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?

So, if you are in a Council or HA property, and your boiler breaks between October and March, the Council / HA have 24 hrs to repair it before they have to provide adequate heating, but if you are in Private rented accomodation, you are at the mercy of your LL / LA??

Fuck that - I'd expect it fixed within 24 hrs or heaters and compensation to cover the extra cost of running electric heaters. Yes it might cost the LL a bit more, but boo-fucking-hoo. They should budget the costs of boiler breakdowns (and extortionate emergency repair costs) into their costs of being a LL IMO. If it is classed as an emergency repair that needs to be done in 24 hrs in Social housing - then it is a bloody emergency repair, because the only other thing that Councils or HA's fix in 24 hrs is locks, and then ONLY if it is leaving your property insecure.

OP, YANBU, you are paying an arm and a leg for your HOME, and it is cold and has no hot water. One of your DC has an ear infection - which can often be more painful in the cold, so the lack of heat will be having a detrimental effect on your dc. I wouldn't withold the rent, as you'd be in breach of Tenancy, but I would be INSISTING that they either got the boiler fixed TOMORROW or you would be ringing up 3 plumbers and getting quotes for the boiler to be fixed tomorrow as an EMERGENCY (costing mega-bucks) and taking the cost of the cheapest quote OUT of the next month's rent. That is NOT a breach of your tenancy.

Dirtydishesmakemesad you were happy to go along with "the landlord couldn't afford to fix it" That's amazing, they have a legal requirement to fix it, no messing around they have to, I'm quite astonished by the number of landlords and renters on this thread who seem to think the landlord is doing the renters a favour!

The landlord was breaking the law by not fixing it, waiting 3 weeks is madness!

i really feel for you op as i'm in the exact same situation. My boiler went phut wednesday morning so 36hrs so far with no hot water or heating. I have spoken to LA 5 times. I've had 1 engineer come and he's found that it's got 3 different things wrong and there is no easy fix.
I've had to borrow a storage heater for a friend there was no offer from LA to provide any. I have a 9month old (with a stonking cold ) and a 3 yr old both have gone to bed like mini michelin men.
I will be on the phone again in the morning to the LA as if nothing is done tomorrow i won't hear anything till monday.

I'm so worried the temperatures are going to plummet as we don't have the money to afford to stay somewhere else or have anyone we can stay with.

YANBU
As both landlords and tenants I think it perfectly reasonable to ask for a reduction for the number of days you have been affected.
We would do that for our tenant and when our sewerage pipes got blocked- legally we were entitled to not pay rent till the problem was resolved-we did not ask as the rent had been reduced by 5 % ongoingly the previous month....but if they had not resolved it in a few days, we would have insisted we reduced rent that month.
You are paying a flipping fortune in rent-I would politely propose a discount for next month if you are still cold and dirty!!

Hubbard, DP picked up 2 little convection heaters with thermostats on his way home last night and they were brilliant. I popped one on low in DDs draughty little box room and when I checked the temp when we went to bed her room had heated up to 22 degrees, had to turn it off sharpish And take off some of her layers! I would really recommend picking up a couple if you can afford it or your LA will pay, they were £20 each. As a consequence off DD sleeping all night for the 1st time since Sunday we are feeling much less crabby about it all. ThAnk you for your advice it is good to hear different views

glad you're feeling a bit better about it all :)

as a landlord and a tenant i think people need a reasonable amount of time to fix, and obviously they can only go as fast as the workmen do.

Hope they fix for you tomorrow!

What is the latest? Hope everything is repaired (or replaced) and you're comfortable again.

The man who came on Saturday fixed it in about 20 minutes: I will be asking of they could send him in the first place if it happens again! Surely that is cheaper for LL anyway.... We are warm and cosy. Am dropping in the receipt for the heaters to LA in a thank you card to negate any card marking that might go on about us requesting the heaters

Thank you for asking how it all turned out BTW