WIBU to ask for a rent reduction?

[Dialsmavis]

I am just canvassing opinions at the moment. The heating and hot water has been broken in my rented house since Sunday. My letting agent has been great and the heating engineer has been there everyday this week trying to fix the problem. The lovely lady I have been dealing with has even sent the Little heater from her office round. It helps a tiny bit and I am grateful for the gesture. The boiler is no nearer to bring fixed at present. I have 2 young children and this is the 2nd time the boiler since we moved in Sept. we pay £1650 PCM for the house and have a great relationship with the agents who are quick to fix the fair few problems we have had, except the fact the previous tenants took all the window keys when they left! So, would you ask the letting agent if the LL would consider a rent reduction and how long would you wait to do so?

I would only ask for a reduction if the cost of running the heater was more than the cost of using your normal heating.

sounds like they have done all they can to fix it in a reasonable time frame. They have done all they can to fulfil their contractual obligations and more - sounds like (although I understand where you are coming from) a rent reduction atm would be an unreasonable request.

If it carried on into the winter though I would ask though as you will have an extortionate electric bill to make up the loss of heating from the boiler.

Yes the letting agents are brilliant but they obviously act for both mine and the LL interest and a reduction would come from the LL. That is what i am thinking although my DM thinks otherwise, she said the lack of heating or washing facitilies are affecting our quiet enjoyment of the property. The halogen heater unfortunately can't be used in the DC rooms overnight as it lights up the room like having the overhead light on and for obvious safety reasons. Their rooms were down to 12 degrees last night and the baby kept waking up although she does have an ear infection so it might not be the cold. Her bedroom is really draughty because of the massive air brick which we can't block up until they get a us a window key. I have stuck tin foil over it until the heating is fixed.

Thank you for your input i will hold off for the moment.

The heater is incomparable to the heating as it is one tiny heater for a 4 bed house and we can't wash ourselves. But I totally get that it is no-ones fault.

YABU - if you were in a mortgaged house the bank wouldnt give you a reduction because you had no heating/hotwater and neither should the LL have to. Annoying as it is, it is one of those things....if you start demanding stuff like this you may find the LL may not be so accommodating in the future....sounds like everyone is trying to get it sorted.

YY Betty I am inclined to agree that maintaining a good relationship with LA is probably more important than a few £. It is just galling to be breaking our backs to afford to live somewhere nice yet being cold and dirty!

But it is the LA/LL duty to maintain the house not mine (as it would be if we owned the house).

Thanks *Mavis! I am a LL myself and to be honest, if the boiler went at my place and I was trying my best to get it fixed I would be quite peeved if the tenants wanted a rent reduction.........with all the will in the world, these things can take an annoying amount of time which obv at this time of year is a nightmare! Hope you get it sorted soon :)

its not the lls fault it's not fixed yet, therefore you wbu if you asked for a reduction, if they ignored the fact it needed fixing that is different

Good to know this isn't my usual wimpy self showing but I am being reasonable. DM has be livign mortgage free in her lovely home for many years so is a bit out of touch with the real world and worried about her precious DGC

I'm having a similar problem with the drains in my private rent house, they keep blocking as the channels need fixing so there's #### coming up in the back garden. Been going on over a year and LL dragging there heels in getting it sorted.
You could certainly ask for rent reduction but im sure the answer with be a no.
Don't withold the rent until they fix either as you will be in breach of contract.
I had to get advice from Shelter as the right way to go about it. Have a look on their website. Once we told our LL she was in breach of her contract by not providing proper santitation she soon pulled her finger out, we had guy round yest to give quotes. Be the same principle with the boiler/heating

YABU, of course you should ask for compensation (ie a rent reduction) until the repairs are fulfilled and you have the provisions you're renting. Would you have rented a property that didn't have any heating or hot water? Of course you wouldn't.

Under section 11, the Landlord has reasonable time to complete the repair, personally I don't consider 5 days without hot water and heating reasonable time, the landlords might argue that it is, and then you can come to some arrangement, you are entitled to compensation.

Certainly I would bring it up now, best to start the discussion as early as possible for all concerned.

Gosh that sounds awful, I am grateful that my LA is at least trying to sort it out for me ASAP. I will bear it in my mind if it continues

YANBU of course...

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack If you were my landlord and it took you 5 days to complete a repair that made the house unsanitary (no hot water!) then I would certainly be wanting compensation, why do you think otherwise?

Mavis - yes it is the LL duty to maintain the house and it sounds like that is what they are trying to do. Plumbers/heating guys are notorious for being a bloody nightmare...last winter our boiler died and we were without heating/hotwater for 2 weeks........waiting for people to turn up, waiting for parts etc et, it all takes time as as long as LL is trying their hardest to get it sorted you would def be unreasonable wanting compensation.

Maybe I should bring the subject up with LA but frame it as somthing I would think about if we hit the 7 day mark? I have elderly relatives coming to stay andbabysit early next week and would have to cancel if it isn't sorted.

As I say I can't fault them so far but we do pay so much in rent I expect good service. If I do ask LA it will be for their advice rather than in a demanding way.

we don't have an electric shower. Letting agent doesn't have more heaters, the one I have is the wonderful lady from the offices own one (she is definately on my Christmas card list now!)

FredFred.....if I am getting it sorted and waiting for a part to come in then yes, you are more than welcome to ask for compensation...however, I wouldnt give it to you as I am trying my hardest to resolve the problem. I would do everything I could to get it sorted as quick as possible, I would not be in breach of any contract! I have been a LL for a number of years now, never once have I been asked for compensation, my tenants are obviously reasonable people and I am a reasonable LL!

We were advised to write to her saying she had a time limit to get it sorted, if not we would get 3 quotes ourselves, pick the cheapest and use the rent to cover the costs. Apparently thats all you can do legally otherwise but refusing to pay rent will mean you breach contract and they can evict you. And if the LL is anything like mine, they wouldn't dream of giving you money off. It's their income.

I'm sure your situation is uncomfortable and frustrating.

However, I would NOT ask for a rent reduction. First - both your letting agent and your landlord responded immediately to the problem. The fact that the heating engineer has been to your house everyday this week means your landlord will have a whacking great bill to pay. The fact that the problem still isn't fixed means there will be more bills incurred (and possibly the need for new equipment to be installed if the boiler is having repeated problems).

In my part of the country, there is a 'call out' fee for servicing, and hourly rates are added to that. Simply servicing the boiler and getting the annual gas certification can run well over £200. You'd be amazed how quickly costs mount up.

Yes, it is the landlord's responsibility to keep the house in good order, but problems do come up - and they are actively engaged in addressing the problem. If they had dragged their feet, then you might have a case.

Why does it mater how much it costs the landlord to get an annual gas certificate or the cost of the repairs, that's included in the rent, it's part of the service of being a landlord. Yes it's expensive - the landlord needed to figure that out on the decision to make the investment, if it's too expensive sell the property, or make enough improvements that you can command a higher rent.

I would of course not suggest at all witholding rent, and no need to get it quotes to organise fixing it yourself as is your right (if the landlord doesn't) since they are. Does the heater provided have an up to date electrical check? You're not renting off a friend, it's a business, and a good relationship with the landlord is useful, there's no point being a doormat though. 5 days without hot water is unacceptable.

You can call the EHO at the council, who should be able to advise you on what a reasonable time to be without hot water with two young children is. I understand there is existing case law that allowed for the full cost of hotels to be claimed from a landlord in the situation as the house is not considered habitable, but I can't find the exact case, just references to it.

LA briefly said that it is OK to leave people without hot water but not heat? I really hope it is sorted by the weekend. I will call them got an update on my way home. Engineer haven't been I'm touch today which doesn't bode well