Reclaim Your Evenings: How UK Landlords Can Stop Being a 24/7 Receptionist
Being a landlord is a business, but for many, it feels like a 24/7 on-call job. The 10 PM text about a dripping tap, the 6 AM call about the WiFi... these small interruptions are more than just annoying. They're a fast track to burnout.
This constant "on-alert" status fragments your personal time, impacts your family, and makes it impossible to ever truly switch off. But what's the alternative? You can't just ignore your tenants; you have a duty of care and want to protect your property.
The problem isn't the tenant reporting an issue; it's the lack of a filter.
Why Direct Calls Are So Draining
- Lost in Translation: Tenants often describe issues with panic, not precision. A "major flood" might be a small, containable leak, but you've already had the adrenaline spike.
- Repetitive Triage: You end up being a human-Google, asking the same questions every time: "Is the trip switch on? Have you tried rebooting the router? What does the boiler pressure gauge say?"
- No "Off" Switch: Your personal phone is your business phone. This means a text from a friend and a text about a broken boiler land in the same inbox, demanding the same immediate attention.
How to Build a Smarter Maintenance System
Setting boundaries is key. Many landlords try setting "office hours," but this can backfire if a genuine issue is missed. A better way is to create a system that can receive information 24/7, but only alerts you when it's truly necessary.
This is exactly why we built Lettie.
We believe landlords should be managers, not receptionists. Lettie acts as your professional front line, available 24/7 on WhatsApp.
- A tenant reports a "broken boiler."
- Lettie calmly asks for the make, model, and error code.
- Lettie guides them through a safe, simple reset procedure.
- If it works, the issue is solved, logged, and you are never bothered.
- If it fails, Lettie escalates it to you with a perfect, actionable report.
You get to stop answering the phone and start solving the problem.
Ready to reclaim your time? [Learn more about how Lettie works.]
