Landlord has made it so I only have hot water at certain times of the day

[Wildrosa]

I’d be so grateful for some advice.

I currently rent, been in the same property almost two years. Last Friday I came home from work and noticed my hot water wasn’t working. I messaged my landlord, he said he’d put on the hot water manually until he could get an electrician out. Yesterday, my landlord messaged, “electrician here setting clock for emersion. What times do you require hot water each day?”. Confused I replied mornings and evenings and then asked if this was temporary. He messaged to say “time clock and power switch were replaced yesterday. Tubes are set daily from 4 - 6am and 6 - 8 pm.”

Am I being unreasonable to think this is ridiculous? I got up early this morning at 7am and had 8 minutes of a lukewarm shower, I’ve come home from a sporting event and the water’s freezing, I’m watching the clock so I can have a hot shower?

Exactly, I had a broken shower not so long ago and in all it took over a week to get fixed as it involved waiting for a plumber to come to find out the problem, waiting for the new part and then waiting for the plumber to fit the new part

I don't rent so just had to put up with it and me and my children worked round it, being a tenant isn't some magic way to get trades to fix things

OP - it reads like you don't understand how water heating works. All but the very rich will have their immersion or boiler on a timer if they have a hot water tank, that's not a problem. Your problem seems to be that something is broken

That’s because you’re not a LL and you didn’t pay for an emergency plumber appointment.

Not sure you should be telling OP how things work if you can't tell that almost two weeks is longer than a week, and you don't know what kind of water system she actually has.

@IrisVersicolor Our heating stopped working last winter and we paid for an emergency appointment . It still took several days to get the replacement part, unfortunately. It happened in January, of course. 🥶

But I absolutely agree that the LL should be paying up for an emergency appointment ( and it sounds as if he isn’t).

That can certainly happen, but that’s not apparently what’s going on here.

If the landlord has already paid a plumber to sort this and it isn't sorted then he probably wants the same plumber back to do the job he's been paid for. If the work was under warranty then getting a second person involved will probably void that.

@Porcupineintherough Thats what a homeowner would do, but from what sone posters are saying, it sounds as if landlords can’t do this, they have to get it fixed quickly, regardless of cost?

It’s not a plumber it’s an electrician. It’s an immersion heater not a boiler.

He may prefer to get same tradesman back but his obligation is to get this sorted asap.

Are you being obtuse on purpose?
Obviously I mean a rent reduction for the period that she didn’t (well, doesn't, as it's ongoing) have hot water. And by 'the new hot-water terms' I mean for the current situation ie she should be paying less while this issue is ongoing.

@DameHelena It wasn't addressed to you.

Regardless, the point stands. People are talking about rent reduction/renegotiation for now, not for when it's fixed.

@IrisVersicolor Yes, so he can't wait for the same tradesman to be available, he has to pay whatever it takes to get it fixed quickly whether it voids warranties or not. That's the legal position for landlords? I genuinely don't know.

@DameHelena Fair enough. I was thrown by the term “renegotiate, “ it sounded like a longer term change, not a one-off discount for this inconvenience.

The fact that electricians don't arrive when you whistle for them is not the OP's problem to fix, and not a problem she should have to putbupbwith without remedy.

The LL should offer a substantial rent reduction for the huge inconvenience to the OP and he should be calling every electrician in the county to get this basic amenity back for his tenant.

If OP owned her home she'd have to wait like the rest of us. I'm pretty sure that there's no magic portal through which landlords can get trades people when we can't, because renters are special.

I'd expect landlords to act quickly and proactively as soon as they hear of a problem, but I don't expect them to have magic wands either.

Have you actually gone next door to speak to the landlord?

People talking about Shelter and solicitors are crazy!

What you need to do OP is go round and speak to the landlord about how the hot water works.

Ask why it's cold if the tank is heated during the hours he has stated. Ask if anyone else is using the water in the tank.

Because if nobody else is using it (as 100pps have said) there should be plenty of hot water for you to use at any time of day. That's how hot water tanks work. Unless they are broken.

Just talk, for goodness sake.

You don’t have to wait that’s the point you simply book an emergency appt. The only delay would be for parts. They’ve got new parts, they just need them to work.

If it's one of those instant hot water boilers so only the water in the pipes is heated when it's on perhaps? That's why a tank wouldn't be heated up? But then you'd get hot water instantly 24 hours a day. Sounds odd and unacceptable.

You really need to talk to him to get it put on 24 hours, that's ridiculous!

@saraclara

Landlords have responsibilities.

They are obliged to abide by the terms of the lease and to provide amenities the tenant is paying for.

If the tenant no longer enjoys the amenities she is paying for then some remedy is necessary on the part of the LL. The remedy can be financial or practical.

Obviously there are practical difficulties, but holding out for the same electrician who ballsed the job up the first time isn't a good faith attempt to provide a practical remedy to a very pressing problem.

A financial remedy is a reduction in rent, either temporary or permanent.
A temporary reduction would reflect the lack of hot water until the electrician can get there.
A permanent reduction would reflect the fundamental change to the conditions of the lease that partial provision of hot water from now on represents.

I rent, and was given a temporary rent reduction while my LL sourced a part for the oven in my apartment and a handyman to fit it, a quest that took six weeks. My LL is currently looking for someone to fix the communal clothes dryer in the basement and has offered a reduction in rent based on the cost of washing and drying two loads per week in a local laundromat until the repair can be done. This is fair imo.

@mathanxiety Completely agree with this.

Just my personal opinion, but it's probably easier to buy and install a new dryer, might even be cheaper if he's giving a rent reduction to multiple tenants!

If there is a timer it suggests you have a hot water tank. It doesn't sound like it's working at all. 2 hours morning and evening should give plenty of hot water. Though I question the right of LL to impose this on you.
Could you ask for bills to be split so you pay less rent and your own fuel bills?
I had a timer fitted recently to my immersion heater. Can you see one near the tank? If so can you look at the timings? Mine has a "booster" button which gives an extra hour without affecting timings.

I suspect a new dryer will be in place soon, @Cameleongirl. The current dryer has been there since 2011 and has done yeoman service.

OP seems to have disappeared, so I suspect it was a storm in a teacup and hot water has now been restored!