Help need renting solution

[Restart10]

HI mn, apologies for posting here but I need advice urgently.

We have recently moved to London from another country and had to choose our place without viewing. It has been a nightmare from the beginning. The latest issue is that the place seems to be overheating. For the past week the place has progressively become hotter and its now to a point that it is unbearable. We have contacted the landlord, who has got an electrician to call me and talk me through resetting the thermostat. I refused as we are not experts and its risky. They then got a handyman to come around and 'try' do something, which hasn't worked. I have not slept for the past few nights, even having vivid dreams and soaked from sweating. My poor dd is also not feeling well. Is there any way to get out of this nightmare of a rental contract. We have a 6 month break clause, is there no way you can break a rental contract? I feel like breaking down, new to the country and no idea how to navigate such situations. The landlord is very secure in that we cannot leave before six months, yet how can this be right?

Almost certainly yes, you can not break the contract unless the home is uninhabitable.

From the most practical standpoint, how is the home heated, gas or electric? Can you turn off the heating, at least temporally until the thermostat can be fixed/replaced?

In the short term could you not just switch the heating off completely? What type of heating is it?

Sadly I don't think you can break the contact till six months...best think is to talk to cab and see whG they advise...keep everything written down

Do the windows open? As the others have said, can you just turn the heating off completely for a bit?

If you post a photo of your hearing control, someone here might be able to talk you through it.

I'd switch the heating off ...we still not got ours on yet

@londonrach

Sadly I don't think you can break the contact till six months...best think is to talk to cab and see whG they advise...keep everything written down

Just for clarity, as the OP is new to the country, CAB is the Citizen's Advice Bureau. They can be very useful/helpful on a lot of legal related things!

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Wtf kind of heating system is it where adjusting the thermostat is "risky"? On most UK CH systems, this is a perfectly normal thing to do.

If it has radiators, turn them off or right down in the rooms that are too hot.

And I don't think it's possible to end the tenancy without being penalised.

Thanks for the replies. They have got someone to turn the thermostat system off today but it hasn't made a difference. We have opened all windows but it's not making a difference. The windows were open for the past few nights while we slept and I have woken up with a bad sore throat and body aches.

Where is the heat coming from? Is it underfloor, radiators? Either way, there will be a way of turning it off. What is the temperature inside?

@Restart10

Thanks for the replies. They have got someone to turn the thermostat system off today but it hasn't made a difference. We have opened all windows but it's not making a difference. The windows were open for the past few nights while we slept and I have woken up with a bad sore throat and body aches.

How does the system operate, gas, electric, community heating?

It just seems odd, thermostats are not usually "systems". For gas there is usually a master timer, a central thermostat and then thermostatic valves on the radiators. For electric they might be managed from a central control unit but will all be individually switched so you should be able to just turn the heaters off if you don't want them on. The only one I could see you not being able to turn off was if there is some sort of communal heating system which some blocks do have, although it is fairly rare, and even then, there should be a master inlet valve to the property.

Take a photo of the controls, most likely someone will be able to tell you how to turn the heating off. It’s not that cold yet, plus your energy bill will be through the roof.

Thank you for the link, I will have a look.

I meant risky as when I removed the boiler cover there were wires all over and he wanted me to move things around. I have no clue about any of that and refused.
There has been endless issues, no hot water, a cupboard falling apart and One on me, toilets not working then the shower. Sorry for sounding helpless, I think the heat has got to me. It's like an oven in here.

I'm using the mobile app so can't seem to upload photos. The foyer of the building is also extremely hot. Oddly enough, the neighbor came to ask for help the other night to turn up the heating, their place was freezing. The thermostat is Nu- Heat. Ive looked at the manual and tried to rest, but has not helped. The landlord said he will try send someone out later. The issue is he keeps sending all these people who have no clue themselves.

Thanks...sorry realised that after I posted. Hope you get it sorted op

Are you sure that it's the heating causing the issue and not something else like covid?

But what is getting hot - radiators?
Did the boiler, when you look at it, have a blue flame (i.e. is it a gas boiler)?

Take photos of the front of the boiler, of the thermostat, and of any other controls that you think are related. If there is any text written on the boiler (name and model), tell us that.

Incidentally, depending on where you are in the UK, it has been unseasonably mild recently. Both DH and I struggled to sleep last night as our bedrooms - with no direct heating of ours - had climbed to 24 degrees.

Xpost. We have a starting point to help you - nu-heat do underfloor heating.

This page of their website has some videos on common tasks like resetting a thermostat
www.nu-heat.co.uk/knowledge-hub/user-guides-manuals/

There have been complaints from others in the building so its just not us. Hopefully we get some answers later and that they are sending someone competent. I just can't believe that a landlord can hold you to ransom in this way with an unbreakable lease. There are issues that were also meant to be resolved before we moved in as stipulated in our lease contract, which has to date still not been done. But as these issues do not make it uninhabitable, we can't break the lease. This is really not right.

Do you deal directly with the landlord? Is there an agency involved?
There are a few ways to break a contract. First ask the landlord. It's up to him if he agrees.
Also where is your deposit? Has it been lodged with an authorised third party like DPS? If your deposit isn't lodged with them before 30 days you can use that as leverage.
Also is he up to date with all the legal requirements like electrical/gas certificates?
Where did you find this property?
As landlords we are obligated to follow UK regulations. You can find all the information in the UK government website.
Have a look and if he is in breach that's your way out of a contract.

If the thermostat/heating is broken I would make sure the landlord covers the extra cost!

But why can't it just be turned off completely?

Hi BlueJag, the contract was done through an agency one of the big ones in London so I'm sure they would have done all the checks? The deposit is held with them under the TDS.

Lamp the person who came through earlier did say they turned off the thermostat but it has not seemed to made a difference.

Yes you are bound to your tenancy for the first six months or however long you signed for.

You just need someone to show you how to turn the heating off. It's not a catastrophe

I'll be contacting the agency regardless and make sure all the certificates are up to date. You need to find a way to have leverage.