To expect landlord to fix boiler ASAP

[hardboiledpossum]

Boiler has broken so have no hot water or heating. With a baby this is not ideal! Emailed landlord yesterday morning but no response yet, what is a reasonable amount of time to expect them to send someone out? Also probable a stupid question, will my washing machine work with the boiler not working?

I'm cold and feel grubby!

Can't you ring?

I'd call, but as it's now Saturday and merchants are closing for any parts, it may be Monday before someone can come out. Unless he has a contract with someone.

We only have an email address.

Oh, that's a pain! He might be away or something.

Do you have homeserve through your ll or anything like that?

Your washing machine will work.

Are you a member of a gym or could you go to the local swimming pool etc to use their showers?

Sorry - it sucks having no hot water :( Hope your landlord gets in contact now.

Do you know hiw last name and address - can you google him / try directory enquiries (sorry if yo ualready have done)

This is typical landlord behaviour, take the money and do fuck all in return. I had one shyster who refused to fix an electric shower where the water was pouring over the electrics on the grounds that it was okay 'as long as we were careful.'

We refused to pay any rent until the problem was fixed. What do you know...it was done in a week. I'd wait until Tuesday and send another email asking for an update (you can set your email to detect if it gas beeni read) and a schedule for when the boiler will be fixed.

If you really want to chivvy the landlord along, you could politely suggest that you will arrange the repairs and deduct the cost from next month's rent.

If there's no response, by this time next week, do the above.

Having been in this situation: the local swimming baths is your new best friend. I used to go before or after work. Nice Erin and a lovely hot shower.

I was almost sorry when the hot water came back on. Almost but not quite.

Erin - swim!

Before you all jump in and accuse the landlord of not taking responsibility, I would say it is fairly likely he hasn't read his email. I don't read mine everyday, so if my tenant emailed me about a problem it might be days before I got back to her. This is why she has my mobile number.
First lesson of renting, make sure you have adequate contact details in case of emergencies, on both sides. He should have your phone number as well. Did you rent through an agent? If so they will have your landlord's address and phone number.

How weird you only have an email address I have my LL house address and phone numbers as in house and mobile if there is a problem. Agencies have an emergency number to call if there is a problem and it'll be Monday now for anyone cos of parts no doubt but if the latter they'd come out and see at least.

Emails are not read daily in business but every 2-3 days as life can be busy. I'd be doing another email and asking for a contact number as well.

You've every right to show a reasonable amount of effort of getting in touch and then taking matters into your own hands: calling for a repair and sending the bill to your landlord/deducting rent.

And an email address is just not a satisfactory means of contact. I'd also be insisting on a telephone number, or management firm.

You have a baby. It's not just an inconvenience for you. My landlady - a lazy, cheap landlady - has a foray of workmen friends she sends round to fix things. We're good tenants - pay our rent always on time, sort lots of things out just with her permission but she ALWAYS would rather have us bottom of the list of her gasman friend when the boilers breaks down, often waiting until late in the evening on the off chance he can stop by.

I'm pregnant and due in October. If the boiler breaks down next winter, as it does every year, I'm giving her fair notice that her approach is no longer acceptable. It's fine when it's just me and DH - we can wait a couple of days in the cold. But not when the baby is here, no way.

If the l.lord only wants to be contacted by email and doesn't want to give a phone number for whatever reason, he SHOULD be checking emails at least a couple of times a day. What if the house had been burned to the ground?

The very least you can expect in these circs is an acknowledgement of the email within 24 hours and a plan of action for when the work will be done.

I disagree about emails - they should be read daily Monday - Friday, Saturday and Sunday are not classed as business days and would not expect them to be read - but all through the week they should be read and dealt with, it is bad practice not to and you could lose business through not opening mail.

betty that is a common experience, landlords sending round cowboy mates to bodge the job up as cheaply as possible. Presumably the workmen ate doing it as an off the books 'foreigner' as they always seem to amble by in the evening.

I have to say the lazy and cheapskate l.lords/ladies are very much the majority in my experience. If as tenants we were as casual at fulfilling our side of the contractual agreement, we'd be turfed
out in seconds.
Most of the parasites I've dealt with would put Rachman to shame.

I'd check your contract. There is normally something in there that says how long the landlord has to fix a problem before you are able to "take matters into your own hands", get the problem fixed and send bill to him.

We had this situation about 6 weeks ago so I feel your pain. Our landlord hadn't bothered to get the boiler serviced ever and it stopped working in the snow. We were without water and heating for nearly a week then LL got a massive bill.

I had had lots of landlords and they are always either brilliant or useless to the point of being negligent. Never met a middle of the road one yet.

I am so grateful to have the ll I have.

And of course, if the only way to contact your ll is by email, s/he should be checking them several times a day.

Also try the Shelter website www.shelter.org.uk/. They have loads of information etc about your rights as a tenant

I am horrified to read that many tenants do not have Gas and Electric installations checked by a qualified fitter as is required by law for the Annual Gas and Electric Safety Certificates. Read about UK regulations here. www.landlordzone.co.uk/gas-electric-certificates.htm

Thank you for all the responses! I'm going to wait until Monday and if no reply then will sort out myself and deduct money from rent.

Just make sure you send another email to them on Monday stating you will be doing that so they know otherwise you may have a very hard time afterwards.

I've never understood this. I know so many people who have similar stories to tell.

I am a LL, I am lucky enough that (touch wood) I have good, reliable tennants who alwayts pay the rent on time and generally look after the place and treat it as a home.

Why then, when something breaks, would I not get it fixed for them? In fact this winter the boiler did break, it turned out it needed quiet a bit of work, so much so that I was debating just getting a new one. But anyway from initial e-mail to getting a call out, quote and getting the work done was less than a week.

I don't see why a LL would potentially risk losing good tennants and then having a empty property for a while and then also taking a risk on new tennants for just putting off a job that will need doing eventually anyway?

sorry, just obviously pontificating there and not really offering any good advice at all.

wherearemy because most l.lords I have come across are short sighted and either lazy or just plain greedy to see the bigger picture.

Also because they know that when we get sick of their incompetent money grubbing they will be able to fill it with some other sucker and jack up the rent at the same time.