Hi Members. Sorry if this is a silly question. My tenant has said 2 bulbs have stopped working, in the living room and 1 ceiling light bulb in the bathroom. He said he is not comfortable changing the one in the bathroom. Do I pay for someone to get this changed and at my expense or is this the tenants responsibility. Thanks in advance, a real novice here!
If it’s a normal lightbulb then the tenant changes it
If it’s a whole fitting then it’s an electrician ( fixed led spots )
I’m assuming this is an ip65
They can take off the cover and change it themselves
Make sure they switch off the light first
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Personally, I would just go round & do the bathroom one myself. If they are not comfortable doing it, they may cause damage to the fitting.
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Thanks for your response, yes looks like its the bulb you mentioned, however, he is not comfortable changing it.
Hi Karl, I would do so but the flat is quite a distance away. I may just drive up there and do it.
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I’ve had this with a tenant. Nervous to unscrew the glass cover in case it crashed to the floor. I did go around and do it for him.
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when’s the next inspection? They should be quarterly so perhaps it can wait until then if they have an alternate light in the bathroom except the main one.
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Tenants are normally expected to behave in a “tenant like way” which includes the little jobs around a property to keep in good condition like changing a light bulb, keeping it clean or mowing the lawn of a garden - but best is to spell out explicitly in the tenancy agreement whatvis expected. If however it’s a fitting and they don’t have the confidence to fix themselves probably best to do yourself or pay an electrician.
See
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Demonstrate to the tenant how to change the bulb, while you do it.
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You mean there are people of fit state who cannot change a bulb? Do they have someone to wipe their runny nose?
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Phew…wondered where that one was going !
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Having been in an identical situation to this Landlord, the answer is “Yes, their parents”. There is a whole generation out there who have NFC thanks to helicopter parenting. On the plus side, you get a crafty bonus inspection in at the same time 
Are the light fittings Downlights?
If they are, depending on how long the fittings have been installed and especially the bathroom downlight, they may be “Low Voltage” so use an MR16 bulb rather than a Mains Voltage GU 10.
If this is the case, you may find it might not be just the bulb at fault, but the supplying low voltage transformer. OR LED Driver depending on how old the bulbs are.
Just a thought before you travel a long distance to consider what to take with you or have an electrician check it out.
Hope this helps.
Andy (Blackpool)
Landlord / Electrician
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agree I am amazed at the lack of simple practical skills 3 of my children worked in the building trade with me and a fourth is helping me on the renovations to her house. Doing everything for them is not helping them for when mum and dad are no longer there
Q: How many landlords does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None if the current Labour government have got anything to do with it!
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