Renting, without heating and hot water for a week - what could I do?

[Dontlikepink]

That, with 2 children. I just realised we are just like hostages. First an electric problem, now a boiler problem, the landlord is resident abroad, it takes ages getting in touch with contractors, negotiating, everybody looking after their interests, nobody in the hurry, it will be over a week, maybe 10 days until we will get warm again.

Can I get some compensation? Deduction from rent? Would be good to get some electric heaters. Just talking to the landlord I am accumulating international call bills.

Get in touch with the citizens advice bureau. I think this could be illegal to leave you without heat /& hot water but do seek advice from Cab. Are you renting directly from the landlord or via an agency?

you are not hostages. Things do go wrong with houses. In the real world at this time of year it can take 10 days to get boilers fixed, but action should be started as soon as possible after your call. If landlord consistently slow/lazy/unwilling then take your business elsewhere.

everyone should have electric heaters as a standby, whether owner or renter.

skype the landlord for a penny a minute.

you are renting from the landlord whether or not an agency is involved.

Specialsubject, this is a very cynical exploitative attitude of landlords you are conveying. Threating people like shit, and abusive.

How can I take my business elsewere? I need to serve 2 months notice ?

How can I plugg in electric heater if the electricity goes off if I do?

Why should I have electric heater anyway, why should I skype, it is not my obligation under the tenancy agreement, unlike landlords obligations for repairs...

Why does it take 10 days if it can take 3 - they have a quote ready to go...

That is ridiculous. Is there a managing agent?
The landlord should have someone come out immediately. Either he pays for the emergency repair, or he should have insurance to cover it.

I would call the council. Some have environmental health areas that deal with dickheads like this.

Thanks for the ideas. The insurance is intewresting.

about to report the post that said my FACTS were abusive. Someone has clearly never run their own house.

bye.

I manage a flat for my dad through power of attorney, sadly he's too ill to do it himself. Anyway, last year pipes burst. No water for one day then wet patch on carpet dealt with with a. Dehumidifier. I substracted 2 days' rent for each tenant, which they were happy with. The agents pushed me todo that and I was in agreement because I felt good relations with tenants were important.

Issue was dealt with day after it arose. Don t see why it should take 10 days.

Firstly, I do totally sympathcize, as we've been in your position ourselves, no heating & hot water for six weeks in winter and an electrical problem with meant electric heaters couldn't be run on a certain circuit, one of which was our lounge. Obviously you do need to be happy that your landlord he giving the matter his immediate attention, but obviously he does need to speak to the engineer, get a quote for the work and have chance to consider if it would cost less elsewhere.

Our engineer has a brilliant reputation and I totally trust him, but last winter when I contacted him he'd had 23 breakdowns reported that day, so I had to be patient and get in the queue. Two years ago he took five days to attend and when he did the boiler couldn't be repaired (backed up by speaking to manucfacturer). We did decide to get other quotes for a new boiler as we suspected other engineers would be cheaper (which took two weeks to come in) but in the end we went back to him and he fitted a new one four weeks after instruction. I really do know it's no fun, but what I'm trying to say is that you can have a timescale problem whether you rent or privately own.