AIBU to ask for a rent refund?

[ForwardPlannin]

I moved into a shared rented flat in Sept. Since then, the boiler has broken weekly. Normally I can rectify the problem by resetting the water pressure but sometimes this doesn't work. If I wait a few hours and try again, it generally works, but that's hours each week with no hot water or heating.

In Nov it broke properly and we had no hearing or hot water for five days. Parts were replaced; then it broke again for three days in Dec. The flat has damp and single-glazing. There's an outer door with a serious draught in my room.

In the past month it's broken/turned itself off daily. I have had a virus for three weeks and been diagnosed with severe bronchitis. I feel awful. Last night I had to sleep in pyjamas, a dress, two pairs of socks and a woolly jumper under a duvet and two blankets to be warm enough.

I'm looking for somewhere else to live but this is going to cost me in agency fees. AIBU to ask for a rent refund? How much should I ask for? I pay £450/month for the room.

I dont think you can ask for anything tbh.

You need to ask them to fix the boiler.

Put the heating on if you're cold and buy a draft excluder.

And a hot water bottle/heated blanket.

Take advice, I think heating is part of the basic contract, and the LL needs to maintain it, or provide you with alternative heating/money to buy heaters and compensation for additional energy bills.

CAB.

^You need to ask them to fix the boiler.

Put the heating on if you're cold and buy a draft excluder.^

Just how, precisely, is she supposed to put the heating on, if the boiler is broken?

The heating doesn't work when it's down though and turns off at night. I do ask for it to be fixed and in Nov parts were replaced. We've had people out maybe seven times since Sept but they just fiddle around then declare it fixed. It needs replacing.

Heated blanket is a good idea. The doors and windows in my room are loose but I've tried sellotaped around them which helps a bit.

I'm amortised if I ask for a rebate the landlord will find reason to take from my deposit when I do move out

*amortised = worried...

landlord is indeed supposed to provide working heating if it was there at the start of the contract. They should buy some heaters - but they won't pay the bills.

your deposit should be protected so you can dispute any deductions.

does the landlord know there are still problems? Is there a gas safety certificate?

You can ask, but I've no idea if you'd get it.

You need to put everything in writing - write and say the boiler has broken, keeps breaking, and you've been without heat for x number of days total. There is a clause in your tenancy agreement that says the LL should fix problems like this.

Shelter might also provide you with helpful hints about how to sort this out.

If they're nice they might give you a refund but IME it's a total bugger getting them.

It sounds like you live in my old flat.

I loved that flat.

Good point about heating not working if the boiler's down. Doh!

Call your LL everytime it breaks, they'll have to get it replaced sooner or later. Write a letter.

Can you get on at the landlord again - insistently- to get a plumber round, and get the plumber to advise your landlord in writing that it needs replacing?

If the steps the landlord is taking to get it sorted are reasonable, you are not entitled to a refund. It seems now though that what is reasonable would be for him to replace it, because it has been looked at and 'fixed' several times and it still isn't working. if he doesn't do that soon you should take advice about the boiler yourself from someone independent and present it to the LL. They should be providing you with fan heaters, so I'd ask for some in writing ASAP.

You won't be able to get a rent refund as these things happen.

Buy an electric heater for now and keep going on at them to get the boiler fixed.

don't think you can ask for a refund unless you have evidence that your landlord has repeatedly ignored requests from you to fix it.
They are responsible for the maintenance of the heating, but if you haven't asked them to cone and fix it, you can't really expect them to!

By now I would be asking for a replacement.