Renting with no central heating

[seventeenlittleducks]

A family member of mine is currently renting a place with no central heating, they can't afford to run electric heaters so they have no heat at all. I was wondering if landlords had any obligation to provide a heat source? They also have no downstairs lighting because of an issue with wiring which the landlord has yet to sort out but isn't really bothered.
Just wondering if there's an advice I could give to them. Thank you

I'm not sure about the heating issue, if they rented the house without central heating I suppose it could be argued they agreed to either provide their own or do without. The lighting should be repaired though, that's a basic requirement and the lack of it is a safety hazard.

The best advice would be to speak to Shelter or the CAB.

Each habitable room needs to have a heat source provided by the landlord. If the property doesn't have central heating, then electric heaters or similar

Hope the landlord is reducing the rent for such a poor quality dwelling!

Does the property have any heating system fitted?

No radiators or anything if they need heat they have to use electric heaters and pay for the privilege which they can't afford

The problem is that when they viewed the property, they would have seen there was no central heating. The tenants issue is that they cannot afford to run the electric heaters, which isn't the landlords fault. Can they speak to the electric supplier to see if there is a better tariff? And also investigate any schemes in the local area that offers cavity wall insulation if this isn't present currently

There is no such explict law in england, but...

• there is a set of accommodation standards which can be enforced by environmental health. Who would also be interested in lack of lighting.
• as of next year, no new tenancies for anywhere with epc below e, and no renting these at all after 2020. (This is for private landlords, social housing associations unsurprisingly exempt)

The best way to deal with slumlords is not to rent from them. Even if this means leaving London.

They should definitely shop around for electricity! Also, some people on a low income can get help with fuel costs during the winter: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/

What kind of heaters do they have? Is it the kind that blow hot air? I ask because the oil filled type are pretty cheap to run - they have thermostats so only come on when needed.

I'm not sure about cavity wall insulation, sorry.

Electric heaters aren't necessarily that expensive. I used to have some modern dimplex ones in a flat a few years ago and my bills were peanuts.

Unless they rented the property with heating and it has broken down there is no obligation on ll to supply.

energy from electricity currently costs about four times as much as energy from gas, so those peanuts will be expensive.

All electric heaters are equally efficient, so the brand makes no difference.

my own preference is oil-filled radiators because they are safer (burns and fires) and give a more steady warmth.

Piglet, I don't know the numbers but remember being surprised that my utility bills were considerably lower than those of friends living in flats with central heating.

If they’ve rented the place without central heating, then no, the LL doesn’t have an obligation to install it. Is the place properly insulated? Is it damp? These are things that the LL should take care of.

I would imagine it would become damp quickly with no heating!

Just breathing and showering creates a great deal of condensation that won’t evaporate in the cold. If they have to hang damp clothes indoors, it will be worse.

It’s shortsighted of the landlord, as the property will suffer. And with the grants available to tenants on low incomes, private landlords can get a grant which will cover a free boiler and installation. That’s how they are increasing the energy efficiency of rented homes.

sort of... here's the English system for this:

www.gov.uk/energy-company-obligation

We used to rent houses without central heating- there were gas fires in the downstairs rooms (checked every year) but that's all- that's why they were cheap enough for us to afford to live in that area! (v. v. naice area)
Properties are leased 'as seen', surely?