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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Regarding Gov't funded boiler replacement. Are they being unreasonable?

113 replies

TopShagger · 05/03/2018 12:39

I think so. Just made an enquiry about getting a new boiler funded by the a government scheme, as I have several friends who have had this done, completely free of charge. My boiler is about ten years old and fairly shit. Been told I have to make an £800 contribution to cover the shortfall in funding.

GRIPE being - family further down the road (should mention this is a street) has had this done for free. It's the exact same type of house, as they were all built at the same time. If anything theirs is "better" than mine as it was once owned by a housing association so has had brand new double glazing, doors, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and other bits and bobs housing associations are required to do to bring them up to standard. My house has had NONE of the above because it was never owned by the H/A - it's always been privately owned and the landlord hasn't bothered with trivial things like "improvements"

So they've had their "old" (not very) system completely stripped out and replaced with a brand new boiler - for free. I have to pay £800.

I obviously challenged the lady on the phone about this and she was unable to answer why this is the case. Anyone else had a similar experience?

OP posts:
hairycoo · 05/03/2018 14:52

You are getting a hard time on here! I think the best advice you've had is to phone around, and i see that you have also emailed the family down the street. I totally understand why you'd want a new boiler (because the current one is shit) whilst paying as little as possible for it (because your not the home owner). This scheme exists, so you might as well take advantage of it whilst it does. For the other posters who disagree with this use of taxpayers money (of which the op is one) maybe they ought to complain to their mps instead of the op.

mirime · 05/03/2018 15:04

@LonelyOversharer

I've just had a super chatty guy on the phone, checking my eligability (cold call I suppose). I would have to stump £700 (of about 3.5k) for new A rated boiler all fitted etc.

3.5k? Admittedly our boiler was installed 10 years ago, but it was 1.6k and they moved a radiator and removed another one at the same time. British Gas had quoted us over 2k, the nice plumber chap who did the work instead nearly fell over laughing.

Anyway I'd suspect they were exaggerating the cost to make the £700 sound reasonable.

LakieLady · 05/03/2018 15:06

I've just had a super chatty guy on the phone, checking my eligability (cold call I suppose). I would have to stump £700 (of about 3.5k) for new A rated boiler all fitted etc.

That sounds like a lot. We've just got quotes for a new boiler, and they all came in at just under or just over £2k. That's for a good make, too - Worcester Bosch or Vaillant. I could have got another Weissmann for a lot less, but having had 2 big repair bills every year for the last few years, I wouldn't have one of those if you gave it to me for free.

Vitalogy · 05/03/2018 15:41

I think 3.5k will be for a whole new central heating system, boiler and up to 5 radiators the lot.

KasimirPushkino · 05/03/2018 15:43

My new boiler 2 years ago was nearly £3k. It depends on the size of the system.

MiniMum97 · 05/03/2018 16:05

It's up to your landlord to replace the boiler not you. That's probably why they are asking for a contribution. Although I am amazed you are concerned by the scheme at all. And if you were I would also expect your landlord to have to apply not you as it's the landlord's house!! You would need your landlords permission to do that sort of work on the house.

BeyondThePage · 05/03/2018 16:32

It's up to your landlord to replace the boiler not you

this scheme is for tenants as well as landlords.

Under the Governments ECO Scheme in 2018, qualifying home owners and private tenants could have their old in-efficient boilers replaced completely free of charge, or heavily subsidised

DancingLedge · 05/03/2018 22:22

And it's not taxpayers money, it's money from the huge profits of energy companies.

LonelyOversharer · 05/03/2018 22:39

I agree he was over exaggerating the cost of the new boiler/fitting. To be honest I was letting him blether, he seemed quite jolly about his job!

My 12yr old Valliant is ace, but we are looking at a new boiler. Plus we have lpg, so finding a fitter is a nightmare, so I was curious. Now if they would move the fecking thing out of my bedroom ffs then I would pay the £700. But I don't have that spare, ever, so we shall keep on fixing the boiler we have.

And the scheme is not based on who ownes the house. It's done on how shite your boiler is, how skint you are, and what the construction of the house is. Unfortunately I'm too skint to take advantage of this grant. C'est la vie.

DancingLedge · 05/03/2018 22:46

Lonley ok if I pm you?

Vitalogy · 06/03/2018 04:31

And it's not taxpayers money, it's money from the huge profits of energy companies. Is that right. Now will people stop bleating!

WhoWants2Know · 06/03/2018 05:07

The reason the government will subsidise boiler replacement for private rentals is to encourage those landlords who are willing to rent to families on a low income. There isn't enough social housing available, and the situation is worse when landlords refuse to rent to people on benefits.

Yes, it will increase the value of a private home, but only in cases where the landlords are already taking a financial risk for minimal profits. These aren't mansions getting free boilers!

There are companies who will do it for free and others who will ask for a few hundred quid contribution. It just takes ringing around.

PersianCatLady · 06/03/2018 05:18

You can't just have a new boiler fitted in a property that isn't your's.

Unless you lie about your situation, there is no way that you will be entitled to receive any sort of Government grant towards a new boiler.

Why would you even think that you can do this in the FIRST place is beyond me.

PersianCatLady · 06/03/2018 05:25

You keep on saying that the Government are providing boilers under these schemes to homes that are owned by LLs.

Please can you show me proof of this claim?

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 06/03/2018 06:17

OP have you calculated how much you might save in fuel costs with a more efficient boiler? And how long it would take to ‘pay back’ the contribution? It might not be worth your while.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 06/03/2018 06:47

I got a new external oil boiler for free back in August...they cold called me and I nearly hung up thinking it was a scam....
My old boiler was at least 20 years old and practically fell apart when the installers took it out....Im a lone parent and recieve tac credits so thats how i qualified....the woman on the phone did say the funding was coming to an end though.

BarbaraofSevillle · 06/03/2018 07:02

Exactly testing. I got a flyer suggesting that my 12 YO boiler would be guzzling fuel whereas a new one would merely sip it. I put all the numbers in a website and the saving was either nothing, or it would have taken longer than both my and any potential new boilers lifetime to pay back the cost.

BeyondThePage · 06/03/2018 07:25

PersianCatLady

Under the Governments ECO Scheme in 2018, qualifying home owners and private tenants could have their old in-efficient boilers replaced completely free of charge, or heavily subsidised

from www.boilergrants.org.uk/

so YES they categorically are for tenants too.

SilverDragonfly1 · 06/03/2018 07:31

It's all very well saying 'oh, landlord's responsibility!' but if the LL won't or can't take responsibility, should the tenant have to live with a crappy or broken boiler while continuing to pay for the LL's investment?

PersianCatLady · 06/03/2018 07:43

BeyondThePage
Thanks so much.

I am such a twat.

Straight aftef i asked for proof of the private rental scheme, i clucked onthe link upthread and found what you have posted.

Thanks again!!

Niceandwarmandhot · 06/03/2018 08:09

I don't see why it makes a difference to the attitude of the OP whether the money comes from taxes or the paying customers of the energy companies, to be honest. The energy companies only have money and profits because of what they get paid. So if some of those profits are used to replace boilers, people who've been paying the bills are effectively paying for them. As well as their own boilers.

Now that's not to say that the scheme isn't a good idea - of course some assistance for people who can't easily afford new boilers and energy is a Very Good Thing. But it's not some magic freebie that the OP should have an automatic entitlement to, just because her neighbours' circumstances happened to necessitate it. This attitude of "where's MY free stuff" is what irks me.

It's not "free"; it's "other people's money". £800 for a new boiler is still a huge discount, but there's no gratitude there, just rage that someone else is perceived to have received more.

Frankly we could all shout and say, "actually reduce our bills instead of providing some people with free or discounted boilers" - but we don't, because we understand that some people are more in need than others!

ugghhreally · 06/03/2018 08:45

Your landlord does "profit" from your rental payments. Each payment pays more of the mortgage off meaning his interest in the property increases because his equity increases.

RadioGaGoo · 06/03/2018 09:01

'Now will people stop bleating!'

Lead by example Vitalogy.

Niceandwarmandhot · 06/03/2018 09:04

Vita sounds like one of those people who doesn't believe in things like property ownership and the law (freemen of the land, do they call themselves?).

Viviennemary · 06/03/2018 09:31

I admit I didn't know that the tenant could get the new boiler at a hefty discount because of their circumstances. But OP needs the permission of her landlord before the fitting can go ahead.