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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to keep turning the heating down?

56 replies

Bloodyheating · 18/01/2022 13:00

I live in a shared student house. Heating is not working in one of my hosuemates room despite LL coming round to check and he said everything was fine. The room is cold. Radiator in said room is not as warm as it was before Christmas.

To 'solve' this issue said housemate keeps wacking the bloody heating up to THIRTY because apparently this is the only way the room heats. The numbers on the combi boilet read 80. My Dad's a plumber and said the boilet should be on around 60 and the dial on the wall for the heating should be around 20. Today housemate with cold room posted a ranty message in group chat saying to stop whoever it was (ie me but they dont know that).

I have a cold interolence and sensory processing issues but even for me its like a bloody sauna and I think the heat is giving me migraines - radiators are either on/off no in between :/

I grew up on economy 7 and lived mostly without heating for several years (before my dad got his plumbing qualification).

AIBU to keep turning the heating down to 20 degrees? They refuse to get a heated blanket (we are allowed those) although they do use a hot water bottle.

OP posts:

cultkid · 18/01/2022 13:31

Swap rooms
Do not turn heating down it's very rude

Also she could get a little plug in heater

Lipsandlashes · 18/01/2022 13:31

Argh! I had a housemate like this at Uni, except the heating wasn't broken, she just insisted on cranking it up to 30 all the bloody time.
When we left she contacted me to pay my proportion of the massive bill! I worked out my 'fair' percentage and told her that she could whistle for the remainder.
Anyway on a practical note, contact your LL again and tell them to come and fix the heating. Also agree with other posters that you should swap rooms with her if you're not too bothered about the cold.

Whereismumhiding3 · 18/01/2022 13:33

Do you pay the gas bill or the LL? (Some student LLs charge higher rent with bills all included). Contact LL and say her room is too cold whilst her radiator is not working - so we request you provide alternative heating for her room until he arranged fix of heating / radiator in her room. Also btw she keeps putting heating up to 30 in the house as she is so cold in her room, which is unbearable for the rest of us and will rocket your (our) gas bill- so please can he arrange to fix it within 5 working days.

Do seek advice from shelter (or uni services) who give excellent housing advice re LLs responsibilities.

Glitterygreen · 18/01/2022 13:41

30 is madness, they are making the whole house uncomfortably hot just to heat one room.

The landlord needs to fix that room's heating or provide an electric heater.

RoomOfRequirement · 18/01/2022 13:48

YABU making her freeze in her room. Your problem should be with the landlord. Not your roommate!

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 18/01/2022 13:53

This needs sorting out rather than you two arguing over the thermostat. Try the fixed pp have suggested and if not get the LL back in.

Notcontent · 18/01/2022 13:54

Unless your rent includes the bills, you are going to have a massive problem as gas prices are going up.

Blueeyedgirl21 · 18/01/2022 13:55

Housemate just needs to get themselves a plug in heater off Facebook marketplace for £20

Job done

Can’t you be sympathetic and say you know their room is cold, stupid radiator, you’ve seen some plug in heaters on marketplace do they want you to message and inquire about one for them?

Robin233 · 18/01/2022 13:57

Can your dad have a look ?

Ipadflowers · 18/01/2022 13:58

My Dad's a plumber and said the boilet should be on around 60 and the dial on the wall for the heating should be around 20

You understand this is just your dads preference, there is no “should be” about it? I have my house warmer as do many others.

Just speak like grown ups and try to resolve it.

thewhatsit · 18/01/2022 14:00

I think the obvious solution is that your Dad comes round to check if you are close enough, if not ask him to advise on FaceTime as you do basic checks on the radiator / pipes / boiler so you can go back to the LL with an educated guess of what it could be.

Re: bills. Maybe they’re not going up because they’re just on a direct debit?? You might well be accruing a large bill. I’d check because better to tell housemates - look we now owe £500 on heating, I can’t afford to keep going at this rate can we discuss?

thewhatsit · 18/01/2022 14:09

And actually I do think YABU.

The solution to the problem is not to put the heating on to 30 (them) and nor is it to ignore the problem (you) but try and get the actual problem of the radiator fixed…

QuizzicalEyebrows · 18/01/2022 14:22

Get them a fan heater from Argos around £20

We have one for my DS room as it has 2 external walls and is colder than the rest of the house

QuizzicalEyebrows · 18/01/2022 14:24

This

ErrolTheDragon · 18/01/2022 14:32

@RoomOfRequirement

YABU making her freeze in her room. Your problem should be with the landlord. Not your roommate!

But the flatmate is being even more unreasonable by making the house too hot for the others, and wasting loads of expensive energy. She, not just the OP, needs to deal with the landlord.

wtfisgoingonhere21 · 18/01/2022 14:33

Can't you all
Just turn the rads down in the other rooms that are too hot?

Gunpowder · 18/01/2022 14:43

Her radiator might need bleeding again if it was done before Christmas. Or maybe it needs to be flushed? We had to do this for some of our rads.

If the landlord isn’t helping I agree with the poster who suggested your dad comes to take a look (unless you are in Edinburgh and he’s in Dorset or something.) It might be an easy fix.

I imagine her radiators are not working so the room is only heating if it gets the heat from all the other rooms with working radiators - so just turning the radiators down in all the other rooms won’t work for the very cold student.

Once her radiators are fixed she will probably be happy having the thermostat at 20.

Couchbettato · 18/01/2022 14:59

Yanbu. I too live with lizard people.

GoodnightGrandma · 18/01/2022 15:22

If that one radiator isnt working I’d start by bleeding it, even if it was done before Xmas.

TakeYourFinalPosition · 18/01/2022 15:25

My Dad's a plumber and said the boilet should be on around 60 and the dial on the wall for the heating should be around 20

That’s fine if you live with your dad; but not everyone wants their heating to that preference.. I wouldn’t!

Sugarplumfairy65 · 18/01/2022 15:38

The system may need a flush. Its quite expensive to do which is why the landlord is avoiding it

erinaceus · 18/01/2022 15:50

Can you borrow an electric heater for her room? Can you give your Dad a call or FaceTime and ask him to talk you through what he would do to resolve the situation?

CatJumperTwat · 18/01/2022 16:00

Instead of being annoyed with the poor sod whose room is freezing, why can't you all present a united front to the landlord to actually maintain their property?

userxx · 18/01/2022 16:08

@RebeccaManderley

Why don't they buy a plug in electric heater for their room or ask the landlord to buy one?

This seems the most sensible idea. Argos sell them quite cheaply.

IamnotSethRogan · 18/01/2022 16:12

Yeah she just needs an eletric heater. It's fucking insane and incredibly entitled to think everyone else should be dealing with 30 degree heat when they could just have a little heater in their room. Ideally the landlord would provide this until they are able to sort the heating properly.

I don't think I ever lived in a student house that could even reach 30

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