Boiler Problems - Help

sm9ai

Hi,

We are currently renting (hopefully for not too much longer). Anyway we have a problem with our boiler not providing us with hot water or heating (funny that!)

Anyway, this has been going on months with the boiler sometime providing us with hot water after spending an hour or so resetting it.

Now its seems to be completely dead.

After various calls to the lettings agency nothing seems to be getting done(Occasionally a plumber will look at it, attempt to fix it then when we get home in the the evening its the same problem). This has been going on over 2 months now.

So any suggestions. This is beyond a joke now, can we get compensation for this / should we just get it fixed ourselves and send them the bill?

Also we do like the place, and ideally want to stay where we are for another year or so. So we don't want to annoy them too much.

seek_2

by the sound of it your elements is not working right and will need replacing with a new one.

we just had the same problem on a house were selling and it cost £170 in all the get fixed.

Hereward

If the boiler isn't working properly, then the property could be deemed uninhabitable; therefore, it’s in the letting agent’s best interests to get your problem sorted ASAP. I would keep on at them until they can satisfactorily fix your problem. Just a though, but have you invited anybody from the letting agents to view your problem, rather then just getting a plumber or heating engineer to look at it: whilst they are there you could always ask if they would live with the problem and if not why do they expect you to!

sm9ai

Yep, the agency know what the problem is. I will try asking them what they would do in our situation.

dougk_2

Telephone the agency 1and say you want someone round to fix the heating within 72 hours otherwise you will contact your local environmental health officer who in turn will investigate. The Landlord (agency works on their behalf) is resonsible by law for providing heating and hot water and as Hereward has s#aid the house can be deemed inhabitable without it.

Not knowing what sort of boiler it is (combination?) it could be something like the heat exchanger clogged up. A decent Corgi trained plumber would find the problem pretty quickly.

clutton_2

i would initially write to the agents, explaining that none of the workmen have fixed it, and that it is now dead. Suggest that if they are not able to fix it within 48 hours, that you are willing to get a plumber in yourself, and to deduct the cost from the rent. go on to say that if this is not acceptable to them, that you will have no alternative but to seek advice from the Enviromental health department, especially as winter is approaching. Try the "softer" approach first before going in with the heavy guns !

sm9ai

dougk wrote:

Telephone the agency 1and say you want someone round to fix the heating within 72 hours otherwise you will contact your local environmental health officer who in turn will investigate. The Landlord (agency works on their behalf) is resonsible by law for providing heating and hot water and as Hereward has s#aid the house can be deemed inhabitable without it.

Okay so if I contact the environmental health officer and the house is deemed inhabitable then what happens?

clutton_2

getting the EO in straightaway will SO aggravate the situation -

When does your agreement expire ? did you sign a 6 or 12 month Tenancy agreement.

sm9ai

We are currently on a month by month deal. But we do not want to move for the next year or so, we really like the place.

Hereward

I agree with Clutton. It is much better to resolve this issue between yourself and the letting agent: you should only involve your local Environmental Office as a last resort, and it is comes to that you may want to start to question if it is worth staying in a property where the landlord/letting agent does not care about the tenants.

dougk_2

I agree it is better to resolve things without EHO's but............. how long do you give it?
Another option you have sm9ai is to contact the landlord directly saying you are having problems hgetting the agency to resolve the heating issue fully. You should have the landlords contact details on the Tenancy agreement , if not contact the agency who have to by law supply their address to you.

TBH the landlord may not even know the current problems you are having if the agency hasn't told them.

To answer your question the EHO can obtain a court order to make the landlord comply with the legal regulations.