Landlord And Heating Problems

derbylad111

Hi there

I have just moved into a new house. The problem is that the whole house is freezing cold.

Does someone know eat the landlords responsiblity is towards the provision of heating. More specifically, is there any guide as to how warm a room needs to be for the landlords side of the tenancy agrreement to be fulfilled?

At the moment, there are 2 panel heaters which do not distribute heat around the living room. I have just spent £100 on an oil filled heater and convector heater and even which these 2 on full power for over 3 hours the room didnt not reach 20 degrees.

I am now obviously worried about the electricity bill so if anyone could help me the the above I would be very grateful.

Fran

There is some info on Letting-Landlords.co.uk also the Shelter website and NUS website.

Is there some problem with insulation or damp or something that the landlord should be sorting out?

derbylad111

Thanks Fran

I definately think its insulation as there is no double glazing. When you enter into the house you can feel the draft. Even when both heaters are switched on you can still feel the cold undercurrent.

I will check out the links you've sent and post back.

derbylad111

Just managed to check out the links.

Bt what I need is some official confirmation that a room has to be a certain temperature to be of suitable living standard - and if it is not then the landlord has to do something about it.

Can anyone help please??

black-saturn

Ask environmental health to come round and have a look. There is a minumum temperature it must reach. A landlord isnt under obligation to provide heating but he is under obligation if he does provide heating to make sure it is sufficient. Panel heaters really arn't much good. If it doesnt meet standards they will write to your landlord and give him 28 days to fix it.

Cardew

I would have thought it is a case of 'buyer beware' and, unless your rental agreement specifically states that the landlord will provide heating of a certain temperature, you will have no redress.

There certainly used to be regulations governing the minimum temperature in the workplace. However a teacher friend told me that these are no longer in force - can't vouch for the accuracy of that statement.

ginger_nuts

my first port of call would be the Landlord .
See what he has to say .

black-saturn

Have a look at your tenancy agreement. It sometimes says in those that they do not want you to use plug in heaters. If it says that and the heating facilities provided arn't any good I'm afraid he has to offer an alternative.

purple-smartie

Ive got the same problem. Radiators in ever room apart from kitchen. but no gas fire in main room. living room and kitchen are freezing cold even with the radiators on all day. got 1 inch gap between floorboards and skirting board underliving room window which is letting in a nasty cold wind. Landlord says she will be round thursday to have a look. Thats all she will probably do though as shes no choice but to come round as she wants her monthly rent. waited 3 months for her to get someone out to cut ivy down that was out of control and growing in through the windows and had got so thick in places the windows wouldnt even close so had to move kids out of their bedrooms. Ended up getting my friends partner to do it or i would still be living in a house with open windows. bedrooms still cold and baby has started waking up during the nights cold with purple hands.

waited 2 years for her to get someone to fix a leaky pipe from my boiler and then she only fixed it because the kitchen ceiling came crashing down after 2 years of being leaked on. All she seams to be interested in is if my benefits have gone up so she can put rent up.

Sorry if ive gone on abit and maybe a little off topic but i know how you feel derbylad. if i turn my heating up full i have to put £30 - £40 a week in my gas meter which i cant afford. got it about half way at moment and putting £15-£20 a week in at moment but i just feel like im wasting money as the house is still cold. Theres no chance of moving in the near future as im already down on the council list (51st on list) but all 3 bedroomed council houses are either bought or longterm tenants and the only housing association round here only has about 5 houses.

derbylad111

Hi there chaps

Thanks for all your advice.

On Sunday evening, I did a meter reading and this morning the reading was 80 units higher. What will this cost me approx per week?

I have a 2kw convector heater and also an oil heater which is on for about 3 hours a day. Upstatirs I have a halogen heater for the bedroom.

Purple smartie - I can only sympathise with you. I didnt know what cold was until I moved into this place. The landlord has offered to pay for any heaters I get - which is a start I suppose. But a one off payment of £100 for the heaters is no way going to offset the 4/5 months of electricity used.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

black-saturn

I know it's slightly off topic again but there is a new rule coming out for anyone on Housing Benefit that might help.

At the moment if you pay the rent yourself and you are in a rented house which is in severe disrepair or has a problem like these and your landlord won't fix it you can either withhold your rent until the problem is rectified or you can get the work done yourself and deduct the amount it cost from your rent. The problem when you are on HB is that the rent money goes straight to your landlord so there is no way of doing this. All the landlord is bothered about is raking his money in and won't spend any money on repairs.

But as of March 2007 HB are going to stop all direct payments to landlords. All HB payments are going to go to the tenant who will then have to pay the landlord. This has been done to enable people to make essential repairs on their homes which otherwise they would have to put up with.