Question re benefits/flat ownership/no heating

ianpwilliams

I know someone who owns their own flat, but who is on benefits. British Gas went round and apparently their gas cooker and gas fire were in a bad way, so British Gas put tags on them saying they couldn't be used. Apparently they left them with a microwave so they could still cook food, but without a gas fire they can't heat the flat. I don't know if British Gas gave them the microwave as a goodwill gesture, or if it was a legal requirement or something. But if it was the latter, then surely it would be more important to be able to heat the flat than to heat food. Does anyone know what their options are, if any? Because it's extremely cold round there at the moment. Apologies if this is the wrong forum section, I wasn't sure if it should be here or in benefits.

[Deleted User]

10 quid will buy a 3 bar Halogen heater as a stop gap

ianpwilliams

Yeah but that would have to be very short-term. Problem with Halogen heaters etc is the huge amount of electricity it takes to run them

penrhyn

Or £20 -£25 for a 2 Kw convector.
Downside being that electric heaters are expensive to run compared with gas.
Its not a huge amount of electricity its the cost per unit, a 2Kw convector flat out would use 2 units and hour.

Voyager2002

I once had this problem when I moved into a rented house...

If a gas appliance is unsafe then the fitter is legally obliged to prevent it from being used until it is repaired. (In my new house the central heating boiler was installed with inadequate ventilation.) Despite the fact that we had a baby, there was no exception and no way to heat the house until after the weekend, when the EA found someone to fit an airbrick.

Anyway, your friend's top priority has to be to get the gas appliances into a safe state (or replace them if necessary). Rather than blowing money on expensive electric heating, I suggest asking about a crisis loan or some other form of finance.

ianpwilliams

Yes it does sound like fixing the gas fire is the way to go, possibly via a crisis loan. I wonder how much it costs to repair a gas fire...

Wywth

ianpwilliams wrote: »

Yes it does sound like fixing the gas fire is the way to go, possibly via a crisis loan. I wonder how much it costs to repair a gas fire...

Typical charge for a gas fitter is £50+ for call out and intitial half hour labour. Expect to pay at least £50 per hour thereafter.
Most gas fitters are also VAT registered, so expect to add another 20% to those prices.
Parts, if still available to order, will be charged extra.
(If the BG gas fitter didn't offer to fix it, chances are it can't be fixed)

A new gas fire probably costs from about £200 upwards (plus fitting)

In the meantime, a tenner spent on an electric heater would be a good investment.

ianpwilliams

Ok thanks for the replies, I'll pass the information on