** on them if they were on fire.

Good on you ... take your boy in these places. Hopefully it will make him appreciate what he has with you and make such an impression that he'll never let his home get like that.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i had a tenant a few weeks ago ring environmental health on the letting agent because they had bled a rad,the boiler had shut down due to low water,i was working 50 miles away and could not get there until the following morning when the agent spoke to environmental health and explained the circumstances and the fact the tenant owes 2.5k in back rent they totally sided with us

 

[CMairiD]

Isn't it amazing how the amount of mouthiness seems to equate directly with amount of their arrears?

 

[stevetheplumber]

only social housing would let 2.5k of arrears build up

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

only social housing would let 2.5k of arrears build up

yep and in some cases they spend allot more putting the houses right again after they do a flit,disgusting what junkies can do to a 3 year old house

 

[CMairiD]

only social housing would let 2.5k of arrears build up

To be fair Steve, I've seen a case where the arrears have been higher than this and the silly cow has SIX (yes, I said six!) stays of eviction from the judge. When the courts won't allow us to kick 'em out and they won't pay the rent, what can we do?

And to top it off after the sixth stay was granted, the cheeky girl had the neck to ring me ask if I would convert her home from elec to gas CH. It beggars belief.

 

[villa_tom]

Id always worked in social housing, until I got made redundant a couple of years ago. Then I subbed to BG and worked in lovely nice houses, I didn't realise how cushy I had it until BG let the contractors go and now I'm subbing to a large firm Woking in council properties again and I can't stand it. I'm working in filth, I feel absolutely filthy at about 9am after I've done my first job each day. It amazes me the conditions that some people are able to live in. And they always have some stupid excuse as to why they are living in a state. What annoys me though is the fact that they want everything done yesterday. Even when the faults they have on their systems are self inflicted, like kicking rads off the wall etc, it's amazing what people expect when they are not paying for it.

This may be a bit harsh what I am about to say, but I have no sympathy for these people. They are living the way they do because of them, no one else. I come out of some jobs with a genuine feeling of disgust for these people. They have terrible attitudes towards everything and think that the world owes them a living. I pay near enough 300 quid a week, every week in taxes for people to live this way and it makes me feel sick.

I can't wait until I can work back in the private sector, and work for people who actually appreciate that I am trying to do the best job I can, weather it be a service, repair or fitting a rad. And the main thing I like about it is the face that people who are paying for your services actually say thanks, Im not at work to receive thanks, but sometimes it's nice to be shown some respect.

Im going to have a cup of tea now

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Id always worked in social housing, until I got made redundant a couple of years ago. Then I subbed to BG and worked in lovely nice houses, I didn't realise how cushy I had it until BG let the contractors go and now I'm subbing to a large firm Woking in council properties again and I can't stand it. I'm working in filth, I feel absolutely filthy at about 9am after I've done my first job each day. It amazes me the conditions that some people are able to live in. And they always have some stupid excuse as to why they are living in a state. What annoys me though is the fact that they want everything done yesterday. Even when the faults they have on their systems are self inflicted, like kicking rads off the wall etc, it's amazing what people expect when they are not paying for it.

This may be a bit harsh what I am about to say, but I have no sympathy for these people. They are living the way they do because of them, no one else. I come out of some jobs with a genuine feeling of disgust for these people. They have terrible attitudes towards everything and think that the world owes them a living. I pay near enough 300 quid a week, every week in taxes for people to live this way and it makes me feel sick.

I can't wait until I can work back in the private sector, and work for people who actually appreciate that I am trying to do the best job I can, weather it be a service, repair or fitting a rad. And the main thing I like about it is the face that people who are paying for your services actually say thanks, Im not at work to receive thanks, but sometimes it's nice to be shown some respect.

Im going to have a cup of tea now

well said that man thats exactly how i feel

 

[SimonJohns]

dont you just love tenants? my lad who,s 13 just started coming to work with me this week and saturdays some of the houses have made him feel sick one physically some people live like wild animals worst burst i had last year two cwsc burst and flood 4 flats

Wipe your feet on the way out!

To dirty to pee in the toilet

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Wipe your feet on the way out!

To dirty to pee in the toilet

carpets sticky under foot,no i dont want a cuppa thanks

 

[villa_tom]

carpets sticky under foot,no i dont want a cuppa thanks

I was actually in a flat on Friday and the chb was in the kitchen, did my tests to make sure it fired up before I start, all was fine, I turned to the tenant and said I'll just get my gear off the van. As I went to walk away, i realised I was stuck to the Lino on the floor, the Lino was actually coming up from the floor when lifted my feet up. It was rank. I felt like a mouse on one of those glue boards you get to catch them.

 

[SimonJohns]

I was actually in a flat on Friday and the chb was in the kitchen, did my tests to make sure it fired up before I start, all was fine, I turned to the tenant and said I'll just get my gear off the van. As I went to walk away, i realised I was stuck to the Lino on the floor, the Lino was actually coming up from the floor when lifted my feet up. It was rank. I felt like a mouse on one of those glue boards you get to catch them.

Lol

And the amount of houses I go to. And not just social housing. Been to many wealthy persons houses who are too lazy to clean the cooker and have blocked injectors. "Been like that for years! "

 

[tamz]

Worked in council houses when i was younger and saw some sights. I've seen them with the floors ripped up and burned in the fire and i even saw one with a pony in an upstairs 4 in a block. My old tradesman used to carry detol in the van to wash our hands with when we came out of some of them.
I don't envy anyone who has to deal with that scum day in day out. I hope i never have to again.

There are a few decent people scattered about tho.

 

[villa_tom]

Worked in council houses when i was younger and saw some sights. I've seen them with the floors ripped up and burned in the fire and i even saw one with a pony in an upstairs 4 in a block. My old tradesman used to carry detol in the van to wash our hands with when we came out of some of them.
I don't envy anyone who has to deal with that scum day in day out. I hope i never have to again.

There are a few decent people scattered about tho.

To be fair your right, there are some recent people about. But they are generally the older folk and are few and far between. As a self employed contractor I have to go where the work is and this is the only work round our way at the moment. I'm still on good terms with BG and the line manager so hopefully as soon as they have a backlog again I'll be back.
but for the time being I'll just have to bite my tongue for 8 hours a day.

 

[tamz]

Buy a bottle of Detol :lol:

 

[villa_tom]

Buy a bottle of Detol :lol:

Ive got baby wipes and that hand sanitizer stuff in the van. It does me after most jobs. Plus my van is spotless inside. So I'm happy once I'm back in my van and away from the filthy pigs.

 

[tamz]

It does get to you.
You need to develop the ninja tactic for getting the sorry we missed you card through the door!

 

[dancinplumba]

went to one house, floor covered in cat muck and lady of the house walking in it in bare feet, yuk

 

[villa_tom]

It does get to you.
You need to develop the ninja tactic for getting the sorry we missed you card through the door!

Ive got it down to a tee tamz. I'm a real stealth gas man when I need to be. A feather could knock a door harder than I do sometimes. Especially if I don't like the look of the place I'm going to leave the van outside of for an hour or so.
my next trick will be trying to turn the sorry we missed you card into a paper plane and flying it through the door without stopping the van. Give me a few more years and I won't even have to leave the house in the morning.

 

[tamz]

went to one house, floor covered in cat muck and lady of the house walking in it in bare feet, yuk

Reminds me of one a couple of years back.
I had a contract renewing the external drains and gutters on probably the worst street in the region. It was in the winter and was snowing and the boy was connecting up the inside stuff while his tradesman was doing the outside. The lad shouts out the window, Brian you come in and do this one, it's too cold for you out there. Brian went in and the bathroom floor was covered in dog shyt.
Now Brian was a nice enough bloke, if you knew him, but he would cause a fight in an empty room!
So, he walks through to the living room where the guy is lying in his boxers watching daytime telly and says come here! The Guy walked through to the bathroom and Brian says "what is this" pointing at the dogs mess. The guy says "it's not mine"
Brian went off like a banger shouting "i don't care who's it is! i'm going out to the van for stuff and when i come back it better be picked up and scrubbed clean or i'll rub yer f...ing head in it.....and get some trousers on or i'll stick this bit inch and half up yer a..."
The guy was on his hands and knees (with his trousers on) scrubbing it with bleach when he came back in :lol:

 

[villa_tom]

Reminds me of one a couple of years back.
I had a contract renewing the external drains and gutters on probably the worst street in the region. It was in the winter and was snowing and the boy was connecting up the inside stuff while his tradesman was doing the outside. The lad shouts out the window, Brian you come in and do this one, it's too cold for you out there. Brian went in and the bathroom floor was covered in dog shyt.
Now Brian was a nice enough bloke, if you knew him, but he would cause a fight in an empty room!
So, he walks through to the living room where the guy is lying in his boxers watching daytime telly and says come here! The Guy walked through to the bathroom and Brian says "what is this" pointing at the dogs mess. The guy says "it's not mine"
Brian went off like a banger shouting "i don't care who's it is! i'm going out to the van for stuff and when i come back it better be picked up and scrubbed clean or i'll rub yer f...ing head in it.....and get some trousers on or i'll stick this bit inch and half up yer a..."
The guy was on his hands and knees (with his trousers on) scrubbing it with bleach when he came back in :lol:

The world needs more Brian's!
If these people had someone like him telling them a few home truths then they would have more respect.

 

[tamz]

I have loads of stories about Brian on that job. He was just the perfect man for the job.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I used to do a lot of social housing work. You could tell the employment status of the tenants by the state of the property. Those that were working and had little time to clean and tidy generally had immaculate houses. The properties where 2 or more people were unemployed and had al the time in the world were generally filthy.

There was one property I used to visit where, on first glance, it looked like lino throughout the property. When you looked a bit closer you could see the tufts of carpet at the edges. There was a trail from the kitchen to their chairs and the bedroom of grease trodden into the carpet. I used to use a disposable dust sheet to kneel on and put my tools on whilst I serviced the back boiler.