It's twenty to five and the phone goes. No hot water, two kids, been like it since yesterday. You take the address and say you'll be there in the morning. Then comes the line every tradesperson dreads: "Oh — I'll have to check with the landlord about paying, is that alright?"
You go anyway, because the boiler doesn't care whose name is on the deeds. You fix it. Then the invoice starts its tour. The tenant says it's the landlord's. The landlord says the agent handles repairs. The agent says they never instructed you and can't pay an invoice with no job reference. Six weeks on you're still chasing £280 for ninety minutes' work.
The person who rings you is not always your customer
That's the whole thing. The tenant has the problem, lets you in, and talks to you on the day. But your customer — the one who instructs the work and owes you the money — is whoever pays: usually the landlord, or a letting agent acting for them. Sorting that before you travel isn't being awkward, it's what agents expect. The trades who turn up on a tenant's say-so are the ones out of pocket, because nobody with a chequebook agreed to anything.
One trap with agents: many have a spend limit agreed with the landlord, so anything above a set figure goes back to the owner. An agent's "go ahead" on a £90 job might not cover a £900 one. Ask their limit once and write it down.
Who rang, who pays, what you need
| Who rang you | Who normally pays | What to get before you travel |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant, direct | Landlord or agent | Name, number and email for whoever handles repairs, then written go-ahead |
| Letting or managing agent | Agent, who recharges the landlord | Job or purchase order reference, billing address, their spend limit |
| Landlord, direct | Landlord | Billing address and email, plus the tenant's number for access |
| Tenant paying to claim it back | The tenant — you invoice them | Say plainly you'll invoice them, and tell them to clear it with the landlord first |
Exact words to use
On the phone, when the tenant rings
"Right — before I book that in, are you the tenant or do you own the place? ... No problem, that's normal. I can come out, but whoever's paying has to give me the go-ahead first, or I end up chasing an invoice for weeks. I'll text you something short. Forward it to your landlord or the agent, and as soon as they reply to me direct, I'll book you in. Got a name and number for them?"
The text you send the tenant to forward on
"Hi, I'm [name] at [business], [trade] in [town]. Your tenant at [address] has reported [fault]. Call-out is £[X] including the first hour, then £[Y] an hour, parts on top. [Prices include VAT / I'm not VAT registered.] To go ahead, reply YES to this number with your name, billing address and an email for the invoice. Anything over £[Z] I'll price in writing first."
When the agent says "just get it done, we'll sort the paperwork later"
"Happy to get moving today. I just need one line by email so the invoice goes to the right place — you instructing me, the address, and who to bill. Send that and I'll head over now."
Confirming, once you've got the go-ahead
"Thanks [name]. Confirming: attending [address] on [date] between [time], instructed by you. Invoice to [billing name and address], terms [7] days. Tenant [name] on [number] is letting me in. Anything I find beyond [fault], I'll ring you before I carry on."
On site, when the job grows
"I'm at the property now. The [part] has gone as well — another £[X] and about an hour. I'm not touching it until you say yes. Reply YES and I'll crack on, otherwise I'll make it safe and leave it."
Chasing, at 8pm, without sounding like a debt collector
"Hi [name], invoice [number] for [address] was due [date] and I've not seen it. Can you let me know when it's going out? If something's holding it up — missing reference, wrong address — tell me and I'll fix it tonight."
Before you get in the van
- You know who owns the property and who is paying, by name.
- You have their go-ahead in writing — text or email, not "the tenant said they'd rung them".
- Billing name, address and email match the payer.
- If it's an agent: a job or purchase order reference, and their approval limit.
- The tenant knows you're coming, when, and that they need to be in.
- Everyone knows your call-out charge, including what happens if nobody's home.
- You've said what you'll do if the job turns out bigger: stop, ring, get a yes.
- Any record you'll produce — a Landlord Gas Safety Record, a Part P notification — goes to the person legally responsible for it, and they're the one instructing you.
- Photograph the fault before and after. Someone in the chain will query what you did.
- Keep the tenant's messages. An agent who claims they never heard about the leak gets quieter when there's a dated message saying otherwise.
When this won't work, and when to get proper advice
Emergencies break the rules, and they should. Water through a ceiling or a smell of gas, you make it safe first and sort the paperwork after. Just text the payer from the doorstep so there's a timestamp on it.
None of this fixes a landlord who simply won't pay. Written instruction makes your position far stronger, but chasing a debt is a separate battle, and a big number heading legal is a solicitor's conversation.
Some questions here aren't ours to answer. Who to invoice when an agent instructs on a landlord's behalf, how VAT applies to your set-up, and how this sits with HMRC all go to your accountant. Check with your insurer that your cover fits tenanted properties, especially if you're holding keys. And where a job carries a legal duty on the landlord — gas safety checks under Gas Safe, notifiable work under Part P — make sure the person with that duty is the one instructing you.
None of this makes you difficult. It makes you the tradesperson decent agents keep ringing: you turn up, you don't down tools arguing about money, and your invoices arrive with the right name on them.
