My rented home has really low water pressure just in the bathroom

vivalamac

Hi All,
As it states in the title, I a renting a 2 bedroom house in Caerphilly and everything is fine apart from the water pressure in the bathroom. The cold water in the sink is fine, but the hot water trickles out and it is impossible to have a shower.
We moved in May of this year and have been constantly asking the letting agency for some sort of help.
We had one plumber come to take a look, and then never came back. Ignored out calls and just never heard from him again. Then we had to ask to get another plumber. He came and had a look around then we never heard anything for another month. After constantly calling the plumber and agency, he finally changed the taps in the bath. Now this made the taps work a lot better, but still impossible to have a shower. He suggested an electric shower is the only option and he will let the letting agency know. Since then we have been ringing and ringing for an update but first they told us the landlady was on holiday for a few weeks and to wait for an update. We never got any update, so rang back and now the person in the letting agency who deals with out property is now also on holiday for a few weeks.
So I was wondering what steps I can take next to possibly get something resolved. Can we asked for reduced rent? Get the shower sorted ourselves and ask the agency to pay?

Thanks,
Marc

HappyMJ

vivalamac wrote: »

Hi All,
As it states in the title, I a renting a 2 bedroom house in Caerphilly and everything is fine apart from the water pressure in the bathroom. The cold water in the sink is fine, but the hot water trickles out and it is impossible to have a shower.
We moved in May of this year and have been constantly asking the letting agency for some sort of help.
We had one plumber come to take a look, and then never came back. Ignored out calls and just never heard from him again. Then we had to ask to get another plumber. He came and had a look around then we never heard anything for another month. After constantly calling the plumber and agency, he finally changed the taps in the bath. Now this made the taps work a lot better, but still impossible to have a shower. He suggested an electric shower is the only option and he will let the letting agency know. Since then we have been ringing and ringing for an update but first they told us the landlady was on holiday for a few weeks and to wait for an update. We never got any update, so rang back and now the person in the letting agency who deals with out property is now also on holiday for a few weeks.
So I was wondering what steps I can take next to possibly get something resolved. Can we asked for reduced rent? Get the shower sorted ourselves and ask the agency to pay?

Thanks,
Marc

Nothing really. You have water and although it's insufficient for a shower you can have a bath. You won't be able to force the landlord to do anything so just keep on asking and you'll either annoy them enough for them to do something about it or they'll terminate the tenancy.

You can't pay for it yourself and expect the landlord to pay. You can ask but you can't guarantee the landlord will pay.

GwylimT

When did you write to your landlord to inform them of this issue?

theartfullodger

Quite:

Write (yes, WRITE - or email -, keep copy), to Landlord, copy agent, outlining the issue & requesting the matter is fixed.

vivalamac

Cheers, I have emailed them, told them in person, rang them and sent texts all since May till now

camptownraces

So, you haven't written a letter.

Do it now, remember to date it, and keep a copy.

G_M

Look on your tenancy agreement. There will be (should be if Eng/Wales) an address provided for "serving notices on the landlord".

It there by law (Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 ) and is there so that you can contact the landlord formally.

Use the address provided for that purpose.

vivalamac

Thanks all,
I will write a letter to both the landlord and letting agency. I would move out, but it's a great place in a great location

-taff

DO you have a gravity fed water system? If you do, then a shower upstairs will usually be dribbly because there's just not enough pressure to give it any oomph.
If it's a combi boiler sysytem, then there's probably an airlock of some description.

vivalamac

Yeah it is gravity fed. The plumber that did turn up said the only option would be to have an electric shower, but the letting agency has just put off giving us a response to it.

Innys1

vivalamac wrote: »

Yeah it is gravity fed. The plumber that did turn up said the only option would be to have an electric shower, but the letting agency has just put off giving us a response to it.

Electric showers are rubbish. A cheap fix which will run happily for a couple of years, probably with low pressure and then die.