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Paul erithwc

Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« on: November 05, 2015, 05:57:10 pm »
I have been turning them down due idiots down stairs moaning about the water dripping on their windows, do you rinse the down stairs windows off or just not bother at all.

I have been avoiding them but i wonder if they are worth it a a premium  ??? ???

Paul

Walter Mitty

  • Posts: 1314
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2015, 06:12:03 pm »
I have been turning them down due idiots down stairs moaning about the water dripping on their windows, do you rinse the down stairs windows off or just not bother at all.

I have been avoiding them but i wonder if they are worth it a a premium  ??? ???

Paul

I avoid unless doing the whole block for the freeholder/management company or if just doing ground floor.  Too much hassle otherwise in my experience.  Other people's experiences may be different though.

Mike #1

  • Posts: 4668
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2015, 06:24:19 pm »
It never bothered me in the past I only have one upstairs flat and have offered a regular service to the flat below but they haven't bothered so I just crack on .

johnny bravo

  • Posts: 2697
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2015, 07:15:16 pm »
i had one,     downstairs complained,    i cleaned theres 4 free,       i thought f that,      just dont do it now.  if they think they will get it free       they will always complain,       if they dont want to pay because they will think you will have to clean it for free if they complain.

or just get ladders out for the above one.       untill groundfloor realise no more freebies they will ask you to do them,      back to WFP. ;D

dazmond

  • Posts: 23941
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2015, 08:21:31 pm »
I have been turning them down due idiots down stairs moaning about the water dripping on their windows, do you rinse the down stairs windows off or just not bother at all.

I have been avoiding them but i wonder if they are worth it a a premium  ??? ???

Paul

i clean 30+ housing association flats all in the same block(granny flats)there are the odd few ground floor flats i dont clean but they never complain.there too old to bother about a few water drips on their windows! :)
price higher/work harder!

Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2015, 08:59:50 pm »
Iv been cleaning an upstairs flat for the past 2 months, 1st month, downstairs complained and paid me to do her windows aswell. Today she came out and told me to use ladders because she's never seen one of those pole things b4 . Gonna get payed then sack it off

Smurf

  • Posts: 8538
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2015, 09:55:56 pm »
If you want that kind of work the trick is to win a maintenance contract to do the lot.

Most blocks of flats the people that own or rent have to pay a yearly maintenance fee to go towards the upkeep of the building. Best try to find out whom the management company is and if you are lucky the residents run their own.  Either way you could end up looking after the whole building be it just the windows in communal areas or all of the flats too.

Plankton

  • Posts: 2441
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2015, 10:10:36 pm »
I had an area of 200 of these types. I asked them what happens when it rains  ??? Exactly your windows get wet and upstairs getting cleaned isn't that big a deal in reality.
Your windows are dirty if you want me to add you to the run I'll clean them if not it's not that big a deal.
Had a taxi driver come out with a threatening manner saying he'll report me to the council, gets in his taxi and starts shouting again. His neighbors witnessed it so I think he would be the one in wrong in the eyes of the council.
I've also got the opportunity to buy the same type of work but I'm now thinking is it worth the hassle of converting about 400 doors!

Spruce

  • Posts: 8459
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2015, 08:04:07 am »
We have a few of these. If the downstairs windows are manky then I don't bother. If they are clean then I will run the brush over the glass and transom bar only and only those windows that have been dripped on. It takes a few moments and saves the peace.

We have trad cleaners that target all the ground floor flats and we will not get ladders out. In the one block we do, another upstairs flat has a trad cleaner cleaning off ladders. He was cleaning a bay window and had to move his ladder 3 times. In the time he took to clean that bay and another single next to it, I had cleaned 2 upstairs flats and 2 downstairs flats with the same window configuration. I went round the back and finished the backs off and was packing away as he was carrying his ladders around to do his 2 windows.
So I can afford to spend a few moments running the brush over the odd downstairs window as and when I feel the need to.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Positivity

  • Posts: 571
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2015, 08:26:31 am »
Given them up, too much hassle from the downstairs occupants especially when the front garden belongs to the top flat and the back garden to the bottom flat.
Even though we never trampled plants or damaged the other gardens so many people are territorial about their gardens!
One downstairs flat had grey paint splattered all over the windows and they still insisted it was the water from above!
Tried the "Well, what happens when it rains it's just the same isn't it?"
Reply "Well it's not raining is it?"
Simpler just to avoid unless you really need the work.
Or make sure you clean them when it's P*****ng down then it really is raining isn't it! ;D

Tom-01

  • Posts: 1348
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2015, 06:15:22 pm »
Given them up, too much hassle from the downstairs occupants especially when the front garden belongs to the top flat and the back garden to the bottom flat.
Even though we never trampled plants or damaged the other gardens so many people are territorial about their gardens!
One downstairs flat had grey paint splattered all over the windows and they still insisted it was the water from above!
Tried the "Well, what happens when it rains it's just the same isn't it?"
Reply "Well it's not raining is it?"
Simpler just to avoid unless you really need the work.
Or make sure you clean them when it's P*****ng down then it really is raining isn't it! ;D

Positivity you don't really live up to your name do you...? ;)

Positivity

  • Posts: 571
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2015, 07:13:30 pm »
Given them up, too much hassle from the downstairs occupants especially when the front garden belongs to the top flat and the back garden to the bottom flat.
Even though we never trampled plants or damaged the other gardens so many people are territorial about their gardens!
One downstairs flat had grey paint splattered all over the windows and they still insisted it was the water from above!
Tried the "Well, what happens when it rains it's just the same isn't it?"
Reply "Well it's not raining is it?"
Simpler just to avoid unless you really need the work.
Or make sure you clean them when it's P*****ng down then it really is raining isn't it! ;D

Positivity you don't really live up to your name do you...? ;)
That's nothing mate if you don't give it a break I'll start logging in as Negativity again! ;D ;D

SeanK

Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2015, 07:27:16 pm »
Given them up, too much hassle from the downstairs occupants especially when the front garden belongs to the top flat and the back garden to the bottom flat.
Even though we never trampled plants or damaged the other gardens so many people are territorial about their gardens!
One downstairs flat had grey paint splattered all over the windows and they still insisted it was the water from above!
Tried the "Well, what happens when it rains it's just the same isn't it?"
Reply "Well it's not raining is it?"
Simpler just to avoid unless you really need the work.
Or make sure you clean them when it's P*****ng down then it really is raining isn't it! ;D

Positivity you don't really live up to your name do you...? ;)
That's nothing mate if you don't give it a break I'll start logging in as Negativity again! ;D ;D

Hold on a minute mate negativity's my role on here, take that away from me and ill have nothing left to offer. ;D

Plankton

  • Posts: 2441
Re: Flats & Maisonettes are they worth the hassle
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2015, 12:40:29 pm »
We have a few of these. If the downstairs windows are manky then I don't bother. If they are clean then I will run the brush over the glass and transom bar only and only those windows that have been dripped on. It takes a few moments and saves the peace.

We have trad cleaners that target all the ground floor flats and we will not get ladders out. In the one block we do, another upstairs flat has a trad cleaner cleaning off ladders. He was cleaning a bay window and had to move his ladder 3 times. In the time he took to clean that bay and another single next to it, I had cleaned 2 upstairs flats and 2 downstairs flats with the same window configuration. I went round the back and finished the backs off and was packing away as he was carrying his ladders around to do his 2 windows.
So I can afford to spend a few moments running the brush over the odd downstairs window as and when I feel the need to.
He must have been a f***ing slow tradder.