Retirement planning

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

... and so on. I'm sure anyone who's been a landlord in Japan can relate to these!

Most of them are bugbears of landlords everywhere. I just paid 6,000 pounds for a new boiler in a UK property. Had to accept the quote provided by the agent's preferred vendor as dicking around and leaving the tenants with no heating or hot water in the middle of a UK winter just isn't a good option.

I don't really regret being a landlord but for sure it's easier to invest in index funds!

That is quite expensive for a boiler.... I took out boiler insurance with British Gas and it has saved quite a bit of money with repairs and it comes with a free annual gas test certification

[Deep Blue]

Yeah, I also thought it was expensive. It comes with a ten year warranty which is good, and there was some electrical bits that needed replacing when the old one leaked all over them.

[Beaglehound]

Yeah, I also thought it was expensive. It comes with a ten year warranty which is good, and there was some electrical bits that needed replacing when the old one leaked all over them.

In the UK in 2017, I had a boiler replaced for around £3500 (but had higher quotes). Given inflation since then, I doubt you have massively overpaid, especially with a long warranty and extras required.

[Deep Blue]

i do trust the property agents, we've used them for nine years now and happy with their service. It's possible they are ripping us off and taking backhanders for overpriced work but I think it's a small chance. Ultimately I'm not willing to be a landlord that deprives tenants of hot water & heating for longer than is necessary, especially in January. From initial report to new boiler up and running was six days so it's not ideal but I doubt they would have expected it to be much quicker.

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

i do trust the property agents, we've used them for nine years now and happy with their service. It's possible they are ripping us off and taking backhanders for overpriced work but I think it's a small chance. Ultimately I'm not willing to be a landlord that deprives tenants of hot water & heating for longer than is necessary, especially in January. From initial report to new boiler up and running was six days so it's not ideal but I doubt they would have expected it to be much quicker.

I have the bizarre situation where I have three different letting agents for my different rentals in the UK. However, it is quite interesting to compare and contrast the quality and cost of their service especially in relation to renovations and repairs. One is a small owner run agency, who my late dad and I have used for 25 years, the second is a franchised agency, which is in effect two letting offices and the last is a big city letting agency, which in the last five years has been bought out by an even bigger national letting agency of Countrywide.
I will give you a guess, which one attaches a ‘premium’ to their repairs and renovations. Yes, it is the one owned by Countrywide. They don’t even hide it on the bills with a 10% service charge for using their repairs service. It comes to something when ordering furniture from John Lewis is half the price than with what they have to offer. Charging an additional £100 to put up some window blinds, which really did take the biscuit.
Unfortunately, as non-residents in the UK I think it is pretty much nigh on impossible to be a landlord in the UK without a letting agency. I have just been through a messy move out with one of my tenants and it wouldn’t have been possible without having eyes and ears on the ground through a letting agent.