Priv Tennant - how quick should a landlord act on....

StuieUK34

Just got home from work, well, 30 mins ago....
Live in a house which is under 2 years old, boiler in kitchen is spewing water everywhere, floor is flooded.....
This has tripped the fuse box, so all power sockets are out, and naturally, no heating in the house so its mega cold Upstairs lights are working thank god!

Rang landlord, he says he'll try and get someone out, not sure when but could be tomorrow ?????
Hellloooo ! This be a family with 2 kids here, in the freezing cold and just lights, no way of cooking, heating, etc etc etc......

Is there a rule as such that states the landlord needs to act within a certain timeframe, or if he slacks, could i call my own boiler breakdown person ?
and based on that it looks like a burst pipe, if that means not repairable tonight, is there a 'right' for me to stay in a hotel and claim the cost back from the landlord ?

cheers in advance (just to note, am writing this on behalf of my partner who is at home, as i'm working away!)

Brb

When my private house flooded the LA didn't give a damn.

First priority is you and your family. Do you have contents insurance ? if so get on the phone. My insurance finally moved me into another house and we took things from there. (We lost 90% of everything downstairs).

It took me 2 weeks to get the LA to take me seriously. That house ended up with floors drilled into, internal walls taken down and kitchen completely ripped out. LA thought I was over-reacting! (I have to LOL about it now).

So do get onto your insurance company, they could have you in another rental house quick smart or hotel.

You can sort out who does what later on.

lynni_2

He should be calling his insurance company, electrician and plumber - all emergencies!! They cannot leave you like that until tomorrow. Get him told that you cannot wait until tomorrow and you want someone out tonight or he needs to pay a hotel bill for the night - you defo cannot go without heating on a night like this

G_M

Needs to be repaired in a 'reasonable' period of time. Getting a boiler man out fast at this time of year/climate is hard but it sounds like your LL is trying. Ring back and ask if he's had a ny luck getting the engineer, and try to confirm timeframe.
Also write to him so the problem is properly reported..... just in case.

If you have power upstairs then the property is at least habitable short term. If you don't have one, ask the LL to provide an electric heater you can use upstairs.

Once the extent of the damage is assessed and the necessary repairs known, you can discuss further whether the property continues to be habitable or not. The landlord may/may not have insurance to cover events like this.

clutton_2

have you got an electric fire ? or hot water bottles ? have you turned the water off at the stop c o c k ?

StuieUK34

All sorted now, she said to the LL in a calm way to get his act together, so 80 mins after the first call, a boiler fixer arrived

I just wondered for reference if there was a rule to say how quick a LL has to act in scenarios like this ?

RAS

No

Read the post by G_M, "within a reasonable time". That depends on how bad the problem is, whether it is a weekend or a bank holiday, whether parts need to be acquired from elsewhere, and whether you can live in the house with alternative provision, like extra heaters.

clutton_2

there is no definition of "reasonable" - only a judge can decided if your LL acts in a reasonable manner.... lack of boiler in August is a lot less urgent than lack of a boiler in the winter....

G_M

StuieUK34 wrote: »

All sorted now, she said to the LL in a calm way to get his act together, so 80 mins after the first call, a boiler fixer arrived

I just wondered for reference if there was a rule to say how quick a LL has to act in scenarios like this ?

Very pleased for you! Nice to hear of a good LL for a change.

mlz1413

Wow response in 80 mins, you LL was definitely on the case the minute he heard from you.

My fella does general repairs and is currently running around all over the place because of burst pipes. I think your LL has done extemely well to get an engineer out so quickly and after normal hours.

G_M

Bottle of wine to the LL for Xmas? !!