Tenant got a heat pump installed without consent

[Kimmers4334]

I am in two minds about this because it’s an upgrade to the property, but it’s a pretty significant and permanent thing that I’m now responsible for.

So as not to dripfeed, the tenant asked if they could have an appointment to see if the property would qualify for any upgrades. I agreed but was very clear that I’d want to see plans/recommendations before I agreed to having anything installed. I heard nothing further and then the letting agent sent me a certificate for work I know nothing about. There is a good chance I would’ve agreed to the heat pump, but that would depend on me having all the information. On principle I am pretty annoyed that the tenant, letting agent and installation company didn’t actually seek permission to go ahead at any point.
What would you do in this situation, complain to someone (letting agent? Installation company?), see it as breach of contract by the tenant, or just let it go as it does benefit the property?

I’ve not read all the responses but what has happened to the existing boiler?!

Because they will not have a maritime climate like the UK, where temperatures can swing 10 or 12 degrees from one day to the next. Heat pumps rely on using a very slow and steady heat throughout the winter, and then conserving it. They are not suitable for much of the housing stock within the UK.

Even if this were not true, It is the OP's house. You simply do not undertake major works to somebody else's property without their written permission and involvement throughout the process. That way lies madness.

OP, you need to take advice on this fast.

As someone who has had to find my way through a heat pump problem, this is what I'd do (I'm not an expert so don't treat this as fact!)

Find out the name and address of the company who installed the ASHP.

If possible find out if they did all work in-house or did they subcontract out eg. to an electrician, plumber or gas engineer - were they all legit, qualified and insured?

Get hold of the contract for the work.

Identify what work they actually did eg. an energy audit and production of figures to show that a heat pump was a viable solution - you should have seen this, extra insulation, installation of internal heating systems, adaption or replacement of the water tank, removal of an old gas heating/boiler system, installation of control systems or whatever.

Take photos of everything that's been changed. Keep any photos you have of these parts of the property before the work was done.

As far as I know, the government grants are managed by Ofgem.

To be eligible to supply heat pumps through the government grant scheme the installation company has to be registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to make sure they are being managed properly and are technically competent.

But also to be registered with MCS, the installer has to be a member of a Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) approved consumer protection code. I think there are only two of these codes covering heat pumps: HIES (Home Insulation and Energy Systems) or RECC (Renewable Energy Consumer Code). My gut feeling is that not getting the owner's explicit permission to do the work would be breaking a lot of rules.

All of these organisations have long lists of things that the installer must stick to to retain registration/membership status. They must also adhere to a load of legislation and have enough insurance in place. If they don't follow the rules they can ultimately be blocked from offering government grants in the future and there may be other sanctions if they are breaking the law.

I suggest you call MCS - https://mcscertified.com/ - explain the situation and ask for their guidance as to how to move forwards. They should have a record of whether HIES or RECC are the relevant consumer code for your installer. It's a minefield but I found MCS useful as a starting point for signposting to other organisations.

The heat pump (and possibly other components) will almost certainly need an annual service. It may have implications for your landlord electrical safety checks. If a gas boiler has been disconnected, I would suspect you might also need to get the gas safety check redone. If existing gas appliances have been disconnected but the meter is still in place, there will still be a liability for the standing charge.

If, after all, the heat pump has been properly installed and you decide to keep it, you may still need full records of the work for future buyers as well as for your own insurance.

Tell your insurers what has happened. Do you have legal cover as a landlord? This might be time to make use of it.

Is it possible there's a connection between the agents and the heat pump installers? e.g. they're related or the agent gets a kick back?

I looked into getting a heat pump for my UK 30 YO house. Its brick built, cavity wall insulated, double glazed, all the good stuff. Outcome was that the repayment time would be more years than I likely have on earth and yeah the saving would be even less if I wanted to be able to control the heat like you can with a gas boiler.

The vast majority of new builds now have heat pumps. Those houses are much better insulated and designed to work with a heat pump which is different to OPs but it simply isn’t true to suggest they aren’t suited to a British climate. Most new housing stock in the last 5 years or so (atleast) would have been built with a heat pump.