Help Required! Boiler broken - high electric bill in return

aahdelmonte

Hi there,

I live in rented accomodation, recently my boiler broke and the landlord arranged for electric heaters for use until it was fixed.

This included an immersion heater to obtain hot water.

The electric bills were very high, I've written to them to see if they would compensate but they said it was a cold winter, and that they did provide heaters. They did not mention the immersion heater even though I pointed this out to them, it was dismissed.

Do you know if I can take this further?

Many thanks!

Weirdlittleman

Surely your gas bill was also reduced....

aahdelmonte

It still worked out high as the electric heaters had to be on constantly, there were only two provided to heat up a large flat.

KimYeovil

Why should you be compensated?

If there were only two heaters that's a good job - you seem to suggest you would have wanted more - and so would have ended up with an even larger bill.

The landlord provided you with an alternative source of heat and hot water in a timely (I presume) fashion. They have no other obligation. It is up to you to know how much you are using and to adjust your use if you are spending too much.

tripled

Would I be correct in thinking you were given 'normal' heaters - you didn't have storage heaters, etc on an economy 7 tariff? If so, I can understand why you aren't happy as heating on standard rate electricity is considerably more expensive than equivalent gas heating.

According to The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (LTA), the landlord is obliged to:
(c) to keep in repair and proper working order the installation in the dwelling for space heating and heating water.
(Section 11, LTA 1985)

From what you suggest he didn't keep the installation in good repair. Although he did provide you with an alternative source of heating and hot water, you may be entitled to recover your additional costs from him, although this may be hard to quantify.

I would recommend chatting to the CAB or Shelter to see if they can give you some advice on the best way to proceed with this.

Sources:
http://www.letlink.co.uk/letting-factsheets/factsheets/factsheet-11-landlords-repairing-obligations.html

Hintza

aahdelmonte wrote: »

It still worked out high as the electric heaters had to be on constantly, there were only two provided to heat up a large flat.

When we were young .............. (in monty python tone)

We didn't have heating!!!!

You left it on constantly instead of switching them off. You should have sat closer to the fire and put on some more clothes.

KeepYourChinUp_2

tripled wrote: »

Would I be correct in thinking you were given 'normal' heaters - you didn't have storage heaters, etc on an economy 7 tariff? If so, I can understand why you aren't happy as heating on standard rate electricity is considerably more expensive than equivalent gas heating.

According to The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (LTA), the landlord is obliged to:
(c) to keep in repair and proper working order the installation in the dwelling for space heating and heating water.
(Section 11, LTA 1985)

From what you suggest he didn't keep the installation in good repair. Although he did provide you with an alternative source of heating and hot water, you may be entitled to recover your additional costs from him, although this may be hard to quantify.

I would recommend chatting to the CAB or Shelter to see if they can give you some advice on the best way to proceed with this.

Sources:
http://www.letlink.co.uk/letting-factsheets/factsheets/factsheet-11-landlords-repairing-obligations.html

Get a grip of reality things still break even when kept in good repair. Landlord provides heaters rather than letting the tennant freeze till the boilers fixed and you have the cheek to suggest tennant can recover additional costs, honestly talk about a no win situation. you clearly havent needed to call a plumber out recently.

Op you only need an immersion heater on for about 30mins before you need hot water, you didnt leave it on all the time did you?

Freddie_Snowbits

You lot stop picking on a new poster. It is clear they have been ripped off, once by a Landlord and now by the 'leccie bored'.

We should all write to our MPs suggesting that OP should be fully compensated for the distress they are suffering. I am will to give up my common sense so they feel avanged.

Equaliser123

KeepYourChinUp wrote: »

Get a grip of reality things still break even when kept in good repair. Landlord provides heaters rather than letting the tennant freeze till the boilers fixed and you have the cheek to suggest tennant can recover additional costs, honestly talk about a no win situation. you clearly havent needed to call a plumber out recently.

I don't think you understand what the provision actually says. "Good repair" means working. So the landlord breached the obligation.

Depending upon how quickly things were put right will depend upon whether the OP has a claim. However, the claim would be for the difference between what extra was spent on the electricity bill (on top of usual consumption) less what would have been spent on gas.

This will be tricky to establish.

frannyann

How lovely it must be to know everything, to the point where you are so clever you can mock someone asking for advice!

cybergibbons

I think they key here is how long you were without heating for, and what repairs were required.

If it was 2 weeks and required a whole boiler replaced, that time frame is reasonable.

If it was a pressure sensor and took a month, that isn't.

How much more did it cost you?