Rented house no boiler and told no repair for two weeks

noelchambers

Hi all,

New to the forums but long time reader.

My partner and I realised our central heating had failed in our rented property last Thursday and we notified our letting agent.

Thankfully they sent someone out the next afternoon (Friday) to look and try and fix the issue but it turns out the boiler is knackered and needs replacing.

We were provided with 4 little electric heaters (it is a two bed house with a bathroom, second toilet and kitchen) we do have an emersion heater for hot water luckily as well

We accepted it would take till after the weekend to get quotes etc and luckily we know the engineer who told us he submitted the quote Monday morning but it took till Wednesday for the letting agent to get hold of the landlord and get authorisation for the works.

The engineer is busy and has told them he wouldn't be available untill next Friday to do the works which will be over two weeks after we had lost the boiler 

Now my questions are really around what rights we have in this situation.

The little fans provided don't heat the whole house to a decent standard (it's -1 outside at the moment) and the cost of heating one room has nearly doubled our energy bill daily according to our smart meter we dare not try and heat the whole house.

Surely they could get another engineer to replace the boiler who is available sooner.

Am I within my rights to ask for some sort of compensation from the agent/landlord to contribute to the excessive cost of running these heaters and emersion? And although I would probably not am I in my rights to seek and get the boiler replaced my self (I do have the cash in the bank) 

Thanks for any advice in advance 

babyblade41

At this time of year you are lucky to get an engineer even to come out and inspect the problem let alone replace.
I doubt you will get it done any sooner , 

LL has provided another form of heat , if it isn't enough then maybe buy an oil filled rad...Are you home all day ?? 

IMO LL has acted as quickly as possible so I doubt any compo would be given

deannagone

All the LL has to do is get repairs done in a 'reasonable' time.  Its winter, there's covid, you have probably read other threads on here in the last couple of weeks commenting on how difficult it is to get repairs done.  

Having a boiler replaced in a couple of weeks is actually pretty amazing given what's going on.

I'm afraid I hardly run my central heating at all (an hour a day).  I am presently wearing furred leggings, leggings, a couple of Tshirts and a thick fleece dressing gown.  And I do that all the time.  You just have to if you are budget conscious with rising bills.  And/or move around.  I have a good quality duvet and heated blanket (costs pennies to run and it doesn't need to be on all night).  We also have fleece blankets to use in the house during the day/evening but I don't bother most of the time.  You shouldn't really be needing to heat the rest of the house right now, just heat the room you do most of your living in and the bathroom pre shower/bath.

You could ask your LL for a contribution to the increased heating costs, but I'd also dress more warmly because the LL may not co-operate.  

You may well find your heating costs decrease with a new boiler.., I bet the one that's broken was more expensive to run, so there is consolation in that (again, its what I found once an ancient non working boiler was replaced).  

Remember central heating is a recent addition to our lives, and people survived, the population increased nicely even without it. 

Silvertabby

2 weeks really isn't unreasonable for a new boiler.  As has already been said, oil filled radiators are much cheaper to run than fan heaters.  If your landlord can't supply one, then have a look in Argos.

noelchambers

Thanks all for the feedback

You've calmed down my irritation. We have had issues with them dragging their feet before leading me to be a bit assuming of our letting agent 

I am at home all week unfortunately due to me taking some overdue holiday time so if I wasn't at home I probably wouldn't be as irritated by it 

Again thanks for the replies

Bendy_House

noelchambers said:

Thanks all for the feedback

You've calmed down my irritation. We have had issues with them dragging their feet before leading me to be a bit assuming of our letting agent 

I am at home all week unfortunately due to me taking some overdue holiday time so if I wasn't at home I probably wouldn't be as irritated by it 

Again thanks for the replies

Pleased you are reassured.

I was about to say the same - getting hold of a GasSafe to replace a boiler in these unsettled times is not at all easy. And the LL has provided you with alternative heating, although it's clearly not ideal. But you ain't going to freeze :-)

It would appear the LL has acted responsibly and in quick order.

I'd now try and start off on the best possible footing, as even LLs are human; there is no harm in expressing your appreciation for them having acted as quickly as they have. I'm sure it'll be appreciated, and hopefully reciprocated, too, over time.

deannagone

Its not pleasant, but can be lived with.  I must admit I have a lot more respect for my ability to survive with less heating lol.  My son (15) now quotes me with  "just put more clothes on" if I ever ask him to put the central heating on in that awful smart alec way teens do because I said it to him when he ramped up the thermostat ha ha!

Yep I hate it when he does it lolol.

GDB2222

As a landlord, I've been prepared to pay towards the extra cost of running electric heaters in these circumstances. It just seems fair. 

canaldumidi

GDB2222 said:

As a landlord, I've been prepared to pay towards the extra cost of running electric heaters in these circumstances. It just seems fair. 

Though the OP is saving on their gas bill. Just saying....

I agree the LL has acted reasonably and in a timely manner. If you ask nicely,he might add another (oil filled?) heater.

Just to add, the general advice when spending this amount of money on contractors, is to get 3 quotes to compare. If the LL had done that, you'd have been waiting a lot longer for 3 gasSafe engineers to visit and quote.....

saajan_12

noelchambers said:

Hi all,

New to the forums but long time reader.

My partner and I realised our central heating had failed in our rented property last Thursday and we notified our letting agent.

Thankfully they sent someone out the next afternoon (Friday) to look and try and fix the issue but it turns out the boiler is knackered and needs replacing. - great response time

We were provided with 4 little electric heaters (it is a two bed house with a bathroom, second toilet and kitchen) we do have an emersion heater for hot water luckily as well - sounds reasonable, you have a temporary source of heat so the house is still habitable

We accepted it would take till after the weekend to get quotes etc and luckily we know the engineer who told us he submitted the quote Monday morning but it took till Wednesday for the letting agent to get hold of the landlord and get authorisation for the works. - a couple of days to consider options sounds reasonable. 

The engineer is busy and has told them he wouldn't be available untill next Friday to do the works which will be over two weeks after we had lost the boiler - getting an appointment 2 weeks later is reasonable considering its winter so higher demand, Would be longer if there were issues with parts or the LL was getting more quotes. 

Now my questions are really around what rights we have in this situation.

The little fans provided don't heat the whole house to a decent standard (it's -1 outside at the moment) and the cost of heating one room has nearly doubled our energy bill daily according to our smart meter we dare not try and heat the whole house. - as an interim measure, it sounds reasonable to only heat the areas you're in (eg living rooms during the day, move them to bedrooms before you're ready for bed). In terms of habitability, you have access to heat regardless of efficiency. You also expected a more efficient system which is being fixed, there's no expectation on the interim measure being exactly the same in efficiency as the long term solution.  

Surely they could get another engineer to replace the boiler who is available sooner. - tbh probably unlikely to make much difference. The test is what would be reasonable for an owner occupier, who's motiviated by both speed and money. 

Am I within my rights to ask for some sort of compensation from the agent/landlord to contribute to the excessive cost of running these heaters and emersion? - no, that's part and parcel of renting: things can break and the LL has to fix in a reasonable timeframe while ensuring habitability. If that increases costs for either party, that's part of the deal. If the LL took unreasonably long, then perhaps you could claim the excess running costs for the time beyond what's reasonable (maybe). 
And although I would probably not am I in my rights to seek and get the boiler replaced my self (I do have the cash in the bank) - not yet. You'd have to first allow the LL time to get it repaired, and if they failed to do so in a reasonable timeframe then you'd follow a process (outlined by Shelter) of reporting before finally paying yourself and deducting from rent.
If you mean just pay for it yourself and not get reimbursed, then only if you have permission from the LL. 

Thanks for any advice in advance 

With any claim, there's 2 parts: LIABILITY (are they wrong?) and DAMAGES (what's the resulting cost?)
1. LIABILITY A property can break, the LL's responsibility is to attend to any repairs in a reasonable timeframe, and also ensure the house is habitable (or provide alternative arrangements). Note it is not to guarantee a perfect house every minute. 
---> So they have diagnosed in 1 day, gotten quotes in a few days, appointment to fix in 2 weeks, which is reasonable. Re habitability, there is an immersion for hot water and 4 smaller heaters, so you have access to heat. Hence they have fulfilled their responsibility. 

2. DAMAGE your cost is the increased running costs of less efficient heaters. The LL's cost is the cost of the repair. However as no one has done anything wrong, you each pay your own costs, and there is no liability to pay the other party's costs. 

Note that doesn't mean the LL can leave you with substantially different heating for the rest of the tenancy, as that's not the property you agreed to rent, but as an interim measure its fine.  

daveyjp

Silvertabby said:

2 weeks really isn't unreasonable for a new boiler.  As has already been said, oil filled radiators are much cheaper to run than fan heaters.  If your landlord can't supply one, then have a look in Argos.

This is incorrect advice.

All electric heaters of the same output cost the same to run whether it be fan, convector or oil filled.  OP shouldn't therefore waste money on new heaters.