Should I complain and risk rent increase?

[fivesecondrule]

I'm in private rental for past 10 year. My LL (lived in house before me) has been great- lets me decorate, had all new windows, doors, new boiler last 3 years ago, fixes any problems asap ie he really looks after the house. He only has this one rental. I in return look after it well and rarely bother him. The problem (or not) is I pay about £150 less pcm than what the same houses round here go for and houses in the band that I am paying are nowhere near as nice. Last year a radiator in the spare room wouldn't warm up. The house is warm apart from this room. LL sent out plumber ASAP and said that when new boiler was fitted they should have changed some pipework so its all getting clogged up and really it needs a whole new system. This was summer- it's now winter and obviously I'm noticing the radiator isn't working again. WIBU to push for the system to be changed and risk my rent increasing?

Sorry should have mentioned my TA is due for renewal in Jan hence the question.

I don’t think he’ll rock the boat over something so minor. Having a good, long term reliable tenant is worth a hell of a lot more than £150 a month. And they might put it up anyway, with or without the heating “complaint” if you’re due a rent review

Hmm, I think it's tricky. I'd say you know the LL best so what do you think? If it's the spare room could you just maybe get a cheap little heater if someone's staying in there? I have an oil filled one from Argos that works well and is cheap to run.

No OP you must remind LL it's their responsibility to do it and no way it warrants a rent increase also irrelevant of when it's due for renewal they must keep property safe,liveable and correct law abiding standards .

I personally wouldn't if it was just one room, unless it's a room that's always in use? I'm always terrified of bothering my landlord though.

Personally I have half a dozen tenants who have been in their homes many years and are good tenants and are paying well under the market rent. We rarely increase the rent and there are rules how much you can increase in one go. We would never increase on the basis of expenditure. The reason being that it destabilises the security of the tenant who may move. If we have a good relationship and a good tenant we would rather keep the rent under local rates. If the tenant left it would be marketted at the new rate. We recently put a new roof on a house which wipes out 3 years rent. Your landlord will no doubt have had a report from his plumber. I would speak to him and ask him what he thinks. It maybe anothe opinion would be useful. Just have a conversation to sound him out

Incidentally once your tenancy has gone periodic there is no need for a tenancy reneway AT ALL. What the landlord is allowed to do is a Rent Review.

and there are rules how much you can increase in one go In England this isn't currently true (once Section 21 is abolished then it almost certainly will be).

I'm sure the LL will want to have a properly working heating system regardless and I doubt it's as big a job as the plumber made out. I would mention it. I can't imagine it will make any difference to how much rent he wants to charge you. (I'm a LL. I would want to know and I would want to sort it out and I wouldn't relate it to the rent situation at all - my long term good tenants all pay well under market rent - and any problems the house has will have no bearing on that).

Thank you- I've emailed him. He's always been right with me so fingers crossed!

sounds to me if its one radiator that either the thermostat has gone west (if you have one) or the individual radiator off screw thingee needs replacing its fixed on off - maybe radiators need to be bled?