can i get my landloard to install gas central heating?

UltraSoul

I have lived in my flat for coming on 3 years. I am renting it from Milton Keynes Council.

While i love having my independance, every year when winter comes i have to go back to my parents and stay there for a few months on the sofa because my flat is just too cold. I am on a economy 7 set up with storage heaters. The repair servcie says there working fine. Yet my economy 7 switch to charge the heaters up over night don't charge the heaters. I have to use the built in convecter part to heat my flat. Which doesnt even heat up my flat proply. I have followed there adivce and adjusted the settings.
I am already planning to move to a non-economy 7 tarriff because it doesn't work for me.

Im on a ground floor flat with my own front door, not technically apart of the block of flats above me. However i have noticed that the flats above me all have gas central heating.

I would like to know if there is a scheme / grant or any other way that i could get the council to change my setup and install gas into my property.

Old_Git

who owns the other flats with gas heating .

HappyMJ

In a small flat when you take into account the servicing and supply charges such as standing charges the cost isn't that much more than an E7 set up so it's unlikely you'll get a grant that will not save much money.

My advice should you wish to take is is to close the windows and curtains during the day if you are out (it will insulate the property a bit more) then turn the input to maximum setting and the output to the minimum setting and if by the evening there is no heat then get back on to the landlord. It's the landlords responsibility to provide a heating system that can get your living rooms up to 21 degrees (at any cost including using the convector element) so if they can't do that then get them to fix it. Heating is expensive and you'll see it a lot more in winter if you pay by prepayment meter.

Maikeru

Your storage heaters might be the rather old type that leak lots of heat when you are out during the day. The modern types (Dimplex Quantum etc) are reportedly much better insulated and effective. They can be a bit expensive to buy and install though; might as well go for gas if your landlord is willing (tell him it should raise the value of the property as well).

[Deleted User]

Also put a bit of pressure on him that you will move to another flat with gas c/h. A few weeks or more of lost rental while he gets a new tenant will concentrate the mind somewhat to get him to drag the flat up to the 21 st centuryand install the most efficient and cost effective heating system. He s looking at a £2.5k outlay which as Maikeru says will be just be raising the property price

Gloomendoom

sacsquacco wrote: »

Also put a bit of pressure on him that you will move to another flat with gas c/h.

It's a council owned flat.

SevenOfNine

Any problems which have the word 'Council' in it are best dealt with face to face with your local Councillor, don't go direct to MKC housing because the motto for MKC was generally "if a councillor tells you to jump, the answer is how high"........definitely NOT the case for the general public.

https://mapping.milton-keynes.gov.uk/mymiltonkeynes.aspx
Stick your post code in there and scroll to your address. When you have your Councillors name find out when/where their next surgery is (it may be in the Council offices or in a local hall within their catchment area) & make the effort to go. Afterwards pester, pester, pester via email & 'phone.

Don't give up but don't count on getting central heating, but what you've got should work properly - if you're cold then I'd say maybe it doesn't!

Snorbitz

You haven't mentioned your personal circumstances. Are you unemployed, are you disabled, do you have dependants or young children? If the answer is no, then good luck. You've got some form of heating and even though it's not performing as well as you think it should the repair service have said otherwise.

What about the people in the other flats you mention? have you spoken to them? Are they owners of their properties? Perhaps they paid for the gas installations themselves if they're owners or perhaps the council paid due to certain circumstances. You need to actually go and speak to a councillor.

Whatever you do, you must keep your flat well ventilated as well. A cold property with no windows open is a a classic recipe for mould and damp to start forming on walls and ceilings if you're not careful.

lstar337

If they are not charging overnight, surely the first thing to do is sort that out?

These are not likely to be too old, as there were not many old NSH that had an additional peak convector built in.

If they are not charging overnight have you checked the simple things like the fuse box for the off-peak?

If the off-peak is not energised overnight then you may have a meter or time switch problem.

From what you have described of the flat, the NSH would be fine to provide you with ample toasty heat all day and night.

Every winter you move back home? How long has this been going on without you doing a single thing to help yourself?

If you are not going to look after yourself by providing yourself with basics like heat, maybe you are better off with your parents.

UltraSoul

lstar337 wrote: »

Every winter you move back home? How long has this been going on without you doing a single thing to help yourself?

If you are not going to look after yourself by providing yourself with basics like heat, maybe you are better off with your parents.

This i quite a horrible remark, when im actually asking for help and advice....
Im actually doing a lot about it.
I moved into the property in feb 2012. I had single glazed widows with a metal frame after i managed to get a inspector out they did decide to put me on the list for new pvc double glazing, but was a fight to go on it. i managed to get them to install it this year because there was a waiting list.

It doesn't help that i have 2 entire walls that are windows 23ft long each... My flat was originally designed to be a shop, so is quite large. I also had a enitre glass front door that they changed to a pvc door, when i got a police inpector out, who informed them it was a security risk as there was only a lock was a little hand twist lock.

Because i do currently work i keep all the windows and curtains closed during the day to maintain heat. And this has led to a massive mould problem. I am now having my bathroom and hallway refurbished because the mould was that bad it got into the plaster. I had been told it was already there before i moved in by a neighbour. So although i didn't start it. I havent acutally helped it. And was again a fight to get them to do anything. I am also now leaving windows slightly open on a latch to let air flow.

My economy 7 comes on at 1am, So they electrician says he can't test the circuit because there is no power to it until then. And they don't work at those hours. But the circuit does work because it charges my hot water.

My flat is now warmer then what is was last year, but i don't know how much colder it will get this year. I asked the people above me, they are council tenants. But here's the thing. The council did install them with PVC windows 10 years ago, but left out the bottom flats, not just on my block but quite a few others on the estate. At the same time they install gas central heating to all the flats above. But not to the ground floor flats. I do not know why they did this, Maybe they thought a shop would take over the flat before they decided to let them out to tenants instead.

Im adamant i do not want to go home this year, I have even thought of buying convector heaters, but don't want to be spending £15 a day on electric.

captainhindsight_2

There is very little you can make you landlord do. From a date (not to far away but can't remember the exact date) you can force your landlord to implement recommendations that are on your Epc.


Many rsl s and council landlords are switching all their off grid and economy 7 housing stock to renewables or district heating systems which will give you much more control if this is something your council are doing.

Realistically all you can do is tell your landlord and say if you don't fix the prob,em I am leaving then where ever you move to next check out the Epc and be willing to pay more rent for lower utility bills .