We have to go two weeks without heating and hot water in rented accommodation

[MINEareCRAFTy]

Not sure what I'm looking for really. Advice, a space to rant maybe, sympathy?

By the time our boiler is due to be replaced on Tuesday, we will have gone two weeks without heating and hot water. I'm fuming. The landlord is in Australia (the irony), and the agent is beyond useless. Apparently the landlord has taken his time over quotes, wanting to get the best for us. How kind of him. However the plumber told us that he's just been messing around and it seems the agent have been covering for him somewhat. Looking online it seems we don't have a legal leg to stand on in terms of compensation, not paying full rent etc.

They have given us 4 fan heaters to use.

It was on it's way out for a while so my argument is, on top of how long it's taking to be fixed, why on earth didn't they plan for this when it was playing up?!

There's only so many times you feel able to impose on relatives for a shower and we have 4 children here 50% of the time 😢

Replacing a boiler is a big job. Yabu.

It's not on especially when it's going to get colder. I had my boiler replaced a couple of years ago and took about 4 hours.

Have you not been able to boil a kettle and use a bath or fill the sink? What about it electric heaters? If so, I’d ask for compensation as goodwill towards the increase in your electricity bill or else claim through your insurance.

It is frustrating to wait, but do you really imagine everyone else who owns their own home can get a boiler replaced immediately? Of course everyone will want to get quotes (one of the quotes I had was several hundred more than the others), and boiler engineers are busy this time of year so there's likely to be a wait to book the job in as well - it's not like just going to the shop and buying something so it's ready immediately.

That is a long time for rented. Mind you it is a busy time of year for boilers and heating engineers.

I think you should reasonably be able to negotiate a reduction in rent for the inconvenience. But don't start by withholding rent - that puts you on the wrong foot.

Landlords and Agents cannot magic up new boilers at the drop of a hat so I would expect it to take at least a week from condemnation of the boiler to a new one being installed, even with the best will in the world. So two weeks doesn't seem too bad.

But I think a good landlord would offer a reduction in your rent of say 25% of the monthly total for your inconvenience. Why not suggest it to them and the Agent?

If he's provided heaters and you have a way of getting hot water, like a kettle, I believe legally there's not much to be done - although I think if you've got a baby under one, there may be more that can be done. I pushed for compensation for my increased electricity bill too, when it happened to me.

Could you get one day gym passes for hot showers? There always seems to be free passes around me.

Oil filled radiators are really good at heating space. Depends on how warm your house is.

It’s outrageous it’s what the op pays rent for. How can it take two weeks. The agents are useless they forget they work for you as well as the landlord.

You can bathe and hair wash in one bowl of water... With two jugs.. back in student days did this as it was so cold. Has advantages of only having half a body exposed to the air at a time.

Not that you should have to...

Are you in England? Broken boiler and no heat/hot water is an emergency repair and it is not unreasonable to expect it to be remedied within 24hrs.

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/how_to_report_repairs_to_a_private_landlord

You should consider reporting it to private rental team at your local council, they can force the landlord to carry out the repair. It would risk a revenge eviction but he doesn't sound decent to rent from anyway.

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/what_to_do_if_your_landlord_wont_do_repairs

You are also entitled to compensation for any financial loss incurred, e.g., increased bills due to the fan heaters, cost of travelling to friends/family for showers, etc.

4 weeks is unacceptable for rented accommodation. Whoever said about homeowners not being in a position to pay, you can't equate the two at all! Totally not the same thing 🤦🏼‍♀️ The landlord and/or agent is there to provide a service.

I'd (politely) negotiate a reduction in rent for a month.

do you really imagine everyone else who owns their own home can get a boiler replaced immediately?

The OP doesn't own her own home though, she rents and rental properties have to meet appropriate living standards. This includes boilers being classed as an emergency repair.

We own our house and it’s still going to take 2 weeks to get a new boiler fitted. This is having called a plumber I trust immediately.

Having said that I’d be making a big fuss in your position tbh. 4 weeks is unacceptable if you’re renting.

I’m a landlord and I have my plumber on speed dial.
He would get it done ASAP and would charge me the lowest he could go and still make a profit..even so I would expect it to take 3-7 days this time of year ..when everyone else is having problems

Not everyone is as very lucky as I am .

So I think a two week wait sounds pretty reasonable.
I would however, as I’m a very good landlord, offer you something towards your extra heating bills.

I hope it gets sorted ASAP
If there’s no help towards the heating bill..I would ask politely.

It takes time to organise these things. Two weeks isn’t really that long. Unless your LL is Mary Poppins he won’t be able to click his fingers and get a new one. LL’s do not have any special power they can hold over tradesmen to get things done quicker.

Have you been provided with storage heaters?

Thanks everyone.

I guess I wasn't asking AIBU, but feel ok (ish) at the suggestions that I am!

We don't have a kettle, we have a one cup Breville but I would buy one if I thought it was worth it. It's not though as the bath is huge and would take ages I think...

It was already on it's way out so I guess I'm most annoyed at why they didn't show some initiative and start making quotes etc.

Now going to check out links etc.

Thanks again!

Where did the 4 weeks come from.
I thought the op said on Tuesday when it will be replaced it will be two weeks

Not sure why people are talking about 4 weeks, OP says the boiler installation is booked for Tuesday and it will have been two weeks then from when it broke.

Two weeks is 10 working days. Landlords don't have some magic powers to make these things happen immediately and especially this time of year boiler engineers are not just sitting around waiting to be called to do a job immediately...

I own now but I rented for over 20 years and unfortunately this was not uncommon. I was never offered a reduction in the rent, although we were given electric heaters to use if the weather was cold.

Also, when you say 'on the way out', they have to be serviced annually so it must have been in reasonably good working order within the past year?

However the plumber told us that he's just been messing around

Presumably plumber has been available and equipped if he's said that the reason the work hasn't been done is because the landlord is messing about.

Took 3 months in local authority rented accommodation and it only happened then because of the end of financial year. It snowed several times during the wait.

I wouldn't complain about a fortnight.