Faulty Boiler in rented property who is responsible???

sab_100

Hi there,

I moved into a rented property in feb 2010 and within 3 weeks I had to call the landlord as they boiler was really noisy and waking up my neighbour. They sent out the people who installed it and they said it was fine and just a loud boiler. The boiler was so loud throught the summer that I could not have the back door open when it was on! The gas usage was ok and about the same that I was paying in my own home in the same quarter so I was not to worried. Then in December the heating just stopped, no hot water either. It took the landlord over 2 weeks to send out an engineer to look at it. I had rang the gas board in the meantime as there was a really strong smell on the room that the boiler was in. The gas board said that there was a leak and they replaced the gas governer and installed a stop lever as there wasnt one fitted.The engineer the landlord sent said that the value needed replacing as it was leaking gas and constantly firing up so we would be using more gas that needed. Finally on 14th Jan we got hot water and heating back properly instead of red hot radiators in the middle of the night even though the thermostat was off. Over the past 3 weeks the hot water has been intermittent and then stopped totally. I got my bill from the gas co and we have used since december over £500 in gas!!!!!!!! I had over £300 in credit as I always pay more so I have it there. The lady at the rental co says that they are not responsible for the gas uasge and that it was a cold winter. I explained that we have been telling them that the boiler is not working properly since we moved in but they have done nothing. They are saying that they are not responsible for the gas wastage and there fore the bill is not there problem.
I have compared my gas usage for the same period in the previous year and it is no where near what I have had to pay in this house. The engineer came today and had the wrong part so I have yet another week of not hot water unless it is channelled through the radiators!!! I can have a red hot house and hot water or nothing. This isnt fun and I have 3 young children. I have never rented before and I feel like I am in the most awkward position of getting on with it or being asked to move on. I have looked after the house like I would my own and never missed a rent payment so this really doesnt seem fair. Should they offer to pay something towards the excessive useage as I havent even had the facility to use it!!
Any advice please??
:(:(:(:(

BitterAndTwisted

Not all houses are the same with the same insulation and not all boilers are as efficient as others therefore you have no concrete proof that there has been a substantial leak of gas to have caused such a high bill. We've just been through the coldest winter for 30 years and £500 to heat a whole house doesn't sound incredibly high to me. Unless you've got some evidence other than "it cost less to heat the other house" I fear you're not going to get any joy out of landlord or their agent

G_M

I have yet another week of not hot water unless it is channelled through the radiators!!! I can have a red hot house and hot water or nothing.

Turn off each radiator individually? There will be a valve at each end. One end may be a thermostat, the other end may need a pair of pliers to turn the valve. Turning off either end will stop the radiator heating up.

I got my bill from the gas co and we have used since december over £500 in gas

Apart from the obvious question "was your previous bill estimated or a meter reading?", I'm afraid Bitter is right: £500 is a lot but not impossible given the cold weather. You'll need proof to make a legal claim against the LL.

sab_100

Hi

I took a meter reading in december when the problems with the heating started as while I appreciate that it was a really cold winter, from the 20th dec right through til 14 th jan we didnt have any heating at all so i am at a loss as to why the gas was so high. The engineer said that the gas was leaking and when the boiler was firing up it was using excessive gas but like you say it is down to me to prove. All I have it my gas bill and a comparable from feb when we frst moved it.

thanks for your replies though, I just need to bite the bullet but am finding it hard when we still have the same issues!!!

martindow

If the heating and hot water do not work independently this could be caused by a stuck or broken diverter valve which would be your LL's responsibility. With most of these valves there is a lever so you can move them by hand to get hot water without heating as a temporary measure.

dancingfairy

It's the landlords responsibility to get the boiler fixed and within a reasonable period of time. I'm not sure how you can prove that the excess usage is due to the broken/dangerous boiler and make the landlord pay for it - I'm afraid this is the point where you will get unstuck.
What I would do is a) go out and buy a carbon monoxide detector straight away to make sure your family are not put at risk while this is sorted out.
b) make sure you have everything in writing to the landlord and agents - if not get the timeline of events down and get it in writing to them now.
c) read the Shelter website to see where you stand with regards to enforcing repairs and the lanlords obligations to maintain a safe and working boiler. You may need to start enforcing the repairs yourself.

Best of Luck
df