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?

If you have to wait a while for the boiler to be replaced would your LL buy you a hot water urn and contribute some money for you to heat it?

Something like this

www.amazon.co.uk/Burco-MFCT1030-444440353-Cygnet-Boiler/dp/B004EAERSS/ref=pd_sbs_79_img_1/259-8206424-3908528?psc=1&pf_rd_p=e44592b5-e56d-44c2-a4f9-dbdc09b29395&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=9Bv8r&pf_rd_r=6H32D1D0HV7T8Y9Y2SF7&pd_rd_i=B004EAERSS&pd_rd_w=JRnjr&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=6H32D1D0HV7T8Y9Y2SF7&pd_rd_r=57477d07-52d4-4250-b8f8-17d99288ad9b

You could have it near your bath and fill up from there.

I was going to mention if you had an immersion heater that could be just turned on? If not, it will only take a plumber a couple of hours and at least you'll have hot water.

We've usually managed to get things sorted for our tenants very quickly, but we had one occasion where every single tradesperson we booked failed to show up and one of our tenants was without a bath/shower for 2 weeks. We paid for them to have a month's membership at a nice local gym and they showered there (not ideal I know). Is there anywhere like that nearby that you could use?

It is not usually possible to replace a boiler in 24 hours, but it should be investigated, in case it is simply a repair.
And not all LL avoid maintaining their properties and forking out for whatever has broken, so please do not state that, previous poster, as it is unfair and maintains a combative relationship between LL and tenants. That is not helpful.
Op an imersion is a large tank with a switch to heat the water using electricity, often found in houses or larger flats, if your property is small you may not have one. I would ask the LL to install one going forward if space can be found in the loft or a cupboard.

I don't think anyone said on here that an landlords avoid maintaining the property

(agent & LL mentality is once its let, never pay for anything on top of rent unless you really, really have to).

This^

Getting the hot water fixed is the responsibility of the landlord

The LL may need to organise this via their insurance or via another method

An electrician would need to investigate

A part may need replacing, it may not be the whole system that needs replacing

You need to wait for the LL

Yesterday 18:46 Scoobygang7

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend do me an experiment would you? Boil the kettle and go upstairs with it and fill your bath. Come back and let me know how you're feeling afterwards. Assuming you don't have health issues.

I’m currently enduring serious treatment for a long term health deliberating condition, and tbh if I found walking up and downstairs physically enduring... then personally I’d struggle with managing my job even on light duties and mine isn’t even physically enduring and not to mention everyday life and planing gender scan appointments.

*For questioning why your working as a nurse even with reasonable adjustments when your stating your unable to walk up and down stairs confused

Are you always this dramatic*

Are you always this disabilist?

Well done for reading my other post on gender scans 👏🏻

shocking! Can’t actually believe what nonsense he/she has written. It’s actually laughable the more they are putting in writing for everyone to see. Just making a fool out of themselves with their pointless and judgemental comments. There’s always on though!

This is pretty unacceptable to be honest. You are paying (i assume market) rent for the property and you are not receiving appropriate services.

For people saying that you would do without hot water for a week or so whilst waiting a boiler, that's fine if you are a home owner and can make that decision yourself to get a better deal or if you have an electric shower and can get a wash. And that's not even including the fact you have significant health issues which make this even more difficult.
This landlord should be moving heaven and earth to get you this boiler in the next few days no matter the cost. You should certainly not be chasing them up/chasing up boiler companies.

If you have a little google in similar situations there have been some situations where tenants have received compensation (for hotel accomodation/loss of earnings while waiting for engineers/alternative washing facilities at gyms/increased bills due to electric heaters). Also worth checking out if you have contents insurance which includes alternate accomodation, you may not be covered but worth calling them to see and make sure you mention your circumstances.

Ps. If you work at hospital do you have a central changing room with a shower/gym facilites with shower? We do...would be much easier for you than faffing about after a long shift! Hope it gets sorted today for you..what a pain at this time of year.

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend exactly you'd find it a struggle to continue to work. You can't project how you'd manage or not on to another person. Again though you have ignored the main point of my post though.

She is NOT saying she struggles walking up the stairs. I think you may need to check your inner ableist.

OP I'm a landlord and I'm fuming for you. When we first let the property, the boiler worked and passed its checks but it was getting on a bit, so we got boiler cover. It was a good investment, the boiler packed in shietly after leaving our pregnant tenant without heating for all of 12 hours, as they came out to sort it straight away.

It finally died on our next tenants and we had it replaced within a few days. The time it took to find a plumber, get the issue surveyed and replace it. It's since tripped off a couple of times due to a fuse blowing and the boiler manufacturer fixed it, again within a day or two of reporting.

What it saying is that you shouldn't wait until Monday to get this sorted. If my tenants ring with an issue on the weekend, I'll do my best to sort it immediately, tradespeople allowing!

Dont withhold rent but you could suggest to your landlord that they aren't dealing with this suitably, and you want alternative options I. E. Alternative accommodation or reduced rent for the inconvenience.

They just sound very unprofessional and dithering because a boiler replacement isn't cheap. However it's no excuse, you're vulnerable and they are responsible, call them at 9am this morning and every hour until they resolve this. They're taking the piss now.

I’ve learnt from working as a nurse assessor that people with long term health conditions/disabilities adapt in so many different ways to be able to function on a daily basis. Only the ignorant and narrow minded wouldn’t understand.

The comments about me planning a gender scan though. @haudsyabellend has obviously read the post I made in pregnancy and then trying to be smart with that comeback and actually sounds like a fool. I can go to work so I sure as hell can attend a gender scan if I want. Same as I attend other wellbeing appointments for my baby.

Maybe @haudyerwebellend lives in a bungalow or something and that is why they find it so difficult to grasp the stairs concept??

@Claireabella1809 quite possibly I am so sorry I may have derailed your thread slightly but her continued comments got my back up. I hate it when people focus on one part of a sentence. When taking just that from it totally changes what is said.

I hope today brings some good news and your boiler is on the way to being fixed.

Thank you @Treacletoots for the advice. Wish you was my landlord :-)

I chased this up with the landlord on Saturday morning. I was told they’d ring me back with an update so as I hadn’t received any contact from them I sent an email asking for an update. I got an email back saying they haven’t called me because there was no update to give and they hope to have an update on Monday. I went into panic mode after reading the last part as I feel like ‘hope to have’ is not really committing to an answer or update tomorrow morning either so it got me thinking what my next steps would be. As they have stated Monday in their email I intend on giving them until then for them to provide me with an update. I think I’ll wait until lunch time just to give them chance to open and chase up and then I’ll make contact xx

No please don’t apologise. Without sounding dramatic those comments really got to be yesterday too. I wish I had it in me to get angry and snipe back but instead I take it all to heart. You helped in putting my point across and in a much better way than I could have done. Thank you so much for trying to explain xx

I think if this was last weekend, then that would maybe be OK, but it's not, it's a week later. I'd call them and say its not OK for you to be without hot water for another weekend, how would they like it being pregnant and cold?

Tell them if they don't get something moved on today then you're going to your local press. They'll love that story.

@Claireabella1809 you've got enough on your plate without having to explain. You don't have to give anyone an explanation about your health to anyone unless you choose to.

OP my friend is going through similar but doesn't have children so doesn't mind waiting for her boiler replacement through the scheme. Anyway I just wanted to say that she actually bought the tea urn thing that a PP suggested and its made a tough situation slightly easier.

If the boiler is a combi there won't be a hot water tank with an immersion heater - a lot of people have suggested turning the immersion on, which would have been an obvious short term solution if there were one.

I didn’t think of the papers, I don’t think I’d be brave enough lol but considered one of the local councillors. I’m afraid they’d think I’m being petty though lol. Xx

Papers might be the better option 😂 at least then if the boiler doesn’t get sorted soon I could potentially become like a local celebrity lol xx

I really don’t think I have one. I definitely don’t have a water tank, just a boiler which controls the water and heating xx

Heaters are fine but who is paying for the significantly increased bills that will surely follow?

Thank you so much xx