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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No heating or hot water since Christmas day morning - landlord seems in no hurry to help, aibu if I get cross now?

100 replies

PiperBeeley · 27/12/2017 10:19

Landlord has only text me to say his plumber (who is useless but he won't use anyone else!) is waiting for his van to get out the garage then he'll call me to arrange a date/time - probably next week!! Our house is freezing and I have 2 asthmatic children! Anyone know what 'rights' I have??? TIA X

OP posts:
DoubleAces · 27/12/2017 10:20

In the meantime get some cheap £10 heaters.

Paddingtonthebear · 27/12/2017 10:23

I would keep phoning him. It is unacceptable to be without hot water or heating for more than a few days

www.thetenantsvoice.co.uk/advice_from_us/heating-and-hot-water/

Paddingtonthebear · 27/12/2017 10:25

Section 11

No heating or hot water since Christmas day morning - landlord seems in no hurry to help, aibu if I get cross now?
KathArtic · 27/12/2017 10:25

Ask for the plumbers number and phone harass him yourself.

Greenshoots1 · 27/12/2017 10:27

Its Christmas, he is probably acting as fast as he can. Its a week, you will be fine.

youarenotkiddingme · 27/12/2017 10:30

They'll be fine for a week? Shock I once went a few days and it was 5° in my house by the end of it - and it wasn't freezing and snowing outside like it is today.

IvorBiggun · 27/12/2017 10:30

It really isn’t on. The LL needs to get this fixed ASAP and if the preferred plumber isn’t unavailable he needs to get another and pay the costs.

I would be on the phone to the LL to insist this gets sorted and if necessary call Shelter for advice.

Natsku · 27/12/2017 10:32

Oh dear, that's really not good, keep phoning him but definitely get some plug in heaters for the meantime to keep you all warm. Do you have friends or family nearby that you can go to for showers/baths?
Christmas time is a bad time for this to happen, things will be delayed.

Greenshoots1 · 27/12/2017 10:32

well, I have been over a year without heating and hot water several times, and my parents went their whole child hoods without....its just matter of expectations really. If you expect heating and hot water as a right, you are shocked when you don't have it, in reality many people don't have it. Its something tenants normally automatically get, not mortgage holders, for example.

ToothTrauma · 27/12/2017 10:33

People say not to withhold rent but that’s what I did when I was in a similar situation and it got sorted pronto once I said that Hmm

TheHungryDonkey · 27/12/2017 10:33

Expectations and housing law are two different things.

Greenshoots1 · 27/12/2017 10:34

its annoying, and inconvenient, and probably below the standard of living the OP has come to expect, but perfectly doable, particularly in the short term, and not an "emergency"

The landlord has said it will be fixed by next week - and that is at Christmas- don't make a big drama of it.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 27/12/2017 10:35

Won't it have an adverse effect on your credit score if you don't pay the rent

Greenshoots1 · 27/12/2017 10:36

People say not to withhold rent but that’s what I did when I was in a similar situation

do NOT follow this advice

OP is in an inconvieniant situation which the landlord is obliged to fix, and will be fixing, and this would move her into a situation for which she could actually lose her home

ToothTrauma · 27/12/2017 10:38

Green I wasn’t giving it as advice, hence my caveat. It’s just what happened to me.

teaiseverything · 27/12/2017 10:40

Agreed. What the law says and what a landlord will do are two different matters. Grit your teeth with electric heaters and boiling kettles for hot water in the meantime and once you're able to, act with your feet and move out. Our last ones left us without heating and hot water for 7 days because they were cheapskates with their properties but were always sunning it up somewhere. While they were on holiday in South Africa, they kept rejecting quotes (5 of them) to fix the problem which turned out just to be the thermostat in the boiler + labour/call out fee.

123bananas · 27/12/2017 10:40

Phone environmental health at the council. I have done this before and funnily enough the landlord fixed the boiler very quickly once the had contacted them. They will fix it themselves and charge them if they do not comply.

ButteredScone · 27/12/2017 10:41

I think you need to say that it must be fixed within 48 by an emergency plumber.

If the landlord is not prepared to do that, explain that you will arrange it, pay for it and then repay yourself from the rent next month. Say that if he doesn't respond to you within 24hrs you will assume he agrees to this. Email/phone/text so he has definitely been notified.

FrancisCrawford · 27/12/2017 10:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Greenshoots1 · 27/12/2017 10:43

Email/phone/text so he has definitely been notified.

non of this guarantees that he has been notified.

fizzicles · 27/12/2017 10:44

I can’t believe your LL would be happy waiting til next week if it was his own home without heating or hot water. Sounds like it would be worth calling the council and letting the LL know that you are doing so.

TheHodgeHeg · 27/12/2017 10:44

When I had a similar problem I let the landlord know that I would be calling someone out by the end of the day and the bill would be coming off the rent. They sent someone round to fix it that day. It's not acceptable to have no heating or hot water, especially at this time of year.

Greenshoots1 · 27/12/2017 10:46

British Gas were there in a coup,e of hours bcos of the medical needs of family member.

no, British gas were there in a couple of hours because they could be paid, no amount of medical needs will make British gas provide anything what so ever if they are not going to be paid. No amount of medical needs will make British gas provide anything at all if you don't have the credit rating for a loan and repayment plan, unless you happen to have insurance that covers your exact issue, and many issues are NOT covered by insurance.

It has nothing to do with medical needs. All that will do is possibly raise you up the list of priorities of people who are all going to be seen within the next 2 days anyway...

PinkyBlunder · 27/12/2017 10:48

Greenshoots have a Biscuit

The landlord is actually obliged (as you say!) by law to send someone within 24 hours. People that rent aren’t second class citizens that have to put up and shut up. They’re paying for a service.

OP this has happened to us too. You need to notify your LL (by telephone and email if possible) that you need someone out in the next 24 hours considering we are past the bank holidays and if that doesn’t happen, you’ll be seeking advice on how to proceed.

LakieLady · 27/12/2017 10:49

Phone environmental health at the council

The council may well not be working until 2 Jan. None of the councils round my way are.

If your landlord provides you with alternative heating (eg fan heaters or electric radiators), I'd say that's all you can reasonably expect at this time of year. Many councils would take the view that he's discharged his duty if he's provided heating as a temporary measure.

Even if the plumber came round today, you'd be lucky if he could get any parts needed before the New Year, because most suppliers are closed. I'd definitely be asking the landlord for some heating though, especially with poorly children in the house.