Tenants have no hot water for 3 days wwyd?

[Stylistica]

That's it, boiler waiting on a part, can't get it sooner, wwyd? tenants, what would you expect? landlords what would you do?

Lucky it's very mild weather where we are at the moment..

Thanks!

As a tenant I wouldn't exactly be happy but if I were kept informed with what was going on that would improve things. Is it possible to have a warm shower or is there completely no hot water at all, apart from boiling a kettle?

Needs more information. Is this no hot water to the taps only, or also to the shower? (Our shower is electric, so if the hot water tank gave out we could still shower because it's a separate system). They still have heating, as well? Also, what sort of family are they? An adult couple is different from a family with a small baby or toddlers, adults could make do for a few days but with a baby it'd be much harder.

Three days isn't very long. If it happened to me and DP, and the shower still worked, I'd suck it up, in fact in our previous flat we had no hot water for three weeks when the immersion heater gave out on us several times in a row and a succession of semi-qualified blokes vaguely known to the landlady had a look at it and made tutting noises. Without a shower, or if I had DC, I might be making grumblings at the landlady that this part cannot possibly be sold out everywhere in the country, and can't it be ordered online for next day delivery somewhere?

Depends how nice you want to be to them. We offered a rental discount to our tenants when we discovered a leak in the ensuite and it had to be ripped out, left to dry and then rebuilt.

Conversely, when we were tenants and the dishwasher broke, it took the LL nearly two weeks to organise a replacement. Once the new one was installed he sent us a $50 voucher for a restaurant to thank us for our patience.

So - 3 days with no hot water - as long as you are seen to be doing all you can, not much anyone can do about it. A gesture of goodwill once it's all sorted would be nice if they are good tenants and you want to keep them sweet. Voucher for TGI's or M&S or summat?

3 days is a long time, epsecially if. As a tenant I would want to know you were doing everything in your power (which it sounds like you are) and I would appreciate some words of understanding/compassion for the inconvenience. Can you offer any practical assistance such as a hot shower at yours (if you live nearby)?
If you want to keep things purely professional then I would think a small reduction in rent for that month would go down well. I wouldn't expect a huge amount, more of a token gesture to recognise the PITA factor.

especially if it's a young family

Is there an immersion heater?

Some time ago our boiler broke down and I just didn't know that we had an immersion & could have had hot water .

I was without central heating for a few days in a rented property a couple of years ago, it was bitterly cold and I had my elderly parents staying; I was probably a bit naive as I just went out and bought an electric heater at my own expense.

Thanks for speedy replies, they are a young professional couple no kids, seem appreciative so far that I have kept them informed, I am bummed they can't get an engineer out sooner.

There is no electric shower, so no hot water at all from the taps, or central heating, but no need for it at the moment. Round the corner there is a community sports place that is open until 11pm they could shower there for £2.50 each.

What kind/amount of gesture of goodwill for the inconvenience would be suitable?

Thanks

wish I had put an electric shower in now!! :(

We've just had this OP - boiler broken for almost a week, no hot water at all and no heating. We just sucked it up - landlady sent out boiler repair people, but it took a while for parts to arrive etc. No gesture of goodwill towards inconvenience at all. I was washing my hair using boiled kettles for a few days

I was about to ask about a leisure centre.

I think I'd offer to pay at least that. And maybe a bit more for the extra electricity and inconvenience of having to boil kettles to wash up.

I'd say offer to buy them a fan heater as a temporary measure, and pay for a leisure centre visit each per day, or just offer them, say £50, for the inconvenience.

...and in addition to all that, look at backup for the future.

you can't work miracles, but you can keep chasing and communicating. As you are doing.

If no heating and no showers at all, I'd try to get a small fan heater to them (one of those little ones that only cost £15 or so should suffice as it's only three days, if it were going to be weeks you'd probably have to get one of those oil filled radiators in) and offer to pay for them both to have a shower each day at the leisure center. I'd be really appreciative if a landlord did that in a similar circumstance.

You sound like a brilliant landlady, so don't worry too much!

Thanks all, there is a small fan heater already there if they need it, got it for the last tenants when the heating broke for a day! hence new boiler.. which has now failed!!

OK I'll leave them £50 on Friday for the inconvenience for a nice meal out or something! not sure I'll have time to pick up a voucher... cash talks right?!

Cash back is all you can do really and I hope the tenants appreciate it.

Yep, cash works anywhere, and I'm sure they'll appreciate the gesture. Wish all LLs were as considerate!

I think that + ongoing communication is perfect. These things happen whether you are a tenant or an owner-occupier!

I wouldn't bother with cash to say sorry for the sake of saying sorry. I would refund the rent for the period no hot water and definitely install electric shower.
Am a landlord.

As a tenant, I would have been happy with good communication about what is happening, and LL waiting in for the engineer so I didn't have to take time off.

This was what happened when I lived in an old cottage and the hearing packed in. Plus, LL was a friend and brought a bottle of wine to 'warm me up'

I would have been delighted with cash or rent rebate.

In a different house, i did once get my rent cheque popped back through my letterbox with a note explaninig it was a thankyou for being a 'good tenant' one Christmas. I think she must have had a LOT of trouble with some of her other tenants that year! That was a very nice gesture. I think your tenants will be happy with the cost of showers covering and some cash for a meal out.

Sorry to resurrect a slightly zombie thread. I f anyone's still lurking- I have power of attorney for my dad and so have to deal with his student rental flat. There are agents but basically they like to call out their contractors and charge inflated prices. So I tend to use a builder I know and trust. Last weekend there was a leak over the weekend, I took a day off work on the Monday, it was fixed by the tuesday. The water was off sunday and monday. I offered £60 per person per day water was off.
Now they are coming back to me (via the agent) saying it was 3.5 days, and also the boiler keeps "cutting out" after 10-15 minutes and they want a plumber to come down.
Because I already have a lot on my plate with Dad's dementia (he's a widower and I have to organise all aspects of his care) I am stressed out already, but I'm starting to hate everything to do with this student flat.
I have got back to them via agents saying it's £60 for 2 days (that's a total of £240). I am not able to get a plumber out next week because I want to be there and I am not going to the city in question for another 2 weeks. I have asked him to keep a record of exactly what happens with incidents, times etc. In the past I have been contacted about problems which on closer examination just aren't there, like a broken lock (it absolutely wasn't broken, same old lock, but the agents said it was and that the council had been round to change locks. hmmmm). I am getting daily calls re "problems" even though I spent £10 000 of Dad's money this summer for a refurb. I think the student is either an anxious type, or is trying to get discounts now I've set a precedent. Any insights about how I can handle this so I get fewer calls would be gratefully received.

Have started a new thread re my tenant situation.