Keys and tenants own appliances?

I hope I can ask about two things at once here. Firstly, as a private landlord, I don’t have an office that is always open during office hours. If my tenants lock themselves out, just how quickly should I be expected to respond?

If I am not at home all day, they won’t be able to access a spare key for several hours. There is also no emergency number if it happens at night when my phone is switched off, though it is late – from midnight most nights.

My properties are within 5 miles of where I live so if they send a cab for the key or come themselves of course they should pay for that. In the past, I have been kind and dropped keys to them if I am available, but I feel this goes above and beyond my duties as a landlord. I tell them all to leave their spare key with a trusted person.

Second question – The other day a tenant got in touch at 10pm to say that most of the lights in the flat had gone off and all the kitchen switches. They checked the fuse box and said it hadn’t tripped.

I got somebody out by 1 pm the next day. He said the fuse box had tripped – then the tenants admitted they were too short to see it (well, stand on a chair – der.) The electrician said that their faulty vegetable steamer had caused the issue. That cost me £95.

I cannot be responsible for tenants using their own faulty appliances, and if they had said the fuse had tripped I would have suspected as such and asked them to check any extra appliances they are using. Should I expect the tenants to sort out fuses tripping themselves?

I explain it to them all when they move in. I am going to send a letter saying I won’t be responsible for tenants’ own appliances in future.

I said I would pay the call-out fee on this occasion. They are good tenants and have had to put up with a noisy tenant of mine (their neighbour) who I am evicting.

Many thanks

Helen