How long can a housing association leave a family without hot water/heating?

[JMLStickyBuddy]

Boiler broke. No heating. No hot water (no electric shower either so no way to have a bath or shower)
Water absolutely freezing so difficult to even run a bath and use kettle water to warm it.

Was reported Monday and they say they're waiting for a part to fix it.

Boiler is almost 20 years old and technician said it needs replacing really but would take weeks and leave them without water heating all that time.

High school age children in home.

Any one in the household have disabilities?

Anyone an OAP?

Anyone under 5?

As if they are then you are priority.

Edited to say - either way they should have loaned you a couple of alternative heat sources e.g. electric heaters/oil filled radiators.

I worked for a HA in a different life and I seem to remember they had to supply electric heating in cases like this. They have to initially respond to your report within 24 hours but if a part needs ordering then they must supply an alternative heating source until repair.

If waiting longer than a week with vulnerable residents then I would contact your local councillor / MP

Citizens advice have this - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/repairs-in-rented-housing/repairs-what-are-your-options-if-you-are-a-social-housing-tenant/using-the-right-to-repair-scheme/

You need to see if your HA is part of the scheme.

Also as it isn't after 31 October it isn't seen as urgent as if it was afterwards.

Heating- if they are pushed to do so or it gets really cold the HA may provide electric heaters.

Hot water- As long as there is cold water I don’t think it’s a priority.

I agree the priority wil be higher if there are vulnerable people living there.

I was told when I had no hot water but had a shower, just to heat my kettle up for hot water to wash up.

But this is the same HA who see nothing wrong with leaving someone without electricity for up to 24 hours.

I'm on ESA support group for MH issues. My daughter is waiting on an autism assessment

But nothing on paper. I don't get DLA or PIP or anything.

I was told someone would ring me but nobody has called today at all

I was left for 2 weeks with no heating and hot water in January, was awful.
Phone them every day so you're not forgotten about

The emphasis is on the HA to respond appropriately. They've sent an engineer and a part is on order. That's an appropriate response and no different to if you were a private home owner.

You can ask for extra support in the form of electric heaters if you feel that you're vulnerable without heating, but otherwise you just need to make do sadly.

We rent privately and ended up without heating and hot water for 4 weeks one winter (literally December) because of the back and forth between the landlord and the engineer. It was awful...and also the reason I've looked into the obligations of landlords, whether they are social housing or private. Because an engineer had visited promptly and there was a plan of action I didn't have a leg to stand on from a legal point of view.

My biggest advice is be a polite but consistent presence until you get an outcome that's workable for you. If that's electric heaters until the boiler is fixed (sadly boiling the kettle is the only real alternative for hot water provision) then insist on some being provided.

Hope they sort it soon, it's a miserable thing to be in cold weather without heating or hot water.

It will depend on part ordered surely?
In our own house it took about 3 weeks for a new apart to arrive on old oil heating ( we have since replaced). But this was 3 winters ago, and it was -5 outside, and Ds was around 6 months old.

There’s not much that can be done tbh. The heating engineer gave us two plug in heaters and we bought another. Heated water with kettle for 3 weeks, and used neighbour for occasional shower.

Have you got a plug in heater for now? It’s probably not too cold in uk right now. And maybe housing association can lend additional heaters? It’s worth buying one at least if you can as backup for future anyway.

I dont think there is a specific time frame, just that it has to be reasonable. I think you can ask for electric heaters if it's that cold where you are. Boil a kettle and wash in the sink. If they are waiting for a part then there's not a huge amount that can be done to speed it up.

We also had this in private but for almost two months.

We were showering at friends/family/gym/work and purchased plug in heaters at our own expense as nothing was being done.

They usually supply alternative heating, if it's cold, but they have to wait for the parts.

This happened to us in December 2021. The HA provided portable electric heaters and we have an electric shower so could at least wash. Our boiler was replaced in a couple of weeks, and we no longer have children at home so nobody vulnerable to consider. I appreciate we were fortunate and our HA is a big national one. I did have to hassle them a bit though.

To be fair if they need to wait for the parts they need to wait for thr psrts. The fact that you're HA doesn't make them come any quicker.

Where did I say it did? I mentioned HA because the first question would be 'who is your landlord? Private or HA? "

I was told the repair would be the next day or a brand new boiler would be 2 weeks.

My point is, if I'm going to be sat here for 2 weeks waiting for a part I would rather be in the list for the new boiler.

But no one is calling me back to give me info on what is happening or what the wait time for the part might be.

A neighbour said they were waiting 6 weeks for a part so I would definitely rather wait 2 for a boiler.

Hi i work for a HA. Have they told you what part they need? You absolutely shouldn't have to chase them but I would.
Boiler replacements are usually on a programme but can be done if there is no alternative.
I'd call them at 9am for an update and stress you have no shower.
Hope you get sorted

I work for a HA and we have really been struggling to get parts in for repairs, it's taking weeks or months some times. Cheers for that Brexit!!

You can ask for electric heaters, but just bare in mind they are expensive to run. But hot water is not an emergency in the sense you have water, and can boil a kettle.

The lack of contact is bad form, and nothing wrong with chasing them for a response but when they get the part, they'll get the part. They can't magic it up quicker.

Check your home insurance, mine will pay for a hotel if I will be without heating for more than 72 hours.

If she's in a HA I imagine she only has contents insurance. I should think only buildings insurance would pay something like that.

No, that's my contents insurance. I'm a renter too.

They are all full round here with council accommodated people

Ask if you can be loaned items to heat your home and if there is a reimbursement of additional costs, for the added electricity, due to the need to use said items in place of your heating system. Your rights: https://www.housingrights.org.uk/housing-advice/social-tenants-rights/repairs-social-tenants

The advice page is for Northern Ireland, it’s a different regulatory framework to England (admittedly I don’t know where OP is based)