What is the minimum temperature that a rental property must be?

justanotheruser123

I have read that it is 21C in living rooms and 18C in bedrooms when it's below 0C outside, but I couldn't find an answer for when it's over 0C. Is there even a min temperature when the outside temperature is above 0C?

Thanks

inkydolphin

When I rented I was never told by the letting agent to keep the house above a certain temperature.

Tiglet2

I thought tenants renting a house paid their own utility bills, so it was up to them how high they wanted to set the thermostat.

In what way is yours different?

justanotheruser123

inkydolphin said:

When I rented I was never told by the letting agent to keep the house above a certain temperature.

Thanks for the reply, but I think I didn't explain myself well enough.. I meant what is the minimum required by law, that the landlord would then have to ensure is do-able in the property, as opposed to what minimum the landlord would want me to keep it.

m0bov

The property must be bad to be asking this!

justanotheruser123

Tiglet2 said:

I thought tenants renting a house paid their own utility bills, so it was up to them how high they wanted to set the thermostat.

In what way is yours different?

Yeah but the landlord must provide the facilities to make it possible to get the minimum temperature. e.g. if the house had no radiators and just a hair dryer for heating, then it'd be very difficult to get to the min temperature! Or, a more realistic example - a house could have old/poor storage heaters which don't maintain heat enough.

inkydolphin

justanotheruser123 said:

inkydolphin said:

When I rented I was never told by the letting agent to keep the house above a certain temperature.

Thanks for the reply, but I think I didn't explain myself well enough.. I meant what is the minimum required by law, that the landlord would then have to ensure is do-able in the property, as opposed to what minimum the landlord would want me to keep it.

Oh I see. I don't know the answer, but for info GOV.UK, which may have been where you were looking, says "A cold home is one that cannot be maintained at a temperature between 18°C to 21°C at a reasonable cost to the occupier ... Landlords must: Supply adequate heating in proper working order; Ensure the property is insulated, meeting at a minimum EPC E rating; Repair broken windows and doors"

It doesn't seem to mention anything about the relationship to outside temperature. How to rent a safe home - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

caprikid1

Not aware of any legislation

maisie_cat

The landlord must provide heating, but that could easily be fan heaters in every room.
The tenant usually pays for the power to use that heating.
What is it that makes reaching say 18-20 degrees impossible?
Our house rarely exceeds 18 degrees, even in the very hot summer last year.

justanotheruser123

inkydolphin said:

justanotheruser123 said:

inkydolphin said:

When I rented I was never told by the letting agent to keep the house above a certain temperature.

Thanks for the reply, but I think I didn't explain myself well enough.. I meant what is the minimum required by law, that the landlord would then have to ensure is do-able in the property, as opposed to what minimum the landlord would want me to keep it.

Oh I see. I don't know the answer, but for info GOV.UK, which may have been where you were looking, says "A cold home is one that cannot be maintained at a temperature between 18°C to 21°C at a reasonable cost to the occupier ... Landlords must: Supply adequate heating in proper working order; Ensure the property is insulated, meeting at a minimum EPC E rating; Repair broken windows and doors"

Thanks. I didn't see that gov page before. I read that it applies only when it's below 0C outside in a few other places, when I googled something along the lines of "uk minimum temperature for rental property". Possibly they're wrong. 

justanotheruser123

maisie_cat said:

The landlord must provide heating, but that could easily be fan heaters in every room.
The tenant usually pays for the power to use that heating.
What is it that makes reaching say 18-20 degrees impossible?
Our house rarely exceeds 18 degrees, even in the very hot summer last year.

If it's cold enough outside and if the house doesn't have a sufficient heating system, it can easily be impossible to have the inside reach 18 degrees, regardless of how much money you spend on gas / electric. 

It's the winter I'm concerned about.