To be annoyed at landlord

[OnNaturesCourse]

When we moved into our rental at the start of year we were told the old (massive) patio door would be replaced over the summer - it's not happened and our landlord keeps putting it off, ignoring our messages, saying 'a joiner will come look'. We had bother with our windows too which are ancient, and he just keeps patching them up. Our house has a really old warm air heating system so it's expensive to run anyway plus we only have three vents in a house with 7 separate rooms. It heats up quickly and well but because of the draughty windows and doors it loses heat almost instantly. I'm so pissed off that the landlord is leaving us like this, it looks like it's gonna be a long, cold winter for us - we simply can't heat the place constantly. Aibu? How can i keep some heat in?! I've got film on the windows, draught excluders, sealed everything etc.

Can you hang curtains over them

I understand, my back door doesn’t fit very well and it’s draughty.

We have thermal film, blinds and curtains. The patio door is so old it moves when you lean on it and is one of the very first patio doors on the market (landlord proudly told me thar once...)

Sounds like it would cost a fortune to replace all the windows and your massive patio door! Maybe the LL hasn't got a spare £20k+ knocking around atm?

I found this out lately :
" From April 2018, landlords of privately rented domestic and non-domestic property in England or Wales must ensure that their properties reach at least an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E before granting a new tenancy to new or existing tenants. "

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-private-rented-property-minimum-standard-landlord-guidance-documents

From what you say your property would not meet that legal requirement. The purpose of the Act is to ensure that people do have the ability to heat their homes efficiently.

Buy normal lined curtains, then curtainhook or sew an extra thermal lining to them.(thermal linings mega cheap on amazon etc). Extra wide sellotape on any window gaps. Just peel off come Summer. (years living in Victorian flats with ancient, knackered windows).

He's a friend of a friends family... He has the money, he hates spending it so maybe that's why he has it? Plus he knew the work needed done, promised it would be so...

We are based 'up north' so I dont think that act would cover us unfortunately

Scotland?

Living "up north" does not mean that the law of the land does not apply to you

I lived in a house like that once. Like you, lots was promised to be repaired/replaced for me moving in. Signing day came (which is also moving in day) and none of it was done, I was over a barrel because I had to be out of my previous home and had nowhere else to go. Landlords know this. They have the upper hand. No repairs were made in the entire 3.5 years I was there. All I can advise is that you look for somewhere else.

Living "up north" does not mean that the law of the land does not apply to you

Well surely it means Scotland. The law is different there. The guide refers to England and Wales only.

Who calls Scotland “up north”? Scotland is Scotland.

The door sounds insecure as well as bloody annoying, so would you even be insured if someone broke in? Would his? Unlikely if it is that bad that it moves when you lean on it.

Perhaps that is another approach to try. He might not care about your heating bills or the environment, but security and insurance is harder to ignore. You could ask your council's Environmental Health dept for advice.

He’s required to show an energy rating when advertising. Did he?

In Scotland I mean.

The front of our house is north facing, so when we get cold air from the arctic it's breezing.

We had a huge curtain over the door, held up by shower rod, which kept the cold a bay. In the summer we got a little warm sunshine at the front so whipped the curtain away.

Warm clothing - socks, leggings and a long sleeved top is a must and Slippers (downstairs as we have hard floors).

Oh and plenty of throws!!

Freezing!!

There is no minimum Scotland, it is currently under discussion!

The EPC was advertised as a C when we moved in...

Unfortunately we are stuck as we struggle to heat the place, and don't have the money to move. I lost my job so we are down to one wage with all our previous outgoings.

I am going to try my hand at thermal lining our curtains, and fitting curtains in our dining room. Bedrooms are OK as we have blinds, gro blinds, curtains and blankets thrown over the the top of the rails.

We also have hard flooring everywhere so it's cold underfoot which doesn't help at all.

I really disagree with responses along the lines of "Maybe the landlord doesn't have the money".

If the landlord doesn't have enough money to keep the house in a reasonable state of repair, then the landlord should liquidate their investment and sell as they are not capable of fulfilling their obligations.

If maintaining a rental property to the required standard requires a spare £50k fund, then so be it. I'm sure you wouldn't be sympathetic if the shoe was on the other foot and the tenant said "No rent next month, I don't have a spare £X lying around".

Yes, the LL can't just keep people waiting for routine maintenance because he's hard up. Part of being a LL is that you take on the responsibilities as well as getting the returns.

I am annoyed at the lack of communication too, I don't want to spend a lot of money draught proofing (more so than I already have..) if he is planning on getting things done.