How long is acceptable to be left without heating?

[lostandforgotten]

Living in a housing association property and the heating has broken down this morning. I am more annoyed as it was already leaking brown fluid all over my worktops when the engineer came out to look at it and the part was supposed to have been ordered and it turns out it hasn't although I'm not sure if this part is the reason it's broken down. The lady on the phone says it will be tomorrow when someone can come out and couldn't give me a time, they've got till 4 o'clock apparently. They are also refusing to provide any temporary heaters and told me to put some more blankets on . I also have no hot water either expect the shower. It's snowing a blizzard out there aibu that this isn't acceptable and they need to do something today?

@pollylocketpickedapocket
You seem to really hate being in the enviable position of being a homeowner.

Our boiler broke the week before Xmas - it went off on the Saturday morning and wasn’t fixed until the Monday late afternoon when the broken part was replaced. It was pretty bloody cold in the house by the Monday but we were fine - a couple of extra layers to wear, extra blankets on the beds at night and tried to stay in the kitchen with candles lit whenever we could. DD who is 3 thought it was great fun! So i don’t think a few days is dreadful unless you are particularly elderly or frail

[quote KindnessCrusader]@pollylocketpickedapocket
You seem to really hate being in the enviable position of being a homeowner. [/quote]
No she hasn’t suggested she hates being a home owner at all.

She’s making the very reasonable point that the op is whinging about a non issue. I pay a hefty sum to British Gas every month for boiler cover. It broke in December and the earliest appointment was 10 days later.

Some people need their expectations resetting - op is acting like a lack of heating is a human rights violation. It isn’t. She doesn’t need plug in heaters. She lives in a flat - turn on the oven and open the door - the flat will be toasty in 30 minutes. She’s choosing to whine about having to get two buses for a complete non issue.

@Mmn654123 (quaky voice) I remember one winter when dc were very small we had a really bad winter - we moved into the room with emersion water tank (& left the cupboard door open) as you said ice inside the (single glazed) windows - you didn't need lace curtains!

In my experience our local ha is sloooooow with all repairs, even changing light bulbs can take months. Multiple phonecalls help a little.
I live in a grade 2 listed building, privately rented. I cant even have double glazing because its not an original feature.
I now have oil filled radiators in the rooms I use most. I refuse to centrally heat outside. Bubble wrap on the windows and duvets over the door holes.
Multiple layers of clothes, copious coffees, fingerless gloves and several layers on my bed.
My landlord can only do so much because he has a business to run. Thank fuck he faffs with my boiler once a year.
Showering should warm you up too.
So far I haven't had ice on the inside of my windows.

I grew up in house with no central heating and ice on the inside of the windows sometimes.
Fluffy socks and warm pj's help.
Oil heaters give steady heat.

@SpeckledyHen

Toughen up OP . When I was a kid there was no central heating in the house or my street for that matter . Only heat source was an open coal fire in the sitting room which took ages to light and heat up the one room . Literally ice on the inside of the bedroom windows in the mornings. Ask you old relatives.

None of us died . I’m sure you will survive the night .

Same.

And I can’t tell you how much I hate being cold.

OP
if you have kids or someone with medical needs it should be within 24hrs that’s council, H/A I thought had to do same.

I’d would post on there public Facebook or Twitter.

Ahh you're one of those tenants!
I had one of those...Apparently it's my fault the plumber couldn't physically get to fix heating the other day cos there was 3ft of snow on the ground. Within 24 hours it had melted and the plumber went out and fixed it but that was apparently a thoroughly unreasonable wait!

@AlmostAJillSandwich

Not HA but our boiler broke 11 years ago, had no heating or hot water since (thankfully electric shower) it does get mighty chilly :( Our boiler is located such it now breaks safety code so would have to relocate it and re pipe half the house, just cant afford it.

This is the position I’m in. The boiler is 50 years old and we have to re site it and move pipes around. The hot water tank needs replacing and of course the control system.

No choice now but to bite the bullet and pay up.

Our local council provide 2 small fan heaters if the boiler goes. Our boiler went recently and they were provided but they're crap so ended up buying 2 oil filled rads off shpock as it took 2 WEEKS for the parts to come in and for it to be fixed. That was hell

It's not an emergency unless your disabled, elderly or you have young kids.

Wrap up warm. Plenty of hot drinks and soup.
Boil water to wash yourself.
24 hours will go past in no time.

@Pinetreesfall

Ahh you're one of those tenants! I had one of those...Apparently it's my fault the plumber couldn't physically get to fix heating the other day cos there was 3ft of snow on the ground. Within 24 hours it had melted and the plumber went out and fixed it but that was apparently a thoroughly unreasonable wait!

Suppose you was one of them landlords who didn’t mind when you got your rent as you only doing it out goodness of heart

@lostandforgotten- hi OP, I work for a HA and our policy to attend to no heating/no hot water is within 24 hours if there is no alternatives in the property. If we cannot leave it working after the initial attendance (may require parts etc.) We will leave temporary heaters for alternative heating and give a priority for getting the part and ordering it. Hope this helps

We own our own home and a contract with British gas. Despite saying coming 24hrs out in emergency it was a week over christmas with a 3 month old and a 2 year okd. Thankfully we were going away , but even the day they were supposed to come , they didnt turn up until 7pm

You’ve got a thread full of people saying YABU but you’re arguing with everyone. If I were in your position I’d have had a plan B in case of the boiler breaking down.

OP you asked the question AIBU...
Well, yes you are. Problem is, you don't want to hear that.

@HRHPP this is definitely not true of all fire brigades although they may be able to source you some if they are part of a county council.

@lostandforgotten don’t worry I was on another thread about heating, they also got some of the similar suck it up responses from warriors sitting in their warm houses.

There was some helpful and funny replies too.

[quote ElizabethofpeanutYorkies]@lost i appreciate that. Point is limited stock is limited stock. If no heaters available you can source yourself. 24 hrs is not an unreasonable time for a repair.

£500 pm could cover a multitude of things, rent, maintenance/grounds costs , buildings insurance, water rates etc. If you need heaters and none available source yourself.[/quote]
They do not include water rates or ground rates, and the HA actually does have to provide heaters in this case as a duty of care.

I'd just think of it as any home. Look after yourself. They should aim to repair in 7-14 days, but 28 not unrealistic - you need to make alternative arrangements.

500 is not very much, so I wouldn't really expect much other than repaired in reasonable time 14-28 days,.

@pollylocketpickedapocket don't buy a house if you cannot afford to maintain it!!

@sandandseashores

I'd just think of it as any home. Look after yourself. They should aim to repair in 7-14 days, but 28 not unrealistic - you need to make alternative arrangements.

500 is not very much, so I wouldn't really expect much other than repaired in reasonable time 14-28 days,.

24hrs, Council always have someone on call for out of hours repairs. This is classed as emergency (priority) repair.

H/A was supposed to follow same set up (one of the conditions why they took over) but h/a efficiency seem to vary across the board.

£500 for h/a doesn’t get you a lot these days, and they certainly don’t like doing improvements they can avoid.

I know one h/a who also added maintenance charge on anything could.

@lostandforgotten

I hate this attitude that crops up on Mumsnet frequently that if you live in any kind of social housing you should be grateful for it and not complain even if the roof was hanging off you should just be eternally grateful for any scraps they throw you because you're in a COUNCIL HOUSE don't you know . Like we are a sub species that don't deserve equal service the same as you would expect from a private landlord. I see it often on here and it's so damaging. Anyway, I didn't mean for this to descend into a social housing thread so I'll leave it here now. My friend says she has a couple of heaters that she can borrow me so I'll take the two buses across town to fetch them.

This^ Such a stuck up attitude on here that you should be grateful for scraps and people that dare to be in social housing shouldn't be moaning because they don't have to pay for their boiler to be fixed. That's what you pay rent for. "That's perfectly reasonable, I own and had to wait weeks to get my boiler fixed" Councils and housing association tenants can't be left without heating or hot water for more than 48hrs, so what people do in their owned properties is totally irrelevant.

@mumwon

try getting British Gas servicing out! I could write a whole thread on that (but I won't!) It may be op that all their heaters are already out (because they are waiting for engineers to fix things which is complicated by either engineers isolating or being sick re covid or they can't get the b++++y parts because of brexit!) Reality check: When you own your own property & try to get things done, believe me op, you have to wait even if you are in a priority group if they don't have parts or engineers

I know exactly what you mean! I have British gas homecare plan and my boiler broke down a month ago with the quickest they could come out being 8th Feb. I get a text message on 5th Feb to say that they have had to cancel the appointment due to strike action and its rescheduled for 25th Feb, by which time I would have had no heating or hot water (bar an inadequate immersion heater) for just over 6 weeks!!!

Oh well you've just worked a 13 hour shift so you haven't actually been home in the cold that long 😂 well done for sorting heaters for your own house 👏👏👏👏 brilliant!!