No heating or hot water for a week in rented house

silvercar

I think some people are confusing "landlord" and "magician".

muhandis

OP, the advice from Shelter is sound and spot on. Follow that. Ask your landlord to provide heating equipment and for a discount on the rent.

Make sure you communicate with the landlord in writing and express the difficulties you have faced and are facing, especially in relation to the little ones. Keep a record of any extra expenses that you incur because of the situation.

[Deleted User]

millwalls wrote: »

I've always wondered about this as well. The same posters will advise you to raise hell about minor issues as an owner-occupier but think it is perfectly fine for tenants to be without a working boiler for a few days. I think it's ingrained in the psyche, this notion that tenants are a sub-class of residents living their lives at the pleasure of the landlord.

The worst of it is that even many tenants have imbibed that attitude, being grateful for the landlord barely meeting his legal obligations.

And who would these posters be advising owner occupiers to raise hell with over minor issues?

foxy-stoat

Lokolo wrote: »

Too many assumptions in your post. I assume you know what PCB board they required and where they could get it from?

Yes I do, why would I of mentioned it as a PCB board.

Agreed lots of assumptions. When I was a Landlord and if my tenants and their children had no heating and no hot water for more than a few days I would be chasing my plumber and keeping them updated on when it is up and running....OP is on here asking for advice rather than chasing their Landlord or plumber.

foxy-stoat

Lover_of_Lycra wrote: »

And who would these posters be advising owner occupiers to raise hell with over minor issues?

Their plumber - who else?

AdrianC

But they know what's happening... Nobody's keeping them in the dark.

Monday - fault
Tuesday - plumber
(Weds, Thu - wait for parts)
Friday - wrong part delivered
(Mon - wait for correct parts)
Today is Tuesday. I wonder whether anything's happened since they posted at 8.04am...?

NJamesN

As suggested, ask your landlord to make reasonable arrangements for heating and if he doesn't move, I would recommend contacting your local council's EH team telling them it's been more than a week without a boiler and about your children.

Your council may not be as good but our borough has a high percentage of rental stock and the council are very quick to contact landlords reminding them of their responsibilities.

When I used to rent a few years ago, our boiler had been broken for 10 days and the landlord was blaming the repairer for the delay. I called the EH officer in the morning, they contacted the landlord that afternoon and by the evening he brought over two electric space heaters and said he would refund some of my rent to cover extra electricity costs. The boiler was fixed two days later. This was early autumn. If it was the middle of winter I would only have waited for 3-4 days at most.

muhandis wrote: »

OP, the advice from Shelter is sound and spot on. Follow that. Ask your landlord to provide heating equipment and for a discount on the rent.

Make sure you communicate with the landlord in writing and express the difficulties you have faced and are facing, especially in relation to the little ones. Keep a record of any extra expenses that you incur because of the situation.

missprice

foxy-stoat wrote: »

I dont think they are - boiler broke, tried to repair it cheaply with secondhand part probably bought from ebay but failed.

They should of come round within 24 hours, found the fault, ordered a NEW part and fitted it.

I bet if the Landlord's own boiler broke they wouldnt p1ss about repairing it cheaply.

That's blatantly not true.
Some boilers can only be fitted with second hand parts. Various of my friends have ancient boilers where parts are no longer made, so its search sites for second hand or buy new boiler.

For OP this is not unreasonable. I live with a gas engineer, and when our boiler breaks, he sorts it out. It can still take over a week. Because he has to
Find out what's broken, 1 day
Order part same, day if before 4
Get wrong part or fit right part but it's not the problem, 2 days after ordering
Order right part or another part, another day lost
Get new part 2 more days gone
Finally fix it after at least 6 working days.

missprice

millwalls wrote: »

I've always wondered about this as well. The same posters will advise you to raise hell about minor issues as an owner-occupier but think it is perfectly fine for tenants to be without a working boiler for a few days. I think it's ingrained in the psyche, this notion that tenants are a sub-class of residents living their lives at the pleasure of the landlord.

The worst of it is that even many tenants have imbibed that attitude, being grateful for the landlord barely meeting his legal obligations.

Not true, see my post above.
I get no special treatment living in my own house with an actual gas engineer. He fixes boilers for a living and still I have to wait. Pay less for parts sure, but cannot magic parts from a shop that's closed or doesn't have in stock.

missprice

foxy-stoat wrote: »

I do not know any plumber that would use a second hand part to repair a boiler and put his name and reputation on it. They would say it needs a new PCB that will be £200 at most, maybe as low as £120, part should be available that or next day from most plumbing stores. Landlord may of said, I can get one for £50 on ebay - takes 2 or 3 days to post out...wrong part....oh well its only my paying tenants.

I may be wrong of course but where are we now, over a week since they reported the problem and they dont have hot water or heating.

How do you know it's the PCB? How do you know new ones are in stock somewhere in the country?
Second hand doesn't always mean used. Spare parts can be found in odd places with odd people. I know of a ex welder who worked in the factory making their own boiler parts. When the company moved abroad and laid everyone off, some spare boiler parts went home with the welder. Cant be sold as new.