Reasonable time for no heat no hot water?

sandsni

molerat wrote: »

Round here the council will generally attend no heating / hot water within 4 hours 24/7/365, why should private landlords be any different ?

Presumably the council is using tax-payers' money to fund the extra cost of such 24/7/365(6) callouts. And "attending" is not the same as fixing.

AdrianC

nimbo wrote: »

We live in the sicks

Assuming you mean "sticks", then - great. Out here in the boonies, your neighbours are far more likely to step in and help than in town.

- and I won't get in a taxi while I'm not clean...

If only the last seventy-three occupants of that back seat were so fastidious, eh?

DominicJ_2

molerat wrote: »

Round here the council will generally attend no heating / hot water within 4 hours 24/7/365, why should private landlords be any different ?

Mine broke, lets say evening of the 26th, someone came out next day, diagnosed it (its a stupid make, I can fix it, but a pipes burst and sprayed water all inside so Id rather not, and I can get a new boiler fitted quicker)
So 27th, its agreed new boiler.
28th and 29th were weekends, he had a job on the 30th and 31st, was off the 1st obviously, pretty sure he fitted it the 2nd.
I might have been able to find someone to fit it on the 30th or 31st.

Getting someone out is really easy, but unless its flicking a switch to fix, a repair takes considerably longer. Dont get me wrong, a decent plumber will have an expansion vessel and a selection of pumps, and can probably fix in an hour. But anything electrical thats wrong, anything that uses an unusual part, and you are looking at days just to get the parts.

DaveTheMus

I know it's a bit late, but, if you have a gym membership or a gym that offers day-passes nearby you could pay the £5-£10 and have a shower there, maybe go for a swim as well, it's very good for a bad back.

fairy_lights

Nimbo, how did your first day in the new job go?
Did your landlord send someone round?

mgarl10024

theartfullodger wrote: »

Clearly I may be wrong, but: Take example where heating system fails & is not fixed for 3 months: Tenant incurs extra costs due to heating with leccy rather than gas (Electricity more expensive for same heating capability).

The tenant has suffered an actual, quatifiable, loss and thus I think has a valid claim against landlord.

I thought that a Landlord was supposed to provide 'a heating system'. So, normally the tenant has GSH, but occasionally it will break down and so waiting the same time an owner-occupier would for a repair is reasonable. You could argue that this is enough.
To keep my tenants happy I offer to drop round some electric heaters - which means I am unquestionably providing 'a heating system' at all times, and it keeps the tenants happier.

I don't think I would expect a claim for additional electricity usage on top. If I did, I'd probably consider
a) discounting that amount by the savings on gas bill (should be easy to work out given Kwh prices and boiler efficiency). Also, how do you know how much of their electricity bill was down to heating - compare it to previous usage (whilst conditions vary)? - very tricky.
b) whether this tenant were themselves being unreasonable given that by supplying the fan heaters I was already going beyond my required duties.

To the OP - sounds as if the LL is being reasonable, and I'd second that hotel/gym/swimming pool/neighbour suggestion.

C_Mababejive

Many landlords simply sign up to the landlords servicing contract with British gas and pass the cost on in the monthly rent. It keeps it all nice and simple.

Our heating started to mis behave on Saturday. I implemented a temporary fix and ordered a part on line. Its due to be delivered today Tuesday.

It is for the LL to decide who they wish to fix their apparatus not the tenant. As long as they do it in a reasonable time then that is all the law requires of them. For a weekend breakdown id say a visit on Monday would be reasonable,Tuesday might be reasonable if a busy period.

nimbo

well friendly neighborhood plumber came yesterday...

and today...

will hopefully see him again tomorrow. If I don't I might actually cry as I'm very very cold. (would be nice if it was possible to be fixed too - although I suspect if many more parts are ordered it would have been cheaper to just install a new boiler).

I can still see mist in the air and have no dry clothes left to wear. Lots clan but no hope they'll dry. Always fun - gutted i'd changed all the bedding just before the boiler died. haha

1st and second day at the new job have been great. I have client all of my very own!!!! (1st allocation meeting which was a surprise - I've not met them yet)...

I have also discovered that if I spend 30 minutes boiling a maslin pan and lots of other pans and run up and down the stairs 15 times while this happens I can have a bath 1.5 inches deep - which makes is possible although very difficult and time consuming to wash my hair... after doing this i did of course realsie there is electric and water for the kettle upstairs too...

I don't think I could sneak into the hotel - it's a little small. Deffo can't shave my pits in a strangers bath as stubble is just rude and I'm not joining a gym even for a hot shower (give it another 2 days though and that may change)...

ACG

You dont have to sign up, just look for some trials and go in for 10 minutes then spend 40 minutes in the sauna/shower.

Or go for a shower and storm out saying its not for you

elsien

nimbo wrote: »

I have also discovered that if I spend 30 minutes boiling a maslin pan and lots of other pans and run up and down the stairs 15 times while this happens I can have a bath 1.5 inches deep - which makes is possible although very difficult and time consuming to wash my hair... after doing this i did of course realsie there is electric and water for the kettle upstairs too...
..

That's just the sort of thing that would occur to me well after the fact as well.:rotfl: No nearby laundrette where you could go and just use the driers for a few basics?