Minimum temperature in rented flat?

clutton_2

but in rental accommodation a minimum safe temperature is .......

BitterAndTwisted

But! But! The tenant is perfectly capable of providing the heating appliances for themself. Goodness know, they're cheap enough. And portable heaters can be taken away at the end of the tenancy. No-one in their right mind would forgo the price of an electric fan-heater to shiver in the freezing cold. Would they?

clutton_2

of course B&T a tenant could buy a fire, (mum and dad have given him a gas heater,) but, the point is that the LL has supplied heating in the form of one storage heater, which gets the property to 4degrees - which is clearly not enough .. if LL supplies it, it should provide adequate heating......

eco-friendly_2

roses wrote: »

I only got central heating installed in my house 8 years ago. I coped with electric heaters just fine for the 3 years I lived before. My electric bill was the same cost as what it now costs for my gas boiler.

Central heating is not a legal requirement.

You almost had me fooled there! it's the word COPED that gave you away.


How does an EA/LL show a prospective tenant a property with one measly electric heater?


probably with one hand behind their back with their fingers crossed.

Pitlanepiglet

eco-friendly wrote: »

You almost had me fooled there! it's the word COPED that gave you away.


How does an EA/LL show a prospective tenant a property with one measly electric heater?


probably with one hand behind their back with their fingers crossed.

People lived for years and still do live quite happily without central heating.

Personally I wouldn't rent a property without gas central heating but there are still many properties that don't have gas let alone central heating and I do not believe that there is anything in statute that says that a Landlor MUST provide central heating or even adequate heating. The guidelines linked to are called "guidelines" not statute.

If a tenant chooses to rent a property with only one heather then that's what they get, a property with only one heater and in the absence of any misrepresentation that the property will be "warm" or something similar then the tenant has got what they paid for whether that's sensible or not. Again, the Aslam v Ali situation confirms that if heating is in place then it must be operational so in this instance the tenant needs to ask the LL to ensure that the heater is operating a it should do.

As always, there is no protection in English law for someone who chooses to enter an unwise bargain.

poppysarah

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

People lived for years and still do live quite happily without central heating.

Houses have to have adequate and controllable heating these days.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/RentingAHome/DG_4001394

Housing standards

A property should be safe and healthy for occupiers, so responsibility should be taken to ensure that:

• the dwelling is capable of providing adequate heating, which ideally means controllable central heating and insulation, with equipment and the fabric of the building in good repair

clutton_2

""The guidelines linked to are called "guidelines" not statute. ""

HHSRS is backed up by local authority powers.... if your property fails to meet these HHSRS criteria after a tenant complains about a property and an inspection is done by the local council surveyor, if a Grade One risk is found, the LL MUST make repairs... if s/he does not, then the local council will firstly issue a Notice, then if the work is not done, the council will do the work and bill the landlord..

Worst case scenario a LL can be prosecuted


""People lived for years and still do live quite happily without central heating. ""

yes of course we did... but regulataions and laws have changed....

Fire_Fox

Depending on the size, one heater in full working order is perfectly capable of warming a reasonably insulated flat to a comfortable/ safe temperature. Nobody could argue 4C to 8C is either comfortable or safe and means the heater is NOT in full working order, otherwise you could at least close the door and live in one room. At the very least the landlord has the responsibility to repair the defective electrical item.

poppysarah

One heater is unlikely to be able to heat a 4 room flat (bathroom, kitchen, lounge and bedroom) adequately.

BitterAndTwisted

True, but the OP should have been able to figure that out for themselves when they viewed the property in the first place! There has been no mention of guns being held to heads