PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Is hot water a 'right' in a rental property?

I viewed a rather random but lovely barn conversion to rent today. However, the catch was that the only heating in the place came from the aga, and there was no hot water other than from an electric shower. Apparently the landlosr expects the prospective tenant to boil the kettle to wash up etc (either that or do the washing up in the shower which is upstairs next to the bedroom).

Out of curiosity, is this legal? Is an electric shower, as the only source of hot water allowable? Plus having no heating other than an aga, is that legal too?

thanks in advance
«13

Comments

  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I have an immersion heater and an electric shower. I've been here 15 months and have not used the immersion heater once. I boil a kettle to wash up. It seems such a nuisance to run a whole immersion heater for so long just to wash up some dishes! A nuisance and a waste of energy. The maximum I ever use is 3 kettles full... that's when I've started with the bowl full and have just done a big baking and cooking session.

    As for heating, I have a storage heater, never used it - it scares me. I use a thermostatically controlled fan heater.
  • fimonkey
    fimonkey Posts: 1,238 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If you ever facny moving to Dorset Pastures, then I 'll send you the link to the property. There's definitely room for the great big mattress you need to hide your millions under. ;-) (joke, I just read your posts so have a certain impression of you which is probably a million miles away frm the truth)

    a night owl like me eh?
  • beingjdc
    beingjdc Posts: 1,680 Forumite
    If I had a shower curtain and the washing machine was cold fill, I'd agree with PasturesNew on this one... though do have a cold fill dishwasher so :)
    Hurrah, now I have more thankings than postings, cheers everyone!
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    fimonkey wrote: »
    If you ever facny moving to Dorset Pastures, then I 'll send you the link to the property. There's definitely room for the great big mattress you need to hide your millions under. ;-) (joke, I just read your posts so have a certain impression of you which is probably a million miles away frm the truth)

    a night owl like me eh?
    Dorset is on my list of places I'd be fine about moving to, but it sounds a bit out of my pricerange to be honest.

    I'd be far too frugal to go paying out for somewhere that sounds like an aspirational lifestyle property.
  • Worth checking that there definitely isn't an immersion heater and that the AGA definitely doesn't heat the water - some do, many don't.

    An AGA can't fire a CH system and you'll only get a "warm glow" in the room where the AGA's located - it certainly won't heat the whole house.
    Warning ..... I'm a peri-menopausal axe-wielding maniac ;)
  • poppysarah
    poppysarah Posts: 11,522 Forumite
    It'll save you tons of money not wasting hot water. I watched in horror as someone helped fill the dishwasher running the plates under the hot tap!!! I told them I didn't do that here and dishwashers are designed to clean dirty dishes.

    I had kettle and shower setup in Manchester as the immersion heater would have been too expensive just for a few pots.
  • As debt-free-chick says, the Aga might well heat the water.
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • fimonkey
    fimonkey Posts: 1,238 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    hey, thanks for all your replies. Apparently the aga doesn't heat the hot water. I used to be a hard northerner, but now I can;t contemplate the idea of living in a place with only an electric shower for hot water. Here's the link for Pastures, and anyone else interested in living in the New Forest.http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-24001472.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=rent&mam_disp=true looks bigger in the link than real life.

    Unfortunately I'm not going to go for it. Two of the walls are less than 5 meteres away from 7 livery stables. From my own experience, I know how noisy a bored horse in its stable can get, .. kicking a door repeatedly with metal shoes can be worse than water totrure! Plus, having a vague knowledge of horses means I'd feel responsible for them overnight (there is no yard manager, and the main farmyard is not directly next to the stables unlike this wee lil barn thing). .. I think the owner of this property ideally needs to advertise for a hardy type who loves horses.
  • I start to go crazy if I'm without hot water for even a few hours! I don't know how you folks wash your hands, etc., with cold water.
  • Geenie
    Geenie Posts: 1,213 Forumite
    fimonkey wrote: »
    hey, thanks for all your replies. Apparently the aga doesn't heat the hot water. I used to be a hard northerner, but now I can;t contemplate the idea of living in a place with only an electric shower for hot water. Here's the link for Pastures, and anyone else interested in living in the New Forest.http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-24001472.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=rent&mam_disp=true looks bigger in the link than real life.

    Unfortunately I'm not going to go for it. Two of the walls are less than 5 meteres away from 7 livery stables. From my own experience, I know how noisy a bored horse in its stable can get, .. kicking a door repeatedly with metal shoes can be worse than water totrure! Plus, having a vague knowledge of horses means I'd feel responsible for them overnight (there is no yard manager, and the main farmyard is not directly next to the stables unlike this wee lil barn thing). .. I think the owner of this property ideally needs to advertise for a hardy type who loves horses.

    I am stunned by the asking £500 pcm for that place!! It looks like a very basic conversion with no attempt to insulate the walls inside or do anything apart from stick an Aga in and a sink!! It would be freezing in winter if only a brick wall of a few layers. You were right to walk away.


    "Life is difficult. Life is a series of problems. What makes life difficult is that the process of confronting and solving problems is a painful one." M Scott Peck. The Road Less Travelled.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.6K Life & Family
  • 256.5K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.