**Outstanding Repair Issue**

danielquinn87

(NOTE: This property is Private Rent, 6 month based short hold tenancy and fully managed by a letting agent)

Hi all,

Need help and advice on an outstanding repair we have on our current rented home. On Tuesday last week my partner went to use the shower to find it was only using cold water. This is our only bathroom and the hot water was still coming out of the tap at the sink. It operates from a pull cord in the corner of the bathroom, it has a little light on the unit that illuminates when its switched on. My partner noticed that this went out when we switched the shower on.
Its worth noting that we don't have a bath in this property so this is the only thing we have to clean the family of four we have, myself my partner and 2 children under the age of 3.
We notified the letting agent, as its fully managed, the following morning first thing and was informed that we would be contacted once the landlord was aware and what was being done to resolve the issue. As I work from 8-6 everyday I've left this to my partner to resolve direct with the letting agent and it seems that she has been fobbed off at every opportunity which I don't find very professional.
First correspondence we had was via email on Wednesday at 4pm to inform us that the landlord had instructed someone to attend. This was only a matter of luck as we currently have an outstanding issue with damp in the bathroom and my partner again asked about the shower, however the first email re the damp was sent Wednesday 10:20am.
My partner then had to chase the issue via email again on the Thursday as we hadn't received a response and they didn't get back to her until Friday morning to inform us that they had given my contact number to the electrician instead of my partners and that he would now be in contact with my partner going forward.
The electrician did get into contact with us, after 5pm on the Friday to advise of attendance on Monday 16th December at 5pm to have a look at the issue, meaning we would have been without a shower for 6 days by the point of attendance. His correspondence wasn't by phone but by text message, my partner responded and explained the situation and he has agreed to come Monday 16th at 8am instead, however we don't know what's going to happen until he arrives i.e. can it be fixed, parts required or further delays with authorisation. The electrician explained that he had tried to contact the original number provided but hadn't received a response, I cant see how that's possible considering I have my phone on me at all times with full 3g signal as its also used for work purposes, so to me it feels like we have been forgotten about.
I have done some internet research as most would do however I've come stuck as most properties refer to them having baths and showers so leaves me in an unfortunate grey area. What I need to know is whether this is classed as an urgent repair, whether there is an appropriate fix time to this and whether I have any further rights to complain due to the time taken on this issue and if any compensation can be given?
Currently we are both having to travel 25 minutes out of our way just to use another family members shower whilst this is being sorted, and its a real pain in the backside because we have two little children as well not to mention the additional costs (things are a bit tight normally, never mind at Christmas)
I basically wanted to have all the information I could before I go all guns blazing at the letting agent with threats etc. as I've read some horror stories about those withholding rent and they are not pretty.

Any help is more than appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

G_M

Very hard to read your solid block of text, but you seem to have two complaints, damp and broken shower, but it is the shower you are concerned about (& the damp is just distracting 'noise' in your solid block of text!)

Yes, perhaps the LL could have responded quicker.
Yes, perhaps the communication could have been better.
Yes, a different electrician might have been less busy & able to respond sooner.

But you have had responses, and an electrician is coming.

And certainly don't withold rent.

So don't go in "all guns blazing at the letting agent with threats", and wait till Monday to see if the shower gets fixed.

sonastin

Sounds to me that you've got an electric shower. A whole new shower unit would cost <£100 and could certainly be fitted in a day. My partner replaced ours last week (admittedly with an identical unit) in about an hour. If the identical unit isn't available (or the LL wants to replace it with a cheaper unit) it might take a bit more work to move pipe connections etc but it should be less than a days work. So just depends on whether your LL wants the electrician to repair it instead of replace, how busy the sparky is (is this an assessment visit or a repair) and how long it takes to get the LL's agreement for the work involved.

But as G_M says, the LL and his agent are acting on your report so its not worth antagonising the situation just yet. Save your guns until the sparky tells you its a 5 minute job and he'll fit you in sometime in January.

anselld

Have you checked if a breaker has tripped in the electrical consumer unit?
If it keeps tripping there is obviously still a fault with the shower unit but they can *occasionally* trip spuriously.

Road_Hog

G_M wrote: »

Very hard to read your solid block of text, but you seem to have two complaints, damp and broken shower, but it is the shower you are concerned about (& the damp is just distracting 'noise' in your solid block of text!)

Paragraphs are so yesterday.

danielquinn87 wrote: »

On Tuesday last week my partner went to use the shower to find it was only using cold water. This is our only bathroom and the hot water was still coming out of the tap at the sink. It operates from a pull cord in the corner of the bathroom, it has a little light on the unit that illuminates when its switched on. My partner noticed that this went out when we switched the shower on.

Okay, an electric shower, as the mains hot water is working. Shower motor is working, because it is still pumping out cold water, so it looks like the heating unit has gone.


New shower unit required, as the cost of replacing the heating unit will be more than the shower itself.

G_M

Road_Hog wrote: »

Paragraphs are so yesterday.

I know, but see my blog "Yesterday's Man".

danielquinn87

Well after all that it was a replacement pull cord, job completed in 30 minutes.

Apologies for the block of text, still stuck in English GCSE mode.

I wanted to know whether this is classed as reasonable time to repair? Particularly considering it was a straight forward issue.

Obviously its caused a lot of inconvenience but I'm not going to go at the letting agent if I don't know everything, nothing worse than the embarrassment of not knowing what your referring to. Basically whether I have some room for manoeuvre or wasting my breath trying?

Appreciate all the responses

G_M

30minutes?

I assume that included 20 minutes to drive to the shop to buy a new cord/ceiling switch?

I changed my mum's ceiling switch with pullcord 2 weeks ago: took me 10 minutes and I'm not an electrician!

But glad to hear you've got it resolved.

:T

dodger1

danielquinn87 wrote: »

Well after all that it was a replacement pull cord, job completed in 30 minutes.

Apologies for the block of text, still stuck in English GCSE mode.

I wanted to know whether this is classed as reasonable time to repair? Particularly considering it was a straight forward issue.

Obviously its caused a lot of inconvenience but I'm not going to go at the letting agent if I don't know everything, nothing worse than the embarrassment of not knowing what your referring to. Basically whether I have some room for manoeuvre or wasting my breath trying?

Appreciate all the responses

Bolded part applies. Problem reported Tuesday, problem solved following Monday, as a tenant I'd be ok with that. Could be quicker and it's a pain but for me that's acceptable.

dancingfairy

You *might* get some money off if you are extremely lucky. In the past I've had 2 landlords give me money off when things went wrong but I think I am in the minority. Frankly you wouldn't get very much even if they offered you a goodwill payment.
As it is I'd probably save my energy for the other issues you have and try and get them resolved.
df

sonastin

Pretty certain that life without a shower is not an emergency. There's no rule that you have to be able to immerse yourself in water every day. It is entirely possible (and hygenic) to get yourself clean with a bowl of hot water and a cloth. Hair can be washed over a sink or using the cold water in the shower.

I'm like you - I much prefer to shower daily and don't really feel clean unless I do. But that is merely preference, not necessity. I'd drive the 15 miles to my mum's house to shower if that was the only option open to me but that would be my choice, not the LL's responsibility. Had it taken months to resolve then you'd probably have an argument over the loss of amenity but for 6 days when the LL acted promptly to get someone to come in for a non-urgent case, I think you should save your energy for the fights worth fighting.