Boiler repair - private landlord

[Claireabella1809]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this is long winded, I will try and keep it as brief as I can and not confuse you all with my story.

I currently live in a privately rented property. I am ‘friends’ with the landlord - not close friends but friendly enough that I would stop and talk to them if I saw them in public. However, the house I’m renting was let through an estate/letting agent.

Last Sunday, my boiler broke. I reported it to the landlord direct as I know letting agent charges them for any call outs or repairs. No one turned up to look at the boiler as I was promised.

Monday I went to the letting agent. They said as I had gone direct to the landlord they would wait and see what happens throughout the day before they intervene but brought me two electric heaters to use in the meantime.

I explained to them that I’m currently 14 weeks pregnant, I have mental health illness, as well as cardiac failure and my DD (age 13) living in the property. We are unable to bath as we also don’t have hot water since the boiler broke. This i feel is unacceptable as DD has menstrual periods and for obvious reasons it is important for her more than anything to be able to maintain personal hygiene.

To try and help the repair situation I said I would see if I was eligible for assistance under the replacement boiler scheme. Turns out I am and the letting agent advised me I am now just waiting on the company to contact me to arrange an inspection and installation of new boiler. On Thursday, I hadn’t heard anything so I rang the boiler company and they told me different information. Basically been given different information from one or the other but they clearly just passing the buck. Meanwhile it’s now Saturday and 6 days since the boiler broke. I have two electric heaters I am using but no hot water. I’m now pulling my hair out as all this time has passed and we are no further along repair wise.

Does anyone have any advice please? Or anyone know what my rights are? Or am I being unreasonable?

Has anyone been to see what is wrong yet?

You shouldn't have mentioned the boiler replacement scheme. It can take months for the boiler to be replaced. It's not intended for emergency situations.

The official route for redress in these situations in the council's environmental health department.

Eg www.thetenantsvoice.co.uk/advice_from_us/contacting-the-environmental-health-department/

How much use they will actually be depends a lot on the council.

Oh OP , i really do sympathise with you. Throughout the years of private renting I've had many boiler problems, no heating or hot water - had to fill baths with kettles/pans etc in the middle of winter with a small child. Huddled round a little heater - it's awful.
When you say the boiler broke, what happened? Did it just suddenly stop working? I know when we put our heating on this year (we're in a different house now) the pressure had gone down to zero (should be 1.5 - 2) but we were able to manually increase the pressure by turning the little tap underneath (depending on what boiler you have).

You need to keep contacting your landlord. You are pregnant and have a child. It's winter and you need heating and hot water.

Thank you all,

The boiler broke around midnight of last Saturday night going into Sunday. The pressure dropped and it tripped my electrics, then I put the electric back on and went back upstairs to try and relight the boiler and noticed water running from out the bottom of it.

Thursday evening, the landlords partner came out to look at it, he is qualified to do this and in all fairness he tried to repair it but he said it’s beyond repair. The boiler is years old and may even struggle to get parts but tbh I have been thinking of looking into the boiler replacement scheme for a while to make the property more energy efficient. It kind of took a back seat to everything else with me being diagnosed with cardiac failure and finding out I’m pregnant. I guess I didn’t feel it was a priority at the time. Obviously now it is and I don’t expect the boiler scheme to be the answer to my problem as pointed out by @MrsMaiselsMuff, what I intended by mentioning this is that I thought it would help everyone in this situation and so that I’m not being seen as demanding or unreasonable. I would happily go up and down the stairs to fill my bath too but with my cardiac condition I’d probably keel over before I managed to make it up the stairs 😂 it’s so grim, I’m 35year old. I’m a nurse and even bathing after a shift is an issue :-(

I gave the letting agent some time yesterday and didn’t contact them yesterday. The last time I chased it up, it ended up in confrontation and me having a panic attack.
When I followed it up this morning I was told they hope to have an update on Monday.

God I sound so weak and pathetic don’t i :,-(. I’m feeling sorry for myself but sat here overthinking everything I’m just wondering am I wrong to be so ate up? Xx

So you contacted the landlord and told them about the boiler not working and they've done nothing to attempt to fix it for almost a week!?

That's terrible, I'd be messaging the LL daily asking for updates on when it will be repaired - can you phone them?

Just read your update, OP.

Right so it needs replacing, and you've offered to replace it via this Scheme - I can see why what's happened has happened now!

Can you call your LL and say you aren't able to replace the boiler via the scheme and you do need the boiler replaced ASAP? Go from there.

I wouldn't bother going via/dealing with the letting agent.

Thank you @TriangularRatbag. I will contact them on Monday if we don’t get any kind of progress when everything is back to normal business hours.

Would the environmental health dept be business hours too or would there be an out of hours/emergency contact too, would you know?

Depends on the council. Ring the number advertised for yours and see what happens. Although as uncomfortable as no heating may be, I doubt they'd count it as a 24-hour emergency!

Thanks for the advice @Hurthal xx

I have offered to replace the boiler since it is now broke beyond repair and left me without heating and hot water. Before that I had the intention but not acted on it xx

I think you are right though and best I avoid the letting agent from now on. The LL is also aware of the current state of repair as it was her partner who came out on Thursday to try and fix my boiler. He was hoping he could at least fix it temporarily until a new boiler can be fitted which would’ve been ideal but turns out it’s. beyond repair at all xx

I think I’m gonna have to wait until Monday aren’t I and chase up when during business hours. Just pre empting my next steps on Monday should I get no joy or progress xx

You are not weak or pathetic! You are pregnant, have a medical condition, a child and you're working too. Having no hot water and heating at this time of year is stressful enough without your additional problems.
I remember having no hot water, no heating AND no oven for 2 weeks over Christmas one year. It was miserable and I asked for a rent reduction that month but didn't get it .
I hope you get something sorted asap

You have my sympathy but I think that you are being totally unrealistic expecting someone to come out the same day! We own our home and the boiler broke three weeks ago. The plumber could only come out two days later, couldn’t fix it, ordered 2 parts and only today is it working. This cost us over £200 and a lot of phone calls.

If you rent through an estate agent you should always contact them. That's what they're for and landlords can get funny with you if you contact them directly (obviously depends on the person) but that's what the estate agent is paid for

He may be looking at different quotes for new boiler?
Although obviously it would be nice to have an update
When we were without a boiler it was 2 weeks before we got a new one

Thank you @Hurthal. Will do :-) I’ve gone this long without heating or hot water so I won’t be demanding they solve all my problems or anything but just to know there’s something in place or a way to solve this would be better than being left in limbo and just expected to let time pass with no solution xx

The opportunity to replace the boiler through the scheme is when you can afford to wait ie before the property is let. A boiler should be fixed or replaced within 24 hours. I’d be sat in the estate agents office until it was

Im a landlord and would never leave a tenant sitting like this. Hot water is a basic essential and is the landlords responsibilty to fix, you have done everything right so now you are legally within your rights to withhold rent until problem is resolved. However,if you do decide to do this ensure you have the rent in separate account that you can prove is ready for release when problem sorted..q

@Mushypeasandchipstogo and I haven’t expected anyone to come out the same day. I’ve been 6/7 days now without heating and hot water and I’ve waited patiently up until now for a satisfactory response, when all I’m getting is lies and being passed from pillar to post coz someone isn’t being totally truthful about the repairs. Also from what I’ve read 24 hours response for this sort of repair is totally reasonable and realistic. That’s what I’ve read online and if that can’t be met then it’s up to the landlord to provide an alternative like temporary accommodation. I’ve not asked for that and am days further down the line from when my boiler broke. All I want to know is how do I next approach this as the landlord is a ‘friend’ and I don’t want any falling out and don’t know what my next step should be xx

Thank you @Louise91417

I also read that too about rent but I’d feel so guilty. Thank you so much for your reply though as i feel a bit easier in thinking I’m not being a drama queen or being demanding. Xx

I really feel for you, when the boiler broke in our tenanted house I paid well over the odds to make sure it was replaced within 3 days, I felt awful that they were without heating and bought a expensive bottle of wine for them by way of a small acknowledgement of their inconvenience.

I know these things happen but as a LL I take my responsibilities very seriously.

I'm quite surprised and sad for you that your LL isn't pushing/communicating with you to get it replaced ASAP.

Don't be afraid to keep phoning your LL, it's hard to assert yourself when you're feeling rubbish but you deserve to have a warm home!

Thank you xx that was initially my intention but it took a back seat to everything else. My fault I know which is why I have sat and waited for as long as they have made me but now it’s getting too much xx

Our hot water tank started leaking. Our landlord had a plumber out the same night to empty the tank and we had a new boiler (easier and cheaper to replace with combi boiler rather than replace water tank) 4 days later.

If you were hanging around waiting for parts or quotes etc it’s one thing but for them to have done nothing, that’s not good. We had a reduction in our rent that month too.

Thank you xx I will chase up again on Monday. You are so right, I find it so hard to be assertive especially now I feel vulnerable more than I have ever have been before in my life. At least I know now that if nothing is done on Monday then I have another option rather than sitting here deleting like I have nowhere to turn xx

It's NOT your fault at all. You've been a fantastic tenant in even suggesting to go down the route of the scheme, that's very thoughtful.

But. It is down to your LL to fix/replace the boiler. Give them a call, explain you're very stressed and bloody cold and you would appreciate knowing what the plan is now. The ball should firmly be in LL's court to pay for and organise a replacement boiler ASAP, it's literally their job to ensure you do.

Be factual, polite and calm - you sound lovely and I'm sure the LL won't think badly of you. They should be appauled at themselves! Again, this is not your fault!

Thank you xx

A boiler should be fixed or replaced within 24 hours

I don’t know who has given you that information however you are incorrect, a boiler should be assessed in the hope to repair within 24 hours, however certainly not replaced or repaired within 24 hours

Most HA and Councils assess within 24 hours however repairs can take longer and additional heating should be supplied (portable heating) this all comes under the tenants right to repair act.

The advice Louise has given you is incorrect. You cannot withhold rent because of this. If you do, you are vulnerable to eviction for non-payment of the rent.

I would contact both the agents and the LL, preferably in the same email, stating how long you have been without a working boiler and requesting a timescale for getting it replaced and giving them 24 hours to respond with a date for replacement. You can offer to pay for it and deduct the amount paid from future rent if you can afford and it speeds things up, but you'll need the LL's permission for that.