Boiler issues - what more can we do?

clairet707

Sorry this will be long:
Our boiler seems to be packing up again, it will be about the 8th time we have contacted the letting agent / landlady about it - and I dont know what more we can do

We are fully managed yet the agents are less use than a chocolate teapot so the first few times we contacted the landlady about it, she got fed up with us contacting her about it as she refused to get it replaced as its too expensive

So recently we have been contacting the letting agent, last time they sent a plumber they appointed (rather than a landlady appointed one) and he diagnosed low pressure, fixed it and it seemed to be ok for a while

Its now going again, the radiators in the living room barely work, landlady claims they did when she moved out (well yes but that was over a year ago), we moved in in the spring so didnt notice they werent working till November when we started putting the heating on more often - its about 10 degrees in there at the moment so we cant use the room

And now the boiler just stops working sometimes when we are running water (which is fun midway through a shower) - the pressure seems fine so not sure what is going on

Had a phone call from the letting agent yesterday asking if the radiators were working (nothing about the boiler stopping)

I explained 'no, they havent worked at all, not coming hot etc'

LA replied ' well the landlord says they do take a while to come through warm'

I said ' what, 2 months?? They havent worked since we started putting the heating on and we had the heating on all day on NYD and they were still cold and now the radiator in the hall is not getting warm any more either'

LA said shell get onto the LL and get back to me

10 mins later I get another call, the LL is getting a plumber round but if it does need a new boiler the LL will be putting the rent up

the LA was quite apologetic and sympathetic at this point - she has advised the LL not to as round here there is a lot of rental property and rents are slightly dropping not rising, but she thought she would warn us

landlady and plumber came round last night, apparently there is an air blockage in the system, he turned all radiators off except living room and put boiler on full, they came warm, he said to wait about an hour and gradually turn others back on

This worked for about an hour and then we realised they were cold again downstairs

we tried it again and again but everytime we turned upstairs radiators on the downstairs ones went cold


We got a text from landlady last night saying she is planning on getting quotes for new front and back door as they are drafty and maybe the windows as well, will we be able to let glazer in? Also is the heating still working ok? – Huh one minute she cant afford to replace the boiler without putting the rent up and now your talking about replacing doors and windows which are mostly fine???

Husband replied saying the doors and windows will be ok with some draft strip - can we buy some for them? and no the heating is still playing up but we will try the plumbers trick again tomorrow

Ive come home from work early today due to the weather and have the heating on, well attempting it

It keeps going off, with an error message (07 – its a Vokera Linea 24 if any one knows it) on the boiler, we have now reported this stoopid thing about 10 times and its still playing up, have just rang the LA again and they will contact the landlady again about it

im sitting in the warmest room of the house (where the boiler and computers are) and its only 17 in here, the bedroom is 14 and downstairs is 10
Im more concerned now about the boiler just kicking out on us, it goes off for about 15 minutes then off for about 40 then back on again then off etc etc

What more can we do? As said we are landlords ourselves and wouldnt treat our tenant like this but I dont know what more we can do, other than ringing the agent every single time it goes off (which if today is anything to go by I would have rung them about 10 times since 12)

G_M

10 mins later I get another call, the LL is getting a plumber round but if it does need a new boiler the LL will be putting the rent up

Are you still in fixed term of your contract or periodic? If fixed, LL cannot increase the rent. If periodic, call her bluff. Tell her you are not willing to pay increased rent and will find somewhere cheaper. (but don't tell her this till you've got your new boiler!) She'll then have minimum 4 weeks (maybe several months) without rent, + agency fees/marketing/vetting costs etc. If she's any sense she'll back down.

Husband replied saying the doors and windows will be ok with some draft strip

Bizarre! If they want to give you nice new draft-proof doors why not agree?

Seems to me that although reluctantly, the LL is trying to solve the problem. Plumbers have been round, new boiler being suggested. OK - could've been quicker and threatning rent rise is silly, but read some threads on this forum where LLs just refuse to do anything!

clairet707

were in periodic now, moved in end of april on 6 month and didnt renew


Sorry have now been corrected on text reply by husband, he didnt say draft strip to her, that was what he suggested to me

But to be fair the doors and windows are ok, its the boiler thats the main problem and she has already refused to replace it once, and then threatens to up the rent if she 'has' to replace it

chappers

If the airlock is cleared then it could be the flow thermistor, get them to check that .Either way get them back out to sort it.

N79

clairet707 wrote: »

were in periodic now, moved in end of april on 6 month and didnt renew


Sorry have now been corrected on text reply by husband, he didnt say draft strip to her, that was what he suggested to me

But to be fair the doors and windows are ok, its the boiler thats the main problem and she has already refused to replace it once, and then threatens to up the rent if she 'has' to replace it

You can always reject a rent increase by moving if she follows through with her threat (which she entitled to do).

princeofpounds

This is what I wrote on the last thread of this kind. You can fix the boiler yourself and deduct from future rent if necessary, if you follow the right procedure. You can call in environmental health who can enforce repair orders.

What you must do is report the fault in writing and point the LL to their obligation under Section 11 of the landlords and tenants act to keep the property, especially heating and hot water systems, is decent repair.

It may not harm you to point out that not having proper heating or hot water is a criminal offence, unlike most repair issues which are civil matters, with a potential fine and custodial sentence (although the latter is really only if anyone comes to harm).

You need to learn how to rent. You clearly have no idea of your rights (there are responsibilities too mind) or how to enforce them.

There is a wealth of information on the repairs issues here on the boards. To type it all out again is a bit of a waste of time, but I can tell you what to search for, here and on google.

Lee-Parker vs Izzet 1971 - the court case that established the tenant's right to repair and reclaim from rent. Strict procedure, shelter explain it all below however. This is your most likely method of sorting things out.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_ad...n_private_lets

Section 11 - this is the part of the landlord and tenants act which details the landlord's duties to repair. You can sue the landlord in the small claims court to enforce repairs (though in reality you would use the procedure above unless it was an inaffordable repair or you were unable to guarantee enough tenure to reclaim the cost).

hhsrs - the housing health and safety ratings system. You can (and should) contact your council's environmental health unit, who use this procedure to inspect private housing on request. They can put repairing orders on hazards (which include things like heating and hot water), and these are legally binding and the council will prosecute for you if they are not carried out. Often the mere threat of an inspection gets results.

So, after researching write a letter to your LL. Point out their obligations under Section 11, and state that you will call on environmental health to inspect and/or use the process above to fix problems and recover from rent. Give a short time limit for a reply and send recorded delivery so you have proof.

Your problems will be fixed one way or the other.

jamesperrett

It sounds to me as if the repair people don't hang around long enough to fix the real problem. Air locks can take a few hours to work through the system and you need to open and close the valves on the radiators in the right order at the right time to chase the air out. I got quite adept at this in our last house every time I drained the system down. If I got it wrong there was no heat on the ground floor but it took me a little while to work out the right way to do it and I wouldn't expect a plumber who didn't know the system to get it right first time.

This shouldn't happen with a properly designed system but I suspect properly designed heating systems aren't as common as you might think.

Cheers

James.