Landlord refuses to install a heater in the kitchen, is this legal?

silverwhistle

donfanatico wrote: »

Lolololol, the funniest reply for ages

Er, can you explain why? I own my own house and can assure you I have no heating in my kitchen, although I admit it isn't a badly insulated extension. It's not just the fact that there is heat from the refrigeration and cooking, but being in movement (as opposed to sat at a desk) is also significant.

Old_Git

where do you eat ,kitchen or elsewhere

Macca83_2

Tancred wrote: »

The landlord is perfectly within his rights to refuse to install a heater in the kitchen. Kitchens are not normally provided with radiators in British houses, so why are you even asking this? A kitchen is used for cooking, and the heat generated by the oven and hobs provide adequate heat in themselves.

That is the most random statement I've ever heard in my life. Every single 'British' kitchen I've been in has had a radiator so I'm not sure where you get your facts from?

specialboy

Macca83 wrote: »

That is the most random statement I've ever heard in my life. Every single 'British' kitchen I've been in has had a radiator so I'm not sure where you get your facts from?

I don't think you have been in many kitchens, 2 houses I have owned never had radiators in the kitchen and another never even had central heating. My daughters flat has storage heaters but no heater in the kitchen and the house I grew up in only had coal fires.

Macca83_2

specialboy wrote: »

I don't think you have been in many kitchens, 2 houses I have owned never had radiators in the kitchen and another never even had central heating. My daughters flat has storage heaters but no heater in the kitchen and the house I grew up in only had coal fires.

So that's 3 houses you've been in? Ok so my kitchen has a heater and the three properties before that all had storage heaters/radiators in them, my dad's kitchen has a radiator and my mum's. Both my grannies have radiators. My two aunties have radiators in their kitchens, my partners Mum has a radiator in her kitchen and so does her dad. The only person I can think of that doesn't is a mate.

specialboy

Macca83 wrote: »

So that's 3 houses you've been in? Ok so my kitchen has a heater and the three properties before that all had storage heaters/radiators in them, my dad's kitchen has a radiator and my mum's. Both my grannies have radiators. My two aunties have radiators in their kitchens, my partners Mum has a radiator in her kitchen and so does her dad. The only person I can think of that doesn't is a mate.

(5 houses not 3 in my post but ive been in many more)


I wonder if its mainly kitchen diners that have radiators.

jamesd

There is no law requiring a rental property to have a particular type of heating system. Electric heating is fine and a fan heater with thermostat is likely to be the cheapest electric option for occasional use because of the high speed at which it can warm the air in a room.

Your best approach other than a fan heater might be to notice that the Green Deal scheme can be used by tenants with the consent of the landlord. Since the tenant pays the cost in their bill, the landlord is less likely to be unwilling to agree to work like installing central heating and insulation. Improvement to a property at no cost to the landlord, with a tenant willing to handle the disruption of the work may seem like a good deal to the landlord.

Since you already have central heating another option is to offer to pay the cost of the installation work.

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

Get yourself an electric oil-filled radiator. I believe they are quite cheap to run ... you can leave it on for hours without racking up a huge bill.

They are about the same overall running cost as a fan heater, saving just the cost of running the fan. It doesn't matter much how electricity is used to make heat, the electricity cost is still the same for the same amount of heat.

A fan heater is likely to be cheaper for occasional use because it'll warm up the air in the room more quickly. That will reduce the time the walls and windows have to leak the heat out of the room. Add a remote control and a fan heater can be turned on before a planned visit to the kitchen to warm the air first.

An oil-filled radiator is likely to beat a fan heater only in rooms where there is a requirement for ongoing heating, when the radiator won't produce the noise that a fan makes. In this application the longer time to warm the air and room won't matter so much because there is plenty of time for it to happen.

specialboy

No sane LL will allow a tenant to have improvements via the green deal that are paid for through the energy bill, when the tenant leaves the bill remains for the new occupant which could make it difficult finding new tenants.

John_Pierpoint

What did your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) have to say about the property ?
The EPC is a statutory requirement along with protecting your deposit.
https://www.epcregister.com/searchReport.html

jamie11

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

What did your EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) have to say about the property ?
The EPC is a statutory requirement along with protecting your deposit.
https://www.epcregister.com/searchReport.html

I agree the EPC is a statutory requirement, however, once the landlord has had that done there is no onus on him to make any improvements that might be recommended in it. Another useless bit of legislation IMO.