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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be pissed off with bizarre centrall heating arrangements in holiday cottage?.

63 replies

CocktailQueen · 12/08/2014 21:01

Gah! Staying in Skye thus week in lovely holiday cottage 15 feet from the sea. House advertised central heating and wood burner.

It has been pissing down for 48 hours on and off, and so we have got boots, waterproofs, clothes to dry - the outside line won't do it!! Searched for thermostat for heating and couldn't find it. Eventually asked owner who lives next door. It's in the garage - which we have no access to. The owner switched on the heating, grudgingly, but we were surprised when it went off again after an hour. Not enough to dry anything! We don't need the heating for long, and the cottage is not cold, but we do need it to dry clothes!

Went back to owner. He said he'd put it on for longer. But it didn't come on at all today - got back at 6 and it came on for an hour then went off. Dh went to ask owner to out it on again. Owner came round to say that the heating had been in for ages - no, it hadn't. And asked us to use the wood burner to dry clothes. Well, we tried that last night and it dried diddly squat. So I asked him politely and firmly to switch it on for longer. One hour a day of heating!! So he said he would, but clearly didn't want to.

So, am I being unreasonable to want central heating in a holiday cottage when I want it, not when the owner wants it??

Gah. Am pissed off enough about the weather without arguing about frigging heating.

OP posts:
Iflyaway · 12/08/2014 21:08

Tell him that as it was advertised to have central heating he needs to put it on long enough to be able to dry your clothes.

And tell him you will be leaving a review on Tripadvisor or wherever he advertises Grin

SlowRedCar · 12/08/2014 21:09

maybe the heating is on a thermostat that is set to only switch on when the temperature falls below (say) 21 degrees. That is how mine is set all year round and it would NEVER switch on in August. I think the earliest it has come on has been mid September. I never use the manual "off" switch (which is I assume is what he is switching on in the garage).

I don't know if YABU or not. I don't think I'd be delighted to pay fuel costs when my rooms is currently 23.5degrees, just so someone could dry outdoor clothes, but then again, I am not renting out accommodation. It's a tricky one IMO. If they have a suggestions book/guest book I would suggest they add a dryer or give free reign of the central heating mains switch to the renters.

helensburgh · 12/08/2014 21:12

Tricky one, I thi k as you are paying and it was advertised he should let you have it on as long as you want it.

I always check holiday cottages have a tumble dryer, it's really needed

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 12/08/2014 21:16

Yanbu, we have had similar weather this week and used the heating in our holiday cottages to dry clothes.

Holiday cottages don't come cheap, ours are costing not mush short of £1000 a week. I think as the property is advertised as having central heating you should be able to use it, at your own discretion.

We don't take the piss, but we have used it am and pm for an hour or so to dry washing and wet stuff. At both properties we've stayed in the heating has been accessible and full instructions left on how to use them.

Drying walking boots without heat is an absolute nightmare!

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 12/08/2014 21:20

Oh, the rooms have fallen below 21...

But the point is, we have no access to the heating or thermostat... And no way if drying anything - no airing cupboard or drying room. Our hiking boots are soaked...

OP posts:
SlowRedCar · 12/08/2014 21:21

I always check holiday cottages have a tumble dryer, it's really needed

same here, have ruled out holiday lets with no tumble dryer. I would hate to put the heating on at this time of year as I already have every window in the house open, and it's still 23.5, so if I put the heating on it would be hideously warm. And it would be a terrible waste of money too.

HibiscusIsland · 12/08/2014 21:24

No you are not being unreasonable. What a palaver. When you stay in a static caravan (as I do every year) you have free use of the heating whenever you want it. Since a holiday cottage costs a lot more to stay in than a static caravan it's the least you should expect

SlowRedCar · 12/08/2014 21:24

OP, have you just tried asking the owner what he suggests you do to get your things dry.... in a nice non-confrontational appeal to his better side kind of way? Explain to him that the woodburner just isn't sufficient for drying clothes. If you have, I really don't know what to suggest. It must be awful to be stuck with wet clothes. If it is actually cold in the house then tell him that too.

MrsHathaway · 12/08/2014 21:26

If you can't control the central heating then they're on dodgy ground advertising it as CH, I think.

FunkyBoldRibena · 12/08/2014 21:30

I suspect you are paying more than the people that hire it during winter as well. Nice.

I'd be getting him up each time it went off to turn it back on again.

SlowRedCar · 12/08/2014 21:31

possibly an idea, a compromise if you will .... ask him to switch the heating back on and leave it on overnight, but you promise to shut off all the heaters except for one room (say for instance only the kitchen heater is left on) and you dry your wet things there. That is ( I think ) a kind of compromise. You get dry clothes, he doesn't have to heat a whole cottage, just one room.

MyDarlingClementine · 12/08/2014 21:33

The older generation are tight when it comes to heating and he probably himself would rather freeze than put it on,

however........as a bloody holiday cottage letter he needs to sort his attitude out, I would be furious and contacting company .

MyDarlingClementine · 12/08/2014 21:34

slow sure a good compromise and is he also going to give them a nice refund for lack of heating and hassle.

MyDarlingClementine · 12/08/2014 21:34

Slow she shouldn't have to keep asking in non confrontational ways to get bloody heating Angry

MysteriousCircusZebra · 12/08/2014 21:35

You're paying for it, he needs to put it on. I'd be bloody furious.

asmallandnoisymonkey · 12/08/2014 21:38

You might hate to put the heating on this time of year (although I'm not sure what the time of year has to do with the temperature honestly), but I live in the north of Scotland and I can tell you that the heating has been on today. It's freezing here and just because it's August it doesn't mean it's all lovely and warm.

If he's already suggested drying your clothes by the fire then I'm not sure what else you can say to him apart from suggesting you'll be leaving a bad review on tripadvisor.

At the risk of sounding condescending (I honestly don't mean to here but you know what the internet is like for not giving you the tone of a question), did you have the woodburning stove going properly? Ours can hit temperatures of around 250 degrees and with a drying wrack stood to the side your things would be lovely and dry in no time!

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 12/08/2014 21:38

I asked him to put heating on and said we'd only leave it on for how long we needed it, and only switch on the radiators we needed - they're all individually controlled.

Told him we had tried to use the wood burner last night to dry clothes and it hadn't worked. He flat out said it did work and it was better than heating. I said I didn't want the smell of smoke in the cottage or the hassle of lighting fire; I would prefer the heating.

He's not older generation btw - must be 50?

Slowredcar - it's not that hot on Skye. 12 degrees outside at the mo? So the house isn't too hot with heating on in a few rooms.
And when we booked we loved the location of the house and thought we could do without tumble dryer...

OP posts:
Callaird · 12/08/2014 21:39

It's 14 degrees in Skye today, that's pretty nippy. The OP isn't asking to have it on the whole time they are in the cottage, just for 2-3 hours in the evening to dry their sopping boots and coats, which will not go in a tumble dryer, so they can go out in the rain forecast for tomorrow.

The property is advertised as having central heating, it should be switched on if the tenants require it.

If I were there, I'd want it on all day while I sat in the warm and dry, not rambling in the cold and wet!!

I agree with others, I would say that you have asked them politely and if they don't agree then you have no option to mention the fact on various review sites. Good luck.

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 12/08/2014 21:40

The heating is on now thanks...

Wood burner was pretty hot, smallandnoisy, but not drying clothes! Inner said he'd come and help with wood burner if necessary, but prefer heating!!

OP posts:
Original poster
CocktailQueen · 12/08/2014 21:41

Owner, not inner!

OP posts:
asmallandnoisymonkey · 12/08/2014 21:43

Fair enough - and if you don't particularly want the smell of the wood (we love it but not everyone does!) then I don't see why you shouldn't have the heating as advertised.

It's good to have the house warmed before you go to bed too, it's been very cold here the past few nights. I hope your stuff gets dried ready for you tomorrow!

Icimoi · 12/08/2014 21:43

I must say, in a holiday cottage I'd far rathe use a wood burner than central heating.

KnittedJimmyChoos · 12/08/2014 21:44

You might hate to put the heating on this time of year

this lady is renting this cottage its hers she has paid for it, its not up to anyone to dictate how and when she wants her heating on.

combust22 · 12/08/2014 21:44

slowcar- " only switch on when the temperature falls below (say) 21 degrees. That is how mine is set all year round and it would NEVER switch on in August."

You obvioulsy don't live in Scotland then. It has been 13 degrees today, windy and raining.

asmallandnoisymonkey · 12/08/2014 21:46

Knitted - I was agreeing with the OP.

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