Boiler replacement impossible to get??

IJazzI

Apologies if this should be posted in the official thread but I wanted to ask people's opinions.

So far I'm on the fifth attempt at trying to get our 1975 boiler replaced under the governments ECO/Affordable warmth scheme.

First time we were told we had to stump up nearly £1600 for the extra associated costs as the scheme literally only covered the boiler replacement itself, no extra costs such as TRVs, electronic timer, extra pipework, extra flues, etc. This was through a local group.

Second time the company we went through for a second opinion quoted us £650, gave us a date and then stopped doing any ECO work for anyone 3 days before ours was due to be done because funding had been cut off by the big six for smaller energy companies, (or something..).

Third time we went through the governments helpline and they set us up with Southern Power. They subcontracted to Liberty Gas who did all the surveys, quoted us £280 towards costs and gave us a date. And then told us the funding had run out a week before the work was due to be done.

About this time our back burner and boiler packed up. The pump went on the central heating system and the immersion heater backup is plugged into a 13a socket. Needless to say the electrician who inspected it disconnected that right away, (it's a Victorian House with the electrics re-done in the '70s).

Fourth time we went through our MP, Oliver Letwin, who recommended Eon as we'd just changed to being their customer. They subcontracted to a company called Help-Link who did a survey and said £290 towards costs. After a week of hearing nothing more, (and after having signed to have it done), I rang them to be told they weren't going to do it because of inadequate ventilation and the fact our existing 1975 boiler was working in itself, although the pump isn't. So unusuable but considered usable. Oh and also a working immersion heater is grounds for not having to do the work. AND as a final screw you they'd have to install extra ventialtion which costs, (the surveyor had already taken that into account).

We are a family of 5, 2 adults, 3 children under 6. I claim working tax as I'm on an income of £13900 p/a. My partner isn't currently working, (not through lack of trying to get a part time job though). She claims child tax credits. We privately rent under a proper tenancy agreement from my father, (he was the only one who would keep the rent low enough for us to be able to afford at £600 p/cm for a 2 bed).

What am I missing here? Why are we completely unable, in 2 years of trying, to get this done?? It was a scheme designed for people like us I thought? The government helpline have merely sent us on to Npower now.. and as for trying to get re-housed it seems because we're living in a property, no matter the circumstances, we don't qualify for any housing association list!

PLEASE, anyone, point me somewhere in the right direction as to where I'm going wrong because I just totally don't get it and I can't have a house with 3 kids and no bloody heating as winter approaches!!

Thank you for taking the time to read.

footyguy

IJazzI wrote: »

Apologies if this should be posted in the official thread but I wanted to ask people's opinions.

So far I'm on the fifth attempt at trying to get our 1975 boiler replaced under the governments ECO/Affordable warmth scheme.

First time we were told we had to stump up nearly £1600 for the extra associated costs as the scheme literally only covered the boiler replacement itself, no extra costs such as TRVs, electronic timer, extra pipework, extra flues, etc. This was through a local group.

Second time the company we went through for a second opinion quoted us £650, gave us a date and then stopped doing any ECO work for anyone 3 days before ours was due to be done because funding had been cut off by the big six for smaller energy companies, (or something..).

Third time we went through the governments helpline and they set us up with Southern Power. They subcontracted to Liberty Gas who did all the surveys, quoted us £280 towards costs and gave us a date. And then told us the funding had run out a week before the work was due to be done.

About this time our back burner and boiler packed up. The pump went on the central heating system and the immersion heater backup is plugged into a 13a socket. Needless to say the electrician who inspected it disconnected that right away, (it's a Victorian House with the electrics re-done in the '70s).

Fourth time we went through our MP, Oliver Letwin, who recommended Eon as we'd just changed to being their customer. They subcontracted to a company called Help-Link who did a survey and said £290 towards costs. After a week of hearing nothing more, (and after having signed to have it done), I rang them to be told they weren't going to do it because of inadequate ventilation and the fact our existing 1975 boiler was working in itself, although the pump isn't. So unusuable but considered usable. Oh and also a working immersion heater is grounds for not having to do the work. AND as a final screw you they'd have to install extra ventialtion which costs, (the surveyor had already taken that into account).

We are a family of 5, 2 adults, 3 children under 6. I claim working tax as I'm on an income of £13900 p/a. My partner isn't currently working, (not through lack of trying to get a part time job though). She claims child tax credits. We privately rent under a proper tenancy agreement from my father, (he was the only one who would keep the rent low enough for us to be able to afford at £600 p/cm for a 2 bed).

What am I missing here? Why are we completely unable, in 2 years of trying, to get this done?? It was a scheme designed for people like us I thought? The government helpline have merely sent us on to Npower now.. and as for trying to get re-housed it seems because we're living in a property, no matter the circumstances, we don't qualify for any housing association list!

PLEASE, anyone, point me somewhere in the right direction as to where I'm going wrong because I just totally don't get it and I can't have a house with 3 kids and no bloody heating as winter approaches!!

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Why doesn't your father, from whom you rent, get his house fixed??? :huh:

In the meantime, why don't you just stick the immersion plug back in the socket? I've seen a number of houses where the immersion runs off a 13A socket.

IJazzI

footyguy wrote: »

Why doesn't your father, from whom you rent, get his house fixed??? :huh:

In the meantime, why don't you just stick the immersion plug back in the socket? I've seen a number of houses where the immersion runs off a 13A socket.

He simply doesn't have the money. I did put the plug back in but I suspect that's why they decided to turn down our application this time.. We had hot water. Anyways the point is moot now as the immersion has burnt out, probably through lack of use over the last x number of years.

GwylimT

Does his landlords insurance not include replacing boilers? As your landlord if you are unable to heat water/your home it is his responsibility to fix this/rehouse you, the situation you are in is the exact reason why landlords should all take their role seriously.

IJazzI

GwylimT wrote: »

Does his landlords insurance not include replacing boilers? As your landlord if you are unable to heat water/your home it is his responsibility to fix this/rehouse you, the situation you are in is the exact reason why landlords should all take their role seriously.

His landlords insurance only covers repairs. He has a British Gas contract but when they came out they said it's unfixable due to age/lack of parts and condemned it. Always before they've kept it going or found parts from somewhere but not this time apparently..

Why is it necessary for the landlord to pay for a whole new system when his tenants qualify for a free replacement is my point. We're being refused for various reasons that aren't anything to do with our circumstances and all ignoring the fact the boiler is a Thorn Housewarmer from June 1975 that no longer works!

Our previous landlord had a similar situation but they decided to suck it up and go for the green deal. 2 years after when it started going wrong they had all sorts of problems trying to get it fixed on a repair contract, (I have no idea why, we'd moved out by then as they had to put the rent up).

Southend1

Not sure why you think the taxpayer should subsidise your father's business? If he can't afford to maintain the property he should sell it.

System

Maybe if he had charged the market rate instead of

he was the only one who would keep the rent low enough for us to be able to afford at £600 p/cm for a 2 bed

he would have had the money to maintain his property as a LL should

C_Mababejive

Southend1 wrote: »

Not sure why you think the taxpayer should subsidise your father's business? If he can't afford to maintain the property he should sell it.

I tend to agree but alas this has happened thousands of times up and down this fair land with these various schemes. Private BTL landlords are getting their asset refurbed at taxpayers expense by ensuring they have the right calibre of tenant in place who can make that claim.

Meanwhile you could easily have a low paid working family living in some draughty old terrace who can sit and freeze because they cant claim anything and are mortgaged.

Behind every scheme there are schemers..

IJazzI

Southend1 wrote: »

Not sure why you think the taxpayer should subsidise your father's business? If he can't afford to maintain the property he should sell it.

Well he's not running a business, he's doing us a favour letting us live there cheaper than anywhere else in this area and trying to have some retirement money for himself at the same time.

If it comes down to it he will sell it and we'll be out of an afforadbly rented house and/or homeless for a while.

!!!!!! wrote: »

Maybe if he had charged the market rate instead of he would have had the money to maintain his property as a LL should

If he'd charged the market rate, I wouldn't be able to afford us living there. My wages have been frozen for 5 years.

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I tend to agree but alas this has happened thousands of times up and down this fair land with these various schemes. Private BTL landlords are getting their asset refurbed at taxpayers expense by ensuring they have the right calibre of tenant in place who can make that claim.

Meanwhile you could easily have a low paid working family living in some draughty old terrace who can sit and freeze because they cant claim anything and are mortgaged.

Behind every scheme there are schemers..

This scheme is meant to help low earners. I am a low earner, my father is a low earner, he's paid tax all his life and managed to pay off his mortgage. He inherited a second house when his parents died, (he was a sole child), and would have sold this one except I was in a desperate situation.

To be fair, most of the private landlords I've been with, (and that's been a fair few), have been pretty reasonable people. With the sole exception of a guy who owned a lot of property... He was an a**hole through and through..

CashStrapped

Rather than getting stuck on the idea of getting a "free boiler", why not look at the reality of the situation and actually do somthing about it.

Regardless of what people have said above about the questionable motives of landlords; The situation is that you have no working boiler, electric will be very expensive and will probably cost a lot more than a new boiler in the medium to long term just through usage.

To get a working central heating system does not mean you need a complete overhaul and a "combi boiler". If your current system is the old fashioned type with a hot water tank and cold water tanks in the loft, the cheapest option avaliable to you is to get a heat only boiler.

These are very cheap, efficient and can be cheaply retrofitted into an existing system. It should come in at well under £1k. Possibly around £750 including fitting.

That is nearly the same as what you would have had to contrubute for your free boiler!

As I said if you do not do somthing about it, you will have a very cold uncomfortable winter, and a huge electric bill.

Furthermore, regardless of your relationship, you father is the landlord and responsible for the upkeep of the property. He should have the ability to put less than two months rent towards a new heating system.

The property was left to him, is it mortgage free? It is an asset and he should have no issue taking out a small loan (not payday!!) to fund or even part fund a new boiler.

You need to do somthing but I would forget and not get stuck on the idea of getting a "free" boiler.

captainhindsight_2

I think the confusion is over the scheme . There Is no free boiler scheme and never has been, the scheme has been designed to help towards the capital costs and in some circumstances this has covered the full cost.

The installer get paid a price per unit of energy saved, this price fluctuates and the amount saved varies from house to house and the amount of work required varies from house to house. this means if your lucky you may get a free boiler, but the reality is you or the landlord should have to make a small contribution which is not unreasonable and is very helpful for someone with not much money.

Also to people who have moaned about wasted tax payers money, this scheme is not funded by tax payers it is paid for by the biggest 9 energy companies. So you can choose not to pay in the pot by choosing a smaller energy company