Expected to go 2 weeks without heating or hot water

[parmohotshot]

Hi

Private tenant here, the boiler in the property is 20 years old, I know this because the woman who used to own this house lives across the street and she had said boiler installed in the early 2000's!

Over the course of the last year and a half various things on the boiler have failed and there has been at least 10 visits by a heating engineer. The engineers say the boiler needs to be replaced but the landlord is insistent on replacing parts and keeping it limping along.

However on fri 27th Jan the boiler went kaput completely, the pressure gauge had gone to 4 bar and there was water leaking out of it. The engineer came out on the Monday, did a repair then less than 10 minutes after them leaving it failed again, went into lockout.

This resulted in the engineer saying the boiler needs to be replaced and they have sent the landlord a quote.

Managing estate agent said the landlord was blaming the engineer for a poor repair and wouldn't authorise a new boiler.

I kicked off, boiler now authorised but apparently because the landlord didn't pay for the boiler in time I now have to wait until Friday for them to come out and do the job as there's apparently no other availability, meaning I will have gone for 2 whole weeks without heating and hot water!!

Worse still, the estate agents want to come out and inspect this week!!! I can't wash clothes, have a bath (shower works but it's not very nice as the air in the bathroom is freezing), I can't do dishes or anything !!!

I have gone my ends but I've just been told tough titty essentially.

I feel like I'm in the twilight zone, am I being unreasonable to expect a rent reduction or the job to be brought forward???

Check your home insurance, mine will pay for a hotel if the heating cannot be fixed within 48 hours.

It doesn't matter how much the rent is, it doesn't magic up a plumber any quicker . . .

You can’t buy couple of electric radiators to heat couple of rooms? ( send the receipt to your estate agent) You have an electric shower , wash yourself, washing machine is cold feed, put your clothes horse next to the electric radiator.Fill a washing up bowl from the shower and do your dishes.
Are you 5 yrs old??

^^This.

Plenty of homeowners go this long and longer when having a boiler replaced. Because it takes time. Ask for compensation if you feel you can get it.

In the meantime, you can take a hot shower. You can do the wash. You can boil water. You can take the wash to a laundrette to dry it. Inconvenient, very. But it solves your problem for a couple of weeks.

I do sympathise. But just ask for heaters and use a laundrette until the problem is resolved.

Over the last few days washing would have dried fine outside?

It’s not only on MN, this happens to a lot of people, no one is saying you shouldn’t be without heating or hot water but that’s the situation you are in.

Dishes can be washed (use the water from the shower if it needs to be hot)

Most washers are ran from cold water feeds, the weather isn’t too bad outside and I managed to dry 2 loads today.

you can get washed , not ideal in the cold but it’s better than going without for 2 weeks.

Has your landlord provided you with portable heaters, if not insist that you receive those asap.

You don’t need a kettle to boil water use the oven top/microwave.

I honestly don't think anyone would have been able to arrange a new boiler any quicker. Presumably you're an adult and can do some things to help yourself. It's uncomfortable and annoying but these things happen and we do what needs doing. LL should probably provide some heaters, have you asked?

Ultraninja · Today 14:26
Many absolutely ridiculous replies on here. Talk to Shelter.

Your landlord could have sourced a new boiler from somewhere like IHeat - who install within 24 hours.

HTH - Landlord does not have to provide heating within 24 hrs, this is common misinformation and in most cases unmanageable.

Pretty sure if you have no heating or hot water they have to fix within 24 hours we had the same issue about 5 years ago