My landlady won't allow me to turn the heating up, what can I do

southcoastrgi

you should go around & turn off every rad apart from yours, then you will be toasty & she won't even know it's on

sniggings

fan heaters are tiny, you could easily use one and hide it when she's about.

[Deleted User]

Sleeping bag is totally free, i know its awkard, but its all insulation. Landlady must be a real skinflint, I suppose you could ask her to fit a sub meter so you could spend what you fancy on electric heating. I ve got two 800 watt halogen bars on at moment and its just 18 c in my main room which I find quite ok. . My smart meter is reading 1.2 kwh on total electric useage at moment so prob the halogen 800w bars are not delivering full output and the cost is 11.5 pence an hour

Debtfree11

HappyMJ wrote: »

Speak to the HMO officer at your local council. You own your home and aren't subject to the HMO guidelines that the council requires HMO landlords to adhere to. ... but every council has different guidelines, rules, regulations...whatever they want to call them....and even whether HMO landlords are even required to be registered or not.

What the hell has HMO got to do with this? lol

HappyMJ

Debtfree11 wrote: »

What the hell has HMO got to do with this? lol

lol...house of multiple occupation..at least 3 tenants forming more than one household and the landlord must meet certain obligations regarding property. A house share with 2 separately rented rooms rented to two unrelated persons would count as a HMO. One of the standards is the property must be adequately capable of being heated to a reasonable temperature.

george1939

harriettpan527 wrote: »

Hey Everyone, I recently had a blazing argument with my land lady that the house was too cold. Its been going on for a few months now and Im not too sure where I stand. The house doesnt have double glazing and is freezing this time of year. She has a room in the house but does not live there technically but drops by nearly everyday. The heating is only on for 2/3 hours a day and it gets frezing at night. If a try and turn the heating on longer she goes mental. I pay for a room but not utilities. I put an elctric heater in my room,b ut she walked in one day and found it, so thats gone. Does any one have any legal advice on this? It is rented privtaely and not through an agency


Thanks for any advice

How much rent do you pay for the use of the bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen [your accommodation seems a bit more than the standard bed sit]

chaspebble

Hi Harriett

HappyMJ raised the issue of the place being an HMO - House of Multiple Occupation. What you don't tell us is how many other tenants live there. The landlady has one room, which you say she doesn't use. Who else lives there? If your hands are warm enough (!), do a Google search on HMO Regulations - there's loads of info out there.

One thing I did find is that a landlord/lady opening your post without your permission can be classed as harassment and can be a criminal offence. Ok, it might be stretching it a little, but worth bearing in mind.

If you do decide to move out and there are other tenants there paying rent, you could of course shop her to the Inland Revenue. I bet she isn't declaring the rental income :-)

HappyMJ

chaspebble wrote: »

Hi Harriett

HappyMJ raised the issue of the place being an HMO - House of Multiple Occupation. What you don't tell us is how many other tenants live there. The landlady has one room, which you say she doesn't use. Who else lives there? If your hands are warm enough (!), do a Google search on HMO Regulations - there's loads of info out there.

One thing I did find is that a landlord/lady opening your post without your permission can be classed as harassment and can be a criminal offence. Ok, it might be stretching it a little, but worth bearing in mind.

If you do decide to move out and there are other tenants there paying rent, you could of course shop her to the Inland Revenue. I bet she isn't declaring the rental income :-)

My bet is she's using the rent a room exemption on lodger income up to £4,250 to [STRIKE]avoid[/STRIKE] not have to pay tax on the income as she is declaring she is living there when she isn't.

oldskoo1

Perhaps why she goes round everyday (harassing) the op.

Doesn't sound like a person you would want to know.

shammyjack

Wire your room door handle up to the mains, sounds as though some shock treatment would do the old bat some good !