Damage caused by excessive heating

Fishoutofwater

We rent out our house and the tenants have utilities paid for by their company. They have been living there several years and all fine in the main.

They have somehow managed to remove & lose the control knobs from the boiler and the heating is on 24/7 at full heat. We replaced the knobs once but now are obselete. They tell me that in the summer they just turn it off at the wall. (Gas safety checks etc all up to date).

They like the heat and work shifts so it suits them to have it this way but the years of excessive heat has caused the roof joists to dry out and lift which in turn has cracked the plaster along the ceiling lines upstairs.

I spoke to them about turning the heating off or down butvthe damage has already been done. So my question is
1. Is this fair wear and tear or when they leave (in a couple of years) do we use the deposit for this (it is all registered).
2. Any ideas for fixing this issue?
3. I am of a mind to leave it as it is until they move out in case they allow it to happen again, is that acceptable?

Thanks

AdrianC

Having the heating on will not damage structural timber. The joists should be dry.

Summer temperatures in a loft will get WAY above what heating below the insulation will reach.

Mr.Generous

I'm going to hazard a guess that the house has a live in carer on site? My brother let to a company who provided "care" for young people - and they couldn't have cared any less. Heating on with windows open, and sometimes back door. Oven left on with oven door left open and back door left open while client went out (we read the log) until oven element burnt out. If you're not paying the bill it looks like you don't give a stuff. The environmental impact must be horrendous.

need_an_answer

On a practical note check on places like ebay for the replacement controls for the boiler,whilst many parts are no longer available I have usually found some retailers on ebay that seem to have a stock of,if not the genuine part,then a very good match/alternative.

if you can get a part/stock number,a google will usually throw up something.

AlexMac

I think that you'd have a hard job arguing that plasterboard cracks were down to the tenant, but looked at another way; you've had a Corporate tenant for several years, so none of the renewal fees, voids or bad debts which a LL can expect. So a few hundred (tax deductible) quid to tape and skim the plasterboard cracks is far less than most have to spend in the average year or between tenants.

And given that I seem to have to replace boilers every time I buy a home or a BTL (6-7 in the past 20 years), it will ether mend or it won't; but even a full replacement job is only £2k off the £40K (or£50k or £60k...?) rental income you've enjoyed ?

Fishoutofwater

Thanks for the replies and good idea to look on EBay for controls. I will do that.

We lived in the house for years and this did not happen, it’s only happened as a result of the excessive heat being on all the time. If you look up anything about roof trusses and heat you can see examples of the cracks that I am seeing.

It’s not a live in carer situation but the tenants work erratic shifts so don’t like to come home to a cold house at any time which does annoy me from an environmental standpoint but I can’t exactly force them to turn it down can I?!

My question is whether this is fair wear and tear or not?

G_M

Are you sure they are your tenants?

Or have you signed a (commercial) tenancy agreement with their company which has either sublet to them or granted them a licence to occupy?

Either way, fix the boiler! Either replace the missing parts or replace the boiler.

Simple.

Nobbie1967

Fishoutofwater wrote: »

Thanks for the replies and good idea to look on EBay for controls. I will do that.

We lived in the house for years and this did not happen, it’s only happened as a result of the excessive heat being on all the time. If you look up anything about roof trusses and heat you can see examples of the cracks that I am seeing.

It’s not a live in carer situation but the tenants work erratic shifts so don’t like to come home to a cold house at any time which does annoy me from an environmental standpoint but I can’t exactly force them to turn it down can I?!

My question is whether this is fair wear and tear or not?

It's fair wear and tear, if the house can't handle having the heating permanently, then that is a fault with the house, not the tenants.

markin

As said lofts get hot in summer, 40-60c would be possible, would the heat wave over last summer be far more likely i think. Or a leak then it drying out, and repeat.

lookstraightahead

They can have the heating on as they wish. If you don't want them to use the heating except for the way that you would use it, dont rent out the property.

It's up to you to make sure everything is in order safety wise. Sounds like you have some things to check.

ognum

To be honest as a LL if I felt the tenant was constantly damaging the property, either the boiler or the home I would take possession of the property and reset to someone more respectful.

I guess you have done a cost/income analysis and decided you are better keeping them.