To think we couldn't do any more?

[rainbow1982]

I really need advice please! My partner and I are renting out a house, brand new to being landlords, we've done it all properly through an agent but said we would manage it ourselves to reduce costs. The new tenant moved in just before Christmas and the bloody boiler has died last night, just as it's hot REALLY cold! She's 20 weeks pregnant and I put myself in her shoes and have done everything I can, arranged a new boiler to be installed on Tuesday and even ordered her 2 heaters last night to be delivered to the property today.

I told her all of this but she's now rang me and asked can they get someone out themselves to see if they can at least get some hot water on in the meantime. My issues are we don't know who this man is, she's said he's corgi registered but how do we know? (We're in a different city to the property so that doesn't help) also, if he does a 'patch up' job, we've committed to the new one Tuesday so it's just an extra cost to us? Is it unreasonable to have been told Friday night and be having a new one installed Tuesday? They have fires in the 2 reception rooms AND the 2 heaters I've sent, it's more the hot water that's an issue but surely they could wait until Tuesday?

We're complete novices at being landlords, want to treat them as we'd hope to be treated without it costing us a bomb, we're expecting our first baby in June and trying to save too, this is a massive unexpected cost as it is, any advice appreciated

I think it's a 24 hour issue, as in their needs to be a response/call out in that time period. Obviously not everything can be resolved that day. But yes, temporary housing like a bnb nearby or something would be perfect in this situation, otherwise a few days less rent

That’s too long without hot water, until hot water returns you need to provide the tenants with facilities to bathe

Op you say this is a brand new house. If so, surely the boiler will be under warranty? Who has told you it needs to be replaced?
Anyway - is there an immersion tank? This will heat water where the boiler can’t.
Can you not speak to the engineer that your tenant has found?

Aaaagh, typing on phone. You don't need any qualifications to operate as a plumber. You need to have passed exams and be insured and certified to work with gas.

Even council/housing association would have a similar time scale. Especially if the property has other heater sources and an electric shower.

You need to give them a break in their rent. Under tenant rights this is too long

The landlord has a legal responsibility to get repairs done in a reasonable and timely manner. The tenants are not automatically entitled to a reduction in rent and they don't have any grounds for compensation as long as the repairs are completed.

Corgi registration hasnt existed for years OP. Its Gas Safe now.

Anyway, I digress... if you lived in your own home and this happened you'd porbably have to wait a similar legth of time. Even if you got an emmergency plumber chances are they would need to order replacement parts in and that would take a few days.

Its not ideal, but its a fact of life.

I've had a property in this situation. I offered something like a 10% reduction on the next month's rent, as compensation (I get top rate rent for the area, so any reduction is a good one). Or you could offer them an amount towards a hotel for the weekend (but don't make it open-ended). I offered £200 to one tenant when something similar happened. If they're good tenants, I want to keep them, and so it's worth being generous.

But I don't think - for something as substantial as a boiler & when you've got a replacement organised in 3 days' time - that you have to agree to their plumber/heating engineer. Who knows what damage they might do?

You've done what you can, and acted very quickly. If your tenants owned their own home, they'd be suffering from lack of hot water etc, in just the same way. They need to be reasonable.

Sometimes tenants expect much much more than home owners manage with ...

4 days wait to get a new boiler installed is bloody quick

and as ManonBlackbeak says - if you lived in your own home and this happened you'd probably have to wait a similar length of time.

Why not take out a British Gas Homecare policy for future things like this? The tenant can then liaise directly with British Gas to get a repair.

When this happened to our tenants, we offered a hotel, they declined but we reduced the rent for that period. 5 days is much too long. I would not accept that as a tenant.

No such thing as Corgi since April 2009.... its Gas safe.

IT IS NOT THE LAW that heating and hot water is repaired in 24 hours.

Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 - on reporting a repair the Landlords or people authorised by them also have the right to view the condition and state of repair of the property on giving the tenant 24 hours notice...

Which means the landlord has to attend within 24 hours... if the repair can be fixed within 24 hours then fantastic if not landlords are then given a "reasonable time" to get the boiler repaired or renewed. (reasonable time is considering to be 7 days or before)

Now considering if you report a repair to Baxi, British Gas, Glow worm, and you then required a new boiler under your insurance policy you will be lucky if you get an appointment within 7 days.

It’s a swift resolution I think? What has been tried to get it working again, though? Checked the pressure, just reset it at the wall etc?
Mine has ‘temperamental phases’ - a 10-ish year old Worcester boiler. Waiting on someone to come out and sort next week, but for now it’s heat, or hot water. If the heating is on, the water is cold. So we work around it until the plumber comes. Often resetting or repressurising the boiler (can easily be done yourself) will sort it out. A boiler is a big expense! If it turns out it is necessary to replace the boiler you can get a care plan via British Gas/similar to protect it.

How are they supposed to wash?

I can see the headlines now 'amateur engineer causes boiler to explode - house destroyed. Insurer refuses to payout'

You've done as much as you can. Don't let them bring in some random friend to try to fix it. At a pinch, you could offer your tenant 2 nights (room only) in a Travelodge, so they can get hot water.

Whether we think it is an emergency or not, whether we think we should boil kettles or wash in cold water, whether that is what we would do as home owners doesn't really matter. The regulations state differently.

Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, you have the right to expect your landlord to carry out repairs in a ‘reasonable time’. If it’s an emergency repair as you’ve got no heating or hot water, your landlord should fix this in 24 hours.

@AraGrand kettles and saucepans can heat water.

behaving cruelly is a bit OTT
OP has arranged additional heating, and the boiler to be replaced within a few days, less than a week. The new boiler will have to be ordered and delivered. If the boiler has already been assesses and confirmed that it needs to be replaced, there is no need to have a second unknown plumber/heating engineer/odd job man tinker with it again.
I own my home and it has often taken longer than this to schedule heating engineer when the boiler goes. (brilliant engineer, first time he came, about ten years ago, I was prepared to replace it, but his attitude is, no need if I can sort it - and I probably need to have him come every 2-3 years).
I've also had colleagues in rented property wait weeks to get boiler repairs /hot water issues resolved by landlords - and certainly not relocated to hotels at landlords' expense in the meantime.

We rent and when our boiler went we had to wait over a week with no heating or hot water. No electric heaters sent and no offer of rent reduction so i feel you have been very fair and are getting it sorted a soon as you have been able to

It could be a good idea to have an electric shower fitted (you haven't stated if you already have one fitted) when renting out the property. It would save situations like this as they would have access to hot water and could save you money on reduced rent or hotel bills etc.. in the long term.

You’ve been very reasonable and are providing the service you should. If they owned the property and it was their boiler that couldn’t be replaced until Tuesday, would they pay to book themselves into a hotel in the meantime? I very much doubt it, they’d do what most homeowners do and make do with the kettle and a strip wash / gym or work showers / local friends. That’s my standard when it comes to tenant repairs and I’ve been both a landlord and a tenant. Being a tenant doesn’t entitle you then to immediate fixes to all their problems, just the same standard that you’d think satisfactory for yourself as a landlord.

@Nanna50, there is heating and access to hot water. There is no law that states 24 hours, it's a reasonable timescale. What constitutes reasonable is also not quantified in law.

kettles and saucepans can heat water
Though imagine being the landlord who suggested this if they accidentally scolded themselves.
Take out boiler insurance for the future OP.

British Gas to a landlord policy, they service the boiler annually, do you gas safety certificate at the same time and do repairs. I used it when I had BTL properties as it was convenient, tenants had the details and dealt with British Gas. I doubt they'd have got the repair any faster at this time of year as the engineers are always busy.

Nanna50
I expect the OP to look up her responsibilities as a Landlord. It's the Law, no hot water is a 24 hour emergency, and not all tenants accept that shit happens and this tenant is also 20 weeks pregnant and some tenants will ask for compensation.
This is bollocks
S11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act gives the LL "reasonable time" to carry out repairs. There is no definition of 'reasonable time'.
However, it is clear that OP has acted reasonably.

For any compensation claim there is formula that is used and unless the claim is worth at least 2k with a serious risk to life or 10K without then it will cost the tenants more than what compensation they would be entitled to make the claim.

Having no hot water could be classed as an emergency if the landlord is a social landlord.
The tenants can boil a kettle etc. (same as it boils my piss when people spout shit)