Landlady won't accept the heating issue

debrag

Sounds just like our property, Our windows are wet & moldy on the inside too. We don't use the radiators as the heating is crap. Our bedroom feels like a freezer! Thankfully we are moving on Monday, this place needs gutting hopefully the HA will do it before someone else moves in.

Just keep at the ll, she'll have to sort it out some point, if not for you then some other tenant in the future.

lilham

All the flats I've rented have no GCH and only 1 out of 3 have double glazing. All of them are cold. You just buy your own convection heaters and live with it. If the location is right, there will be plenty of tenants wanting to rent. I think the OP is asking too much really. (And the single glazed ones all have mould problems. The LLs knew about it, and didn't charge us for repairing the mould at all).

bexindevon

I am replying as someone who deals with complaints from tenants, about this sort of thing, on a near daily basis!

I would suggest that everytime you communticate with your landlady, it is written communication. You then have a paper trail should you need it.

The landlady should be aware of her obilgations, but at the moment is choosing to ignore them! Make her aware of something called the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If she still won't do anything about it, the get your local environmental health department involved.

If you don't have a current Gas Safety Certificate mention that to her as well. There is a massive fine from HSE if she doesn't have carried out. It may prompt her into doing something.

There is always a risk that she will ask you to leave, but you have a choice, you do nothing and live in a cold house, or you point out her obligations and live in a warm house (if not this one, another one!).

Never with-hold your rent, no matter how bad you think it is. If you need help to move from the Council, you will be found intentionally homeless and will not be helped!

princeofpounds

You've been given a bunch of advice, most of it is reasonable but not specific.

If there is a repair issue then you have remedies, but this is not a repair issue (besides the frequent breakdowns) it would seem.

Is it a health issue? Environmental health, among their many responsibilities, are responsible for ensuring that houses are not hazardous to health. They enforce a standard called the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. One of the 27-odd hazards it covers it excess cold, and they can issue legally-binding orders to improve conditions. Check and see if your particular cold problem might be covered (although as the temperature warms up it gets harder to establish).

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/housinghealth

Normally it is polite to let your landlord know before calling in EH, but you don't have to. This normally upsets the landlord so your tenancy may not get renewed, but then would you want it renewed without the fixes anyway?

If it does not fit in under being a health issue or a repair issue, then there is little you can do without using other levers. By that, I mean getting the landlord into trouble for other things they should be doing - in particular gas safety certificates, deposit protection, and EPCS.

If an EPC for the property did not exist, then you can report your landlord to trading standards for a £200 fine.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/Energyperformancecertificates/DG_177137

Nixer

Out of interest, when did it become law to supply an EPC for a rental property? Our previous house didn't come with an EPC (tenancy began in 2005) had much the same problems as the OP describes, similarly uninterested landlords, and high tenancy turnover (everyone since us has lasted one winter). Our present house (tenancy began in 2008) thankfully is much warmer but am fairly sure we didn't get an EPC for that either.

Nixer

Of course I could have JFGI and got the answer:1st Oct 2008.

As you were, sorry for hijack.

Geenie

Nixer wrote: »

Out of interest, when did it become law to supply an EPC for a rental property? Our previous house didn't come with an EPC (tenancy began in 2005) had much the same problems as the OP describes, similarly uninterested landlords, and high tenancy turnover (everyone since us has lasted one winter). Our present house (tenancy began in 2008) thankfully is much warmer but am fairly sure we didn't get an EPC for that either.

EPC's came in Oct 2008. We had them done on all our new rentals, but tenants often don't ask to look at them, even when we are shoving them under their noses!

I feel for the OP, as would never let out a place without decent heating, or if it was like that, would make them fully aware of what they were taking on. Unfortunately many properties in this country do not have central heating that is modern and efficient, or even works at all times.

If you take on a place with an old and inefficient system, then you have to put up with it or move unfortunately. Any decent LL would have installed a working efficient system before letting, so all the signs are that this one is not up for spending the dosh to do so.

The OP hasn't stated aside from the location etc, if the rent was cheap for the area?

Becca87_2

Thank you for all the replies

The property does have a gas safetly certificate, but I don't know whether it has an EPC. The landlady hasn't shown us one, but we also haven't requested to see one as I wasn't aware that it was compulsory for a rented property to have one.

If it's law to have an EPC, is it also compulsory to make a property more energy efficient if the certificate shows that it isn't currently efficient enough?

We've already tried bleeding the radiators, as a previous poster suggested, but this has little effect.

The rent is £575, which is at the top end of the price range for this area, but the property is a detached 3-bed which backs out onto the riverbank so that probably has something to do with the rental cost.

Here are some links to some photos of the mould that was growing on our bedroom windowsill and the condensation on the window (I tried to post photos directly but it won't let me because I'm a new user ). I've since cleaned the mould off, but the windowsill's starting to turn green again.

i53.tinypic.com/28a3i4z.jpg
i56.tinypic.com/2ce4xuv.jpg
i52.tinypic.com/2j6779j.jpg
i56.tinypic.com/24e7y9f.jpg

(Sorry you can't click directly - have to copy and paste to browser)

poppysarah

An EPC will cost her about £50...
Would be amusing to ensure she gets one if nothing else.

Becca87_2

Hi again.

Just wanted to bump this up to see if anyone could answer my question about whether LLs are obliged to act on undesirable EPCs.

Also, any advice from people who've looked at my photos of the mould and condensation?

Thanks in advance