Rented Home Heating Wars - WIBU?

[ArseHair]

Not sure whether I have grounds to complain or if I should just accept this situation...

We live in a privately rented house. Three months ago, the boiler started making loud noises. The only way to describe the noise is it sounds like Armageddon's kicking off in our kitchen. Not constantly, we switched it off to stop it. When we turned it back on, it would 'spark' so badly, our broadband would disconnect!

So, we reported it straight away. Two people came to look, said there was nothing wrong with it. We reported it during our inspection, too, and at least once a week since then. Owner said that as long as the boiler's functional, she wouldn't pay to have it looked at. . This is against the advice of the plumber, who said it needs a new circuit board.

Last Friday, it went bang. Won't switch on or anything - no heating, no hot water. Immersion heater not working either. Same plumber said new part will be here Tuesday at the latest.

Tuesday came and went, back on the phone to them - the landlord didn't give their permission for it to be ordered until last night. So we will be stuck till Friday, if not Monday 31st.

I'm pregnant (landlady knows this), desperate for a soak in the bath and have a six year old full of cold.

I'm so angry about this - am I overreacting or would this piss you off too? Have I got grounds to complain? And if so, who do I complain to?

They've sent me a shitty little electric heater and told me to boil a kettle for hot water (!).

So we will be stuck till Friday, if not Monday 31st
I don't know if this will make you feel better but about ten years ago in my rental flat the boiler broke down in the middle of August and it wasn't repaired until the first week of November, so it could be worse.

TBH I don't think waiting a week is unreasonable if they have to order the part in because that can also happen to home owners who need their boiler repaired.

What is unreasonable is that the boiler is clearly broken and some dodgy blokes have tried to fob you off.

Persian what happened ten years ago is still happening Things arent improving.

This is clearly demonstrated by Shelters Living Home Standards report.
And if dodgy workmen have already been sent around whats to stop it happening again.

As for comparing it with owning a home you are being disingenuous. Because home owners have the choice of which workmen to do the job. Tenants dont. Home owners can tell a workman who screws up a job to piss off. And choose someone else.

Landlords have been known to keep using the same useless companies and workmen who have fucked up previously.

Because its cheaper.

speye.wordpress.com/2016/10/17/2-in-every-3-social-housing-properties-are-not-homes/

It mentions private renting too.

Op, this sucks for you. Do you know if your letting agents are members of the national approved letting scheme? They should have the nals logo on their website somewhere if they are. They seem to dealing with complaints about letting agents taking too long to repair things, not carrying out work correctly and things like that. I'm about to call them about my Lettings agents for advice, as they've been messing me around about repairs since April. And that's just for the big stuff, there's other stuff they've ignored for over 2 years now the fuckers

Here's the website www.nalscheme.co.uk/ hope you have some luck!

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/shelter-living-home-standard-squalid-uk-figures-show-four-in-10-britons-living-in-substandard-a7364671.html

Landlord has now done something, about time too. If it isnr fully sorted by 31st tell landlord you are reporting to environmental health.

Is your gas cert up to date too?

As for comparing it with owning a home you are being disingenuous
Actually no I am not but I think you misunderstood what I meant (possibly because of how I phrased it).

Sometimes when your boiler goes wrong regardless of whether you own or rent you will need a part that has to be ordered in and if it takes 5 days to arrive there is nothing that you can do about it.

What is wrong inn this case that the LL has basically sent round a pair of cowboys who don't appear to know what they are doing and have therefore made the whole repair process take longer than was necessary.

No. Frigging. Heating!!!
You are seriously out of luck at the moment aren't you OP?

I hope it gets better soon.

Did you rent through an estate agents. If so they have to.make the landlord maintain the property. They can get it fixed with a soecial rate plumber or whatever and then they will charge the lanlord.

your landlord should provide you with alternative heat/hot water source whilst you wait.

Fuck sake that's shitty op.

My husband went up to his flat to fit a lightbulb for his tenant last week because she's pregnant and he didn't want her climbing up on ladders. She'd signed a new lease a few weeks ago and he always tells her to phone him if anything goes wrong and he either goes round himself or sends a tradesman that night or next morning.

She's been there for years so it pays to treat your tenants well.

your landlord should provide you with alternative heat/hot water source whilst you wait
I wouldn't be surprised if they think that they have done enough by doing this They've sent me a shitty little electric heater and told me to boil a kettle for hot water (!)