No heating at home

skeating86

Hi All,

Hope someone can help on the 7th of August i had smelt gas and called the engineers out to take a look, when they come out they have disconnected the gas and have condemed the boiler as of now i have no heating and hot water.

I have asked my landlord to get something done but was told he didnt have the money to get this done.

So my next idea was to apply for the home warm front grant they have some out and done the survey one the house and was told that the next step was that they would contact the landlord to seek permission for either a new boiler or the current boiler to be repaired.

I have contacted home warm front and it has now been two weeks since they have sent the permission letter out but haven't received it back.

my next question is what are my other options that are out there for me?

Thank You

Premier_2

skeating86 wrote: »

Hi All,

Hope someone can help on the 7th of August i had smelt gas and called the engineers out to take a look, when they come out they have disconnected the gas and have condemed the boiler as of now i have no heating and hot water.

I have asked my landlord to get something done but was told he didnt have the money to get this done.

So my next idea was to ...

Your next idea really should be to contact the CAB, better still Shelter, or perhaps best of all your local council private rental housing officer.

How can the LL truthfully claim he doesn't have any money? Are you not paying him your rent? In any event, he has a responsibility when letting to ensure you have a proper, adequate and reasonable form of heating and hot water. Don't get involved in his own financial affairs, just demand your lawful rights as a tenant. The above sources will give you further advice on those rights and how you can enforce them.

macman

Tell him you will be witholding all rent until the matter is resolved.

skeating86

macman wrote: »

Tell him you will be witholding all rent until the matter is resolved.

Hi

That idea has come into mine and my wifes minds

It may get the LL to shift.

If he does say it will get it done should i hold the rent till the work is done where i have hot water and heating

Thanks

skeating86

Premier wrote: »

Your next idea really should be to contact the CAB, better still Shelter, or perhaps best of all your local council private rental housing officer.

How can the LL truthfully claim he doesn't have any money? Are you not paying him your rent? In any event, he has a responsibility when letting to ensure you have a proper, adequate and reasonable form of heating and hot water. Don't get involved in his own financial affairs, just demand your lawful rights as a tenant. The above sources will give you further advice on those rights and how you can enforce them.

Hi

That idea has come into mine and my wifes minds

It may get the LL to shift.

If he does say it will get it done should i hold the rent till the work is done where i have hot water and heating

Thanks

molerat

PM a board guide and ask them to move this post to House Buying, Renting & Selling
There are plenty of experts over there, both tennants and landlords, who will give you advice on how to proceed.

NeverInDebt

Warmfront take a long time to come and they probably tell you its not there responsibility but your landlords thats why you pay rent. If he/she is not prepared then perhaps its time before the impending Winter to give notice to leave IF he/she is NOT prepared to replace the boiler assuming it is beyond repair

Not sure who condemned your boiler but it could be worth getting a 2nd opinion

Premier_2

skeating86 wrote: »

Hi

That idea has come into mine and my wifes minds

It may get the LL to shift.

If he does say it will get it done should i hold the rent till the work is done where i have hot water and heating

Thanks

Seek advice from the sources I quoted as to the best way to enforce your rights whilst at the same time not creating any problems of your own making.

davidgmmafan

Hmm I don't know, a lot of people advise to never withhold rent. I agree this is an extreme case, but it kinda does still mean you are not upholding your responsibilities as a tenant. Clearly neither is the landlord, but if things go south your next landlord might ask for a reference from the previous landlord. Plus presumably if he sorts this you are going to continue living there and thus still have to deal with him.

BTw I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that, in extreme cases, the council can do the work and recover the cost from the landlord. This is a bit like you moving out to live a in hotel or B & B and suing him for the cost of this. If, as he claims, he cannot afford a new heating system then you would win in court but still be out the money.

It is a most bizarre thing today, he must be familiar with the law, and have a credit card. Surely???

macman

I have asked my landlord to get something done but was told he didnt have the money to get this done.

Can you clarify on this-has he told you that that he is not prepared to do the work-period? Because if so he is clearly in breach of his requirements under the tenancy agreement and in breach of the health and safety requirements. Or has he said that he can't do it immediately? What timescale (if any) has been put on it? I find it hard to believe that any landlord would just say 'no more heating or hot water at all'. Unless he is trying to encourage you to leave the property...
Did the property have a valid gas safety certificate which by law it must have, and of which he is required to supply a copy to you?

sjp1966

macman wrote: »

Tell him you will be witholding all rent until the matter is resolved.

Yeah I agree with this, they need to legally provide hot water etc, i'd report him to the council.