Hot water/heating in rental property - help!

[swiftt]

I’ve just moved into a rented property yesterday. It has ancient electric storage heaters. The one in the hall is working fine, but the ones in bedroom and living room are ice cold this morning after being on the same setting as the one in the hall all night. It’s absolutely freezing, I had to dig out extra blankets last night and I don’t really have spare cash to buy some plug-in heaters at the moment. I also can’t seem to get the hot water to heat - before I call my letting agent, am I being daft? Is there something obvious I need to do/try? I’ve always had gas, never just electric so this is new to me. Thanks in advance.

@IwillrunIwillfly oh good idea! I had one of those in my last flat, was so handy.

You can get electric heaters which heat at a very low temperature but work well if you leave them on and are very economical, I think they are called skirting heaters. Long and then. You can also put them on a timer (a time switch) so they come on a few hours overnight. And I would also look at insulation- check that your windows are well insulated and that if you’re on the top floor there is insulation in the roof.

www.screwfix.com/p/hd907-9q-freestanding-oil-filled-radiator-2000w/3730p

Can you get this to tide you over? I.e. to use instead of the storage heaters.... I’ve had recent heating problems and was amazed at how much heat this pumped out.

@CarHire101 this is the exact heater I got when having storage heater dramas too. I second this!

@gretagreengrapes
Yes actually come to think I remember renting back in 2012 and we had storage heaters. It was a modern apartment and but unfortunately lots of glazing/floor to ceiling windows. It seemed incredible at the time that we were getting to live in this flat but we soon discovered that it was constantly cold and we used the heaters with timers (they left black marks on the walls). Despite paying a good amount for electrify each month when we got our final bill before moving out it was so high and eye watering! Think like a thousand between us we had to pay.

Never ever using storage heaters again.

stupid arty-farty floor to ceiling windows will leak heat whatever you do, that 'architect' wants disbarring.

smart meters make no difference to energy use. They are handy if your meter is awkward to read for any reason but otherwise, they aren't for your benefit. Getting that economy 7 (or even 10) needs to be the OP's highest priority. As well as getting the heaters fixed of course.

I did a uswitch comparison this morning. It said ‘we believe you have an economy 7 meter, is this correct?’ When I input my details. There are 2 meter readings, labelled as 1 and 2 so I assume it is. I’ve got a new tariff that’s around 8p night rate and 17p day rate so hopefully that’s reasonable. I do find smart meters easier to monitor usage so will be getting one installed.

Thanks for all the advice, it’s much appreciated.

those are good rates indeed. There will be a standing charge but that is what it is.

find out the night rate times and do your very best to use them as much as possible as it will halve your usage bill. If economy 10 is available that is well worth chasing, it gives you a handy cheap time during the day to boost storage heaters and hot water.

oh, and make sure the readings are the right way round once the tariff starts! Smart meter install doesn't guarantee no cockups.

@murbblurb thank you. This may be a stupid question, but do the storage heaters know when it’s night rate time to charge if that makes sense? As in, can I leave the input dial set all the time and only adjust the output as necessary? Or do I have to switch the input down to zero during the day then increase it again at night?

They will only be connected to the night supply so they will only charge up when the supply is live. Usually something like 12-7

@dalrympy great, thank you!

and yes, leave the input dial set and adjust output as needed. You've basically got a 'tank' of heat that only refills during the economy 7 or 10 hours.

Are you with a letting agent?
Regardless, the Landlord or Letting agent should have explained the heating system to you when you arrived. Did you have a handover and inventory check?

Good landlords provide a folder with all the manuals for the appliances and details of things like how the heating works, bin days etc.

It’s very poor to send someone into a new property in December with no heating. You said someone is coming in Monday, but have they offered you any emergency plug in heaters to keep you going until then? Lack of heat and hot water is an emergency and Landlords should be able to provide a way to get heat via temporary heaters.

It’s not a good start to the tenancy to be honest. Watch out for the Landlord, as it doesn’t seem like they’ve started you off well and they have left you without heat for 3 days at least.

@WombatChocolate yes, I’m with a letting agency. I bought plug in heaters out of my own pocket, I figured they would be handy to have anyway. I was sent an inventory to agree or disagree with, picked up the keys from the office and that was it.

I’m a bit annoyed now though as I’ve also s discovered that, whilst there is a washing machine in the kitchen, it hasn’t actually been plumbed in. I’ve shown a picture of under the sink to my friend who was going to do it for me, and they’ve said that they won’t be able to do it because there isn’t a cut off point (I don’t know what this means) and it’s dangerous that the sockets are under the sink. So now I’m going to be without a washing machine for even longer.

That is no necessarily true re. Washing machine. Regulations change and there may be a shut off above the worktops. Ask the electrician to check it.

@LIZS thanks, I will do. I’m just a bit miffed that it seems like the property wasn’t really ready for a tenant yet they let me move in anyway. No heating, hot water or washing machine and it will likely be more than a week without these by the time they are fixed. I’ll also need to stay home from work for electricians etc coming out. Not a great start!

I couldn't find my hot water tank. It turned out there was a cupboard in the kitchen they'd plonked a dishwasher in front of and hung a cabinet. on the doorframe so it was completely hidden.

Storage heaters are rubbish and expensive but they should work, contact your agent.

You should email the letting agent and detail and the problems and the date each has been identified. Tell them the property was clearly not ready to be inhabited and that applicances (washing machine) and services (hot water and heating) which are key elements if what you’re paying for have not been available. Point out it is December and that it is very cold. Say it is unacceptable and no temporary solutions such as plug in heaters have been offered nor compensation and you are very disappointed that they would leave you as a vulnerable person who is pregnant without heat and hot water.
I would ask them what their official complaints process is and that you are keeping careful records of the issues and your communications.

It is unacceptable. You do t have to rectify and pay for these things such as the washing machine being plumbed in. Don’t just accept it and out up with it. You are paying lots of money and not receiving the service and facilities you have paid for.

If you find other issues, definitely nite them down. Always inform the letting agent in writing (email) and ask them for the timeframe that these issues will be sorted out.

Sorry you’ve had to put up with this nonsense.

I think you could ask the letting agent to be present to let the electrician in, given they let you move in with no heating from the word go. However, it might be useful to see the electrician so you can ask about all the things you cannot find.

@WombatChocolate thanks for the advice. I am definitely sending them an email and will be phoning again on Monday. I was willing to let go the heating and hot water as long as it was resolved quickly, but it feels like I’m just finding more and more issues. I’d be a lot more understanding if these things happened down the line, but at the point of moving in I just don’t think it’s acceptable.

We have storage heaters. We have them all on full downstairs and our electric bill is £110 a month. We also leave the immersion on all the time for hot water (you don't need to do this if it's just you there, it should heat overnight anyway). The myth that the heaters last forever is untrue. The bricks do start not holding heat as well as they should but it sounds like yours aren't heating up at all. It could be the element but the electrician will work it out. On the plus side if they're really old they don't make the elements to fit them anymore and they'll have to replace them and the newer ones are much more efficient.

@Gooseygoosey12345 that’s good to know, thank you. I still have no idea where the hot water tank or switch is, the only place left that I haven’t looked is the loft. That’s what I was hoping for about the heaters too, fingers crossed they need replaced. They do look ancient!

It's strange! Mine is in an airing cupboard and the switch is right next to it. Fingers crossed they'll replace the heaters for you!

take a photo of your consumer unit(s) ("fuseboxes") with the flapopen so the numbers on the breakers, and the labeld by them, can be read, please.

Have you found a hot water cylinder yet? I is normal in a house with storage heaters. A poor alternative is a small electric water heater under a sink, usually holding about 5 litres.

Storage heaters have an overheat cutout inside. In rental and student homes they often trip or melt when people put clothes or washing on top to dry or air, which insulates the heater and prevents heat escaping. An electrician is usually needed to replace or reset it.

@PigletJohn haven’t found a cylinder yet. Nothing under the sink. The only place left could be the loft.