Excess heat in private rented

pilchard74

Hi. My son has just moved in to private rented flat for his final year at Uni. His top floor studio room is extremely hot and is recording a daily temperature of 29-31 degrees. The landlord won’t inspect the room and after much hassling has just given him an air cooler which hasn’t done anything to the temperature. He also has 5 fans in the room too! He suffers with asthma and I’m extremely concerned for his health. What are his rights? I can’t get through to Environmental Health. It just keeps me on hold forever! 

MultiFuelBurner

As there are no upper limits for the workplace I doubt there are any for residential properties. But happy to find out if this is true from anyone more knowledgeable.

Good news winter is coming.

silvercar

Swings and roundabouts. Top floor rooms are warmer all year round, so you reap the benefits in Winter. Luckily for students, peak heat time is not term time so you may not have to suffer for long.

MattMattMattUK

pilchard74 said:

Hi. My son has just moved in to private rented flat for his final year at Uni. His top floor studio room is extremely hot and is recording a daily temperature of 29-31 degrees. The landlord won’t inspect the room and after much hassling has just given him an air cooler which hasn’t done anything to the temperature. He also has 5 fans in the room too! He suffers with asthma and I’m extremely concerned for his health. What are his rights? I can’t get through to Environmental Health. It just keeps me on hold forever! 

Environmental Health will not care. Firstly, five fans will not cool the room, they will likely make it hotter due to the heat from the motors, "air coolers" are generally fans by another name. 

He could attempt to establish where the heat is coming from, is there a heated towel rail stuck on for example. Beyond that ventilation can only generally lower the temperature to the outside temperature, so even with a fan blowing in and a fan blowing out of separate windows he would only get to the external temperature, ventilating at night when temperatures drop a lot more can be beneficial. 

If he is not paying the electricity bills then he could get a portable air con unit, if he is paying the bills then he might be bothered by the running costs, or he might accept them. 

MultiFuelBurner

This is us this week

Sunset is before 7pm so teach your son how to open windows as it will cool down nicely that way.

It's not unusual for siblings to leave the nest with very few life skills. Yes ventilating a property is a life skill.

theartfullodger

Look up HHSRS guidance for landlords which gives lower (cold) and upper (hot) limits for temperature.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9425/150940.pdf


He, having carefully read it suggest he (not you) write a calm polite letter to landlord, copy any agent, keep copy pointing out limits and explaining he is minded to invite council to do a HHSRS survey.

Best regards, Artful, landlord since 2000

Note from linked document re excess heat page 25

"""  3 EXCESS HEAT

This category includes threats from excessively high indoor air temperatures.

Effects on health as temperatures rise

Include increase in thermal stress, increase in cardio vascular strain and trauma, and

increase in strokes. 

Mortality increases in temperatures over 25degC. 

Although not common, problems can occur in the UK. """ etc etc etc etc

pinkshoes

It's top floor. Hot air rises. Top floors are often rather warm.

What exactly is your son wanting from this? Why 5 fans? Is it a huge room?? A fan won't cool the room down, it just circulates the air and the breeze can have a cooling effect on the skin.

It won't stay warm forever and he will be able to enjoy the warmer room in Winter. I suggest you rent or purchase a small aircon unit, better than the one the landlord has supplied. 

theartfullodger

MultiFuelBurner said:

As there are no upper limits for the workplace I doubt there are any for residential properties. 

See HHSRS..

user1977

silvercar said:

Top floor rooms are warmer all year round, so you reap the benefits in Winter. 

Not always - some top floors can be hot in summer because there's b*gger all insulation, so they'll be cold in winter.

MultiFuelBurner

theartfullodger said:

MultiFuelBurner said:

As there are no upper limits for the workplace I doubt there are any for residential properties. 

See HHSRS..

Yeah it luckily falls under the purview of common sense. Which is open windows for ventilation.

I can't see anywhere where a landlord has been prosecuted for excess heat. Happy for someone to find it 

With the warm spells we now get in the UK I wonder if we all need to install air conditioning for the 6 weeks of the year it may be needed.

Amazing how much common sense seems to have left.

RelievedSheff

We live in a new build house and that also has a tendency to overheat in the summer if we have a period of hot weather. 

Temperatures in our bedroom have been as high as 38 degrees in the worst of a heat wave.

We find that by opening the windows and doors in the evening when it is cooling down, that allows some of the built up heat to escape and be replaced by cooler air.

Fans don't really do much other then get the air moving but on their own they won't cool the property.

It can be uncomfortable when the house is too hot but it is generally only for a few days or so at a time and of course at this time of year we start to get the benefits of the house being warm. Whilst others are starting to turn their heating on we are still toasty warm and with the windows open.