No heating upstairs

[babyg24]

Just a moan really.

I bought a house last year. I got divorced so I was on my own with kids. No family here.

Older house but had been modernised new kitchen/bathroom between 10-15 years ago so liveable. Within budget and right size and location for myself and kids.

Had a full survey done as I'm on my own and I don't know what I'm looking for at/ and I felt more comfortable buying a property knowing that was done.

Nothing bad on survey so went ahead.

Move in and realise after a few days that there is no heating in bedrooms (it was summer at the time but I kept thinking something didn't look right about the rooms!).

The house is over 3 storeys, so there is only radiators downstairs in living areas. 5 in total.

Previous owners had lots and lots of stuff.

I know it's my fault for not checking properly. It's just something that never occurred to me.

Never something that was thrown up by conveyancer, previous owners, estate agent... I suppose it's down to me though to make these checks?

I've never bought a house before and I'm lucky to have this house, however myself and the children are cold and I just needed a moan.

I can't afford to have the work done right now and will need to save for a while. Which is what it is.

I just wondered if I'm wrong to be a little angry that it was never mentioned by anyone or is this normal in some houses?

I feel your pain! When my ex and I split I had to find a house quickly. The one I got was in a shocking state cosmetically but over time I sorted it out. It's easy to say with hindsight you should have spotted it, but I expect you were focused on finding a home. The estate agent wouldn't have wanted to highlight the lack of heating and the lawyer would have been focused on legality issues. Oil filled electric radiators will take the chill off the bedrooms, if they still make them. Good luck to you.

I think the only person to feel 'angry' with is yourself, unfortunately! A survey is looking for structural problems. No one was concealing the fact that there was no central heating upstairs. You say yourself you had been living there several days before you noticed it. I mean, I can see why you probably didn't notice -- though presumably you asked to check the heating worked when viewing...?

Would you have chosen not to buy if you'd known?

I did this in my flat - visible 3yo boiler, feature radiator in bedroom, and gas fire in the living room. Thought no more of it.

Then realised there was no radiator in the internal bathroom or in the living room.... Cost me about £1k to sort and it was worth it in the end, but I was furious with myself for missing it!

Don't get me started on the wanker who sold it to me also pulling up the carpet on the bedroom, removing the light bulbs and removing the curtain rails. Oh, and painting AROUND the extensive artwork on the walls so there were fucking enormous and numerous orange bits all over the place. Prick.

@HibernianHibernator I understand, and I am angry at myself.

I had a level 3 survey and it is stated in the report that the house has a "full central heating system".

When I viewed the property (twice), the owners showed me around. They showed me where the boiler was, explained that they have it serviced every year, he even gave an explanation of the hive system. No mention that "by the way, there is only central heating downstairs".

I knew it was working and had been apparently been kept in good order so it didn't cross my mind that there would be no radiators upstairs, I don't think this is a common thing?

I just needed a moan really.

It’s definitely not common. But yes pretty annoying to discover so late into living there and kicking yourself for not spotting it.

MIL never wanted central heating and had one of those old fashioned gas heaters on an internal wall in her hallway for years which actually really helped keep upstairs warm. Then it died and she was told there was no way to have that again so she had to get heating put in. She decided against putting it upstairs as she couldn’t face the disruption. She has plug in oil filled heaters in the bedrooms and just puts them on before the bedrooms are used. It seems to work ok. That might be an option for you?

Oil filled radiators for the bedrooms, hot water bottles, 13.5 tog duvets to get you through this year.

Then look up your boiler on-line. Check its KW rating. That should tell you if it is powerful enough to generate heat for the extra floors.

Are radiators mentioned in the sale details. I wouldn't expect this to come up in a survey and would buy plug in oil radiators with timers.

@Peridot1 I say a few days after moving in but I've worded it wrongly I meant a few days after getting the keys.

I had to have new flooring but down and some other bits done before moving in so this was when I was looking at the empty bedrooms after the carpets had been put down.

I was popping in after work to check on the work going on and wasn't spending much time there so it took me a little bit to work out what was missing upstairs.

@HappyHamsters I need to look but I believe so.

I guess I'm an honest person and if I was selling a house and showing people around I'd mention it.

I know it's my fault at the end of the day but I just needed whinge about it.

I grew up in a house without central heating upstairs. Electric blankets would help. Then little electric heaters for first thing/getting up. I spent a winter without a boiler; it is manageable if you have at least one room that is cozy.

If it is a comparatively modern house (and you have the money), now would be the time to look at air source heat pumps and radiators where you want them.

You're entitled to a whinge!

PP made a very good point about your boiler's capabilities. Not all normal combis can handle 3 floors, unfortunately. When you get around it it, you might need to:
change to a more powerful boiler;
put a second boiler upstairs (complicated);
move your existing boiler to the middle floor.

That's for later, though. This winter, get oil-filled electric radiators that have thermostats and timers. They're economical to run and not bad heaters, though it can get expensive if you need them to actually heat the room like central heating. In bedrooms, one should be enough with hot water bottles or electric throws.

Considering that the survey said that it had "full central heating" and they had a lot of stuff, then I think it's understandable that you missed it. Not sure whether you'd have any recourse though

I think it's easier to make do in bedrooms than bathrooms tbh and getting towels dry without radiators is tricky. I'd prioritise those rooms personally.

Yea I'm not asking if I have any recourse, I know I don't. It's my fault when it comes down to it.

I'm just not sure I would have bought the house had I known. I certainly would have offered differently. It was one of three I was looking at. One slightly more money, one slightly less. This was the "less desirable" but still okay location of the three but had a bigger garden and bigger bedrooms for my kids... I thought that was important as I didn't want them crammed in.

That I now can't keep warm... oh the irony.

I guess I'm kicking myself as I was happy to be getting away from my abusive ex husband and making a better life for my kids. I've got a roof over their head and I can't keep most of the house warm.

And I can't afford any major work. I work full time but with everything going up it's hard just making ends meet at the moment.

Maybe I am looking for something or someone to blame because I'm disappointed in myself that I messed up.

And just wanted to say thanks for those who have given suggestions on keeping warm too.

I have some electric heaters I've been given. They're expensive to put on though. I would like to invest in some oil filled ones so I'm going to look into that but money is tight.

Bedrooms feel very damp though. I'm going to see if I can maybe get some second hand.

If the bedrooms feel damp they may need airing when the sun is out. The aero 360 dehumidifiers are good and often on offer. The electric heater are expensive, look at Argos for the oil or eco. Rugs and thermal curtains might also help.

Make sure you're opening the windows daily upstairs to get some fresh air in or you'll get mould from the damp.

It’s on you, sorry. The problem is that technically it’s got central heating but not throughout. Unfortunately it’s quite common. It’s a big surprise when we were house hunting. And still not all houses have gas central heating!!!

But I absolutely feel your pain , when you’ve got 10 minutes for viewing (sometimes with kids in a tow), EA hovering with his stupid remarks about how moving every 5 years is good for you, no info apart from shiny booklet with close photos of vases on a coffee table plus deadlines and stresses of your own problems you just look at bigger picture, you can’t open every tap and window and go into every corner.
And I wanted once to check the progress of building works outside and went straight into dog’s shit, it was like minefield there. EA said that the owner just let her 2 dogs out. They claimed that building works would be ready in one months, no way!!!!

I have a decent dehumidifier that cost about £100 from Amazon. It pumps out warm dry air which also helps heat the room, which might be good for the bedrooms if they feel as if they are getting damp. I can’t keep it running whilst using the room as it’s noisy, but very useful for drying the air and taking the edge off the cold. Also if you are drying clothes indoors.

Heat rises. If your heating is on downstairs it will heat the rooms above. We don't have our heating on in the bedrooms, I hate the bedroom being too warm. I have a gravity blanket and a duvet and am never cold.

Easily done OP. We bought a house with a newish kitchen, moved in to find there wasn't a single drawer. It didn't occur to us as a thing until we unpacked the knives and forks.

You'll get there. Maybe put kids in together if they are small. Having a second person in the room really helps. You might be better putting the money for oil fired radiators towards installing more central heating, depending on how your boiler is etc.

Keep an eye on Facebook for oil rads I’ve seen a few being gifted lately on the gifting groups.

Our house only had downstairs central heating till 3 ish years ago. Because the previous occupant didn’t use the upstairs so when they had the heating installed they only put it in downstairs.

But yes oil radiator, they stay warm once heated up rather than the fan or glow ones, nice blankets in bed or a heated one. But good thing about winter is you can buy the children big fluffy pjs.

My children even though we do now have full central heating prefer to be Snuggled up in a million blankets or duvets than have the room to hot.

DD's room doesn't have central heating and I also didn't realise before we bought the house! I got an electric Dimplex freestanding radiator for her room, it's great, really efficient and controlled by an app.

Agree with the poster who mentioned a dehumidifier. One for each floor without heating might be a good idea. They really do make a cold, damp house feel much warmer.

@Djimm I'm glad it's not just me. That has made me giggle. You'd assume a kitchen would have some drawers! Especially a modern one

I'm not from a country where central heating is a thing, I only moved to the UK in my 20s. So maybe I'm not clued up either.

I honestly thought that a full central heating system meant it was throughout the house. It's a Worcester combi boiler and it's not too old at all, they have the hive system, it didn't occurred to me in the slightest that there wouldn't be heating throughout. It all appeared fairly modern.

I know the surveyor definitely commented on the amount of stuff in the house and how it was difficult to inspect certain things because it it.

I know that some houses don't have gas central heating etc etc... used to live in one with an oil fired boiler but there were radiators throughout.

Could put kids together I suppose but the eldest two are teens and like their own space.

And yes, to the oil fitted radiators. They are very efficient nowadays and will give you good input of heating very quickly.