Water heater isn't working and Landlord won't take responsibility

Claire454

We moved into our new apartment on the 25th of January and immediately reported the problems: no hot water, heaters broken, missing inventory items (just a cooker) and the entire place was completely unsanitary (before you judge me as a prissy germ phoebe there was a used anal dildo under the bed…

To be fair to the landlord she did gradually fix much of the problems; although it’s been a real disruption to our lives with someone calling about the heaters and demanding we’d be in at a set time on six occasions.

However she still hasn’t fixed the water heater: the entire house runs on electric and the only way we can get hot water is by using the immersion heater which has cost us a fortune. There's also no pressure in the shower head so we've only ever been able to have baths that go up to your ankles because the immersion heater tank in the water heater is tiny.

The guys that’s supposed to be fixing it keeps not turning up and she passed his number on to us to sort out but he isn’t replying and it’s now been over a month without proper hot water and we’re wondering how best to proceed.

I’ve called the landlady numerous times about the electrician not turning up to fix the water heater but she just apologies and tells me to keep calling him. I don’t want to be unfair to her but I am considering writing a letter to the agency to complain or perhaps threatening to withhold rent. What would people suggest?

G_M

Have you reported the problem properly in writing? A Letter sent to the address "for serving notices"?

Have you followed up with a 2nd letter?

If still no action, follow the Shelter process (EXACTLY) here:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/responsibility_for_repairs/tenants_doing_repairs

bigfreddiel

I don't understand, you say the whole house is electric, and that the immersion heater for the hot water is costing you a fortune. How else do you heat the water? From what you describe the water heater is working!

Confused fj

Claire454

bigfreddiel wrote: »

I don't understand, you say the whole house is electric, and that the immersion heater for the hot water is costing you a fortune. How else do you heat the water? From what you describe the water heater is working!

Confused fj

here is a single water heater that has two tanks: one is for the immersion heater which is like an expensive kettle that you turn on by a switch the other tank is supposed to heat the water overnight using economy 7 and then provide us hot water during the day.

To give you an example of how much the immersion heater costs we can easily go through £50 in electricity bills in a week.

AnotherJoe

Get your deposit back and move out.

G_M

So it's the economy 7 time switch that's the problem?

You are on a duel tariff I asume?

And the timer is set correctly?

Who is the 'guy' who's supposed to be fixing? An electrician I hope?

Meanwhile, why not heat use the immersion at night when electricity is cheaper?

Claire454

The electrician said it's something about a fuse in the tank and that he's going to move the wires so that the top smaller tank will be heated overnight as the bottom one is broken.

The immersion heater is so expensive and heats such a small tank that we'd need to wake up an hour before 6 a.m. to turn it on to take advantage of the night rate.

G_M

Claire454 wrote: »

The electrician said it's something about a fuse in the tank and that he's going to move the wires so that the top smaller tank will be heated overnight as the bottom one is broken.
That's clearly unacceptable and you should (politely!) say so in your letter.
You need the economy 7 heater mended properly, not fudged with a transfer to the small tank.
Write. A letter. Today.

The immersion heater is so expensive and heats such a small tank that we'd need to wake up an hour before 6 a.m. to turn it on to take advantage of the night rate.

What time does economy 7 tarrif start? If the tank is insulated, the water will stay hot. If it's no insulated, then insulate it! (buy two and double insulate).

AdrianC

Claire454 wrote: »

The electrician said it's something about a fuse in the tank and that he's going to move the wires so that the top smaller tank will be heated overnight as the bottom one is broken.

Attempting to decode Chinese whispers, there's two immersion elements - one for E7, one for normal - and the E7 one's died a death.

Not the end of the world to change that element.

Fighting my way through to find typical tariffs, E7 units are typically slightly over half the price of non-E7 units. If the electrician merely swaps the feeds over, you'll still only have a very small amount of hot water available , and - by the sound of it - it's ill-insulated, so there'll be little point, because it'll be losing the heat rapidly once the E7 element kicks off when you reach the end of the night-time units.
https://www.npower.com/at_home/applications/product_comparison/tariff.aspx/tariffratesandchargeslookup
What electricity contract you're on depends on YOU, not your landlord.

[Deleted User]

(In my book)
No Hot water = No Rent

AdrianC

Sleazy wrote: »

(In my book)
No Hot water = No Rent

There IS hot water.