Water heater not working in rented property, can I refuse to pay rent?

[blooper]

Hi

My hot water has not been working properly for about 4 months. My landlord knows this but he isn't doing anything about it. I've spoken to him numerous times about it and he keeps telling me he will send someone round but he doesn't. He did sent someone round when I first told him, who said he needed to order some parts and I haven't seen him since.

I can get some hot water but only when I put the heating on full and while the radiators are in the process of heating up, once they get to a certain temperature the heater stops heating the water.
This means I've been having to put my heating on full through the hot weather any time I've needed to run a bath, and now it's getting cold I wont be able to run a bath unless I've had the heating off for ages, and it is a very cold house through the colder months.

What can I do? Am I legally allowed to cancel
the standing order rent payments and say that I will pay rent once the hot water is fixed? My latest contract ran out 2 years ago, if that makes any difference.

I don't think it's recommended at all to stop paying rent. Go to your nearest Citizen's Advice Bureau and ask them.

Have a look here for ways to tackle the problem. It, however, states you should n't withhold rent as the landlord could take action against you. If it was an Assured Tenaccy it doesn't matter that it expired as the tenancy can roll on beyond the initial fixed term, with fixed notice periods on each side.

hth

Ring your council's Environmental Health department (if you just ring the council's general number they should be able to put you through!) I did this regarding a number of jobs that need doing in the house. If they find that your boiler isn't working properly (or anything else for that matter) they can and WILL make your landlord move his arse and ASAP!! You need to do something about this ASAP for the sake of your kids if nothing else...it is getting cold already!! Let me know how you go on :-) Remember...what your Landlord's doing (or rather not doing) is illegal

Hiya

I forgot I posted this

Thank you for your replies. I won't hastily go cancelling the rent then

I'll give the environmental health people a ring and see what they say

Our boiler broke in a house we rented once, and it took them a week to fix it so I knocked a weeks rent off the monthly total.

The landord didn't like it but I just said that as far as i was concerned we were paying rent for a house with heating and hot water and that for a week we were without and had to use relatives facilities so imo i was entitled and he evetually agreed.

Do not under any circumstances withhold rent. You may find yourself out on your ear, regardless of whether you feel entitled.

You can approach your local authority and ask them to deal with the landlord. It is the landlord's responsibility to deal with such issues and, if he is not doing so, then he is avoiding his statutory obligations. Make a note of all contacts you have had with the landlord, his response or otherwise and go to the council.