HELP! They're cutting our gas off! Rights as tenants question

jim.nastics

Hi,

We live in a rented flat through a private landlord who has purchased the lease from the council. It is a council owned block of 8 flats. We received a letter through our door on Monday saying that National Grid need to relocate the gas meter from our bedroom to underneath the boiler (they've been digging up the road outside for weeks now). We were then told that unless we grant them access to the flat, we'll have our gas cut off on Monday 15 August.
We spoke to National Grid and they then said that unless they get access to all 8 flats, the gas will go off on Monday and it won't be switched back on until they do get access. They then said only 3 of the 8 flats have been in contact so far!

As it is looking increasingly likely that we won't have any gas on Monday, what are our rights as private tenants? We cannot live in a flat without any hot water. Our cooker is all electric but the boiler needs gas. Are they expected to put us up in a hotel until it's fixed or give us money back or are they not obliged to do anything?

Thanks in advance!

BitterAndTwisted

You can either pass all of this information on to your landlord to deal with (and risk not having any gas from Monday onwards) or go round to all of the neighbours and negotiate how NG can get access.

jim.nastics

I was more asking what we can expect from our landlord in the event that we are renting a flat without a gas connection? Are they obliged by law to do anything?

sooz

it's not the LL cutting your gas off though is it?

I'd get knocking on all the doors of the flats, there are only 7 plus yours, & ensure that everyone knows what is going on, & that they are either there on Monday, arrange for someone else to be there, or give you keys to let you let the contractors from National Grid in.

jim.nastics

No, it's not the landlord cutting us off but we rent a property from them on the basis they provide us with a gas service.

National grid have already been knocking on the other flat doors and no-one has answered. Not really my job to do national grid's work is it? I do have a job to go to.

GDB2222

jim.nastics wrote: »

No, it's not the landlord cutting us off but we rent a property from them on the basis they provide us with a gas service.

That's not really true, is it?

jim.nastics

We wouldn't have moved in if there was no hot water.

babyemily

Would it really take so much time and effort to knock on 7 doors and maybe even post a little note in them proposing what sooz has said? It cannot be your ll's fault or problem. It is yours. Take some responsibility and deal with it yourself. Then you wont have to worry about having no gas - Will you? Or are you just hoping for a stay in a hotel?

FireWyrm

The LL doesnt provide your gas, the National Grid does. It would be the same if one of your neighbours reported a gas leak that required entry to your property. Would you sue the LL because they broke your door down? The LL gets his gas from the national-grid and you just have the right, as a tenant to use his property and pay for the gas you use. In short, if the LL gave permission to enter your house, there's little you could do about it since this is clearly an 'emergency' situation. You have to give entry to the gas inspector too for the same reason. No-one in their right mind refuses entry to an organisation that is either trying to protect you or improve your circumstances.

Go round to your neighbours and organise things, it's the neighbourly thing to do and ensures that you are subjected to the least amount of disruption. This has nothing to do with the LL and everything to do with how you as a decent person chose to behave.

sooz

jim.nastics wrote: »

We wouldn't have moved in if there was no hot water.

But there was hot water when you moved in.

And there will be hot water if you let National Grid in, who obviously want to do some upgrades to your gas pipes and meters in the building, in order to ensure that the pipes supplying you and your neighbours are safe & reliable.

From the boiler onwards in YOUR flat is your landlords responsibility.

The pipes and the meter are NG's responsibility.

The other flats are not your landlord's responsibility, but the freeholders (ultimately for the whole building), that of the other individual leaseholders, and the council for those that are still council owned.

Which will you sue for your hotel costs?

GDB2222

I suspect strongly that NG are trying it on, by the way. They'll probably run new supplies to all 8 properties, and only then switch off the old supplies.