Need advice regarding what to do with in livable cold rental property.

WibblyGirly

My rental house is cold in winter too. It has double glazing but it has gaps in so a breeze comes in. It also has storage heaters which are useless for the room sizes. The living room one has a broken dial too so the output only goes to 2 instead of 5!
We have a duvet/sleeping bag on the sofa and wear layers all the time inside.
Following this thread with interest! I'm certainly going to try the cling film idea over the window gaps.

Mardle

If you can't find thick curtains in a charity shop you could use a duvet instead.

rtho782

bouicca21 wrote: »

You must be way younger than I am. Places that cold in the winter used to be commonplace. I am thankful for the warmth I now enjoy, but I lived in such conditions for the first half of my life. It was awful, nevertheless I survived.

There is a real difference between a house that is poorly insulated with single glazed windows and one that is poorly insulated with windows that have holes in the frames or missing glass. One needs repairing, the other doesn't. I'm not clear which OP has, though now he/she has edited the post, it seems to be the first.

OP may have to put up with it until he/she can move. In the meantime Deanna's cling film diy double glazing, extra clothing, blankets and duvets will help make the situation tolerable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHFZBUTA4k

Davesnave

rtho782 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHFZBUTA4k

Predictable.....well, I predicted it!

Many of us with children who've gone through uni know full well what some rental conditions are like. .

I agree that it's not necessarily more legislation that's needed, but effective enforcement of minimum standards is key. That still comes back to the doors of the lawmakers. We have a stack of legislation in this country which local authorities do not, and probably cannot, properly enforce.

martindow

Here's the original post so that some of the replies make more sense
................................................
Hey I've moved into a flat but have one year tenancy. It has really old single glazed wooden windows. They were fine in summer but one morning I woke up one morning the inside was frozen. I alerted my landlord and the repairs look like they have been done by a five year old. The seal hasn't been covered. I bought a thermometer and the room temperature is 8.3 degrees. With the heating on full power for three hours it's only went up to ten degrees. What action can I take to get satisfactory repairs done. I checked the EPC certificate done in 2014 the property got marked down for the windows and old boiler. Approximately 15 years old and it recommends draft proofing. I cited wind and watertight under UK law but they seem to be bridging the repairs and I'm worried about living there and the health implications. What can I do?

ripplyuk

The only advice I can give is to move asap. Check if there is a break clause or just put up with this until the fixed term is over. Some people might decide to just take the risk and break the contract. I'm guessing this miserable flat was the only place you could afford but it would be better to rent just a single room that's warm. Your landlord is unlikely to do anything about this and even if environmental health got involved, it takes so long that the fixed term would probably be up anyway.

I lived in a similar place and although you'll get lots of comments here about how you should just wrap up/use thicker curtains etc, those things only work for a short time. What people forget is that your own body heat won't keep you warm unless you never stop moving. I was dressed for the arctic, including full ski trousers, but I still couldn't sit down in the evening and watch tv etc. I was also constantly itching and sore due to all the chilblains.

Try to spend time in warm places whenever you can (I was very fond of the library). Visit relatives/friends who have heat. Living in temperatures that low is unsustainable. I managed it, but developed a number of health problems which have either gone or greatly improved since moving.

NaughtiusMaximus

In addition to clingfilm over the windows, other cheap tips are to fix masking tap around the gaps in the frames where the windows open and, if you have radiators, tape foil to one side of a large sheet of cardboard and put them between the radiator and the wall.

EachPenny

martindow wrote: »

Here's the original post so that some of the replies make more sense

Thanks, that does help

martindow wrote: »

...With the heating on full power for three hours it's only went up to ten degrees....

Surely the obvious point is that there is a problem with the heating system. An ex used to insist on sleeping with a window open even in the middle of winter (the relationship didn't make it through to a second winter;)).

With the heating on the bedroom didn't drop below about 15 degrees even with ouside temperatures around freezing. With the heating off and the window only slightly open the temperature would drop overnight to only 12 degrees or so.

If the OP is running the heating on full for three hours and it only increases the temperature by 1.7 degrees then it is the heating, not the windows, which appears to be faulty.

If the landlord's repairs of the windows are not good enough then you can get a tube of silicone from a pound shop. You shouldn't have to do it, but which is easier? Arguing with a landlord or spending a quid?

bouicca21

With the original post restored, I hope it's clear that my inability to understand the problem was about the Windows, not about Arctic temperatures.