Broken Boiler

[andy967]

HI - our boiler broke yesterday - our landlord is currently waiting for a quote for a new boiler - however one of the problems we have is that she lives abroad. It consequently means she's able to speak to people in the uk about any sort of business matter for 3 hours in the afternoon. I'm wondering where we stand as tenants with regard how long it takes her to get a new boiler in place, pretty cold in the UK and we don't have hot water either. We have had a number of problems with the property and the landlord has taken time to get them fixed. Normally I wouldn't mind as much but with heating / hot water its something I'm highly concerned in regard to it getting resolved quickly.
Anyone got any advice - I'm happy to be flexible with things and appreciate things can take a bit of time - but I'm wondering what's considered reasonable when the issue is heating/hot water
cheers

[JK0]

Being a tenant of course means you should have repairs arranged far faster than a homeowner could manage.

[andy967]

No not at all - I'm conscious that repairs that might have been considered not urgent have taken sometime in the past - this i'd regard as urgent - and I'm just wondering what people think is reasonable - I've also got to factor in the fact there is only 3 hours during the day that the issue can even be looked at! I'm just wondering at what point (and hopefully it doesn't come to that) I'd need to go further.

[AndrewDod]

I won't deal with the legal issues/address for service of landlords who live abroad here.

I would

a) Write to landlord to say that you wish to purchase 3 or 4 electric heaters in the meanwhile, and you wish to subtract that from your rent. Also say that you would wish her to pay any excess electricity costs (minus gas savings) over the period. Regardless how how she responds, go ahead and do that (wait a day or so to make sure it is not something simple and will be repaired immediately) making sure your expenditure is reasonable.

b) Do you have an electric shower? If so, the lack of hot water is a trivial issue.

c) With your electric heaters you really will be in a similar position to that if the heating system was working.

Make sure everything is well documented. Remain polite.

Depending on the problem/cause it is reasonable for it to take however long a homeowner would take to find a DECENT workman (not just the first who answers the phone). However she has to get on to dealing with it today. It may take weeks to get a new boiler quoted and fitted.

Also offer to facilitate the repair (waiting in for workmen etc) as far as possible.

[andy967]

Unfortunately we don't have an electrical shower - the boiler has been faulty a number of times, and yeah we always make sure we are available to facilitate any repairs (and there have been a lot believe me!)

[JK0]

No immersion heater, I take it?

[DPT57]

You could suggest the landlord allows you to sign up to one of the many repair contracts around (eg British Gas) and deduct the monthly charge from the rent. You could then arrange the engineer visit to suit you.

[leaseholder64]

The first figures that Google returned ( https://www.gght.org.uk/home-repairs...riorities.aspx ) were between 4 and 48 hours to a restoration of heating, depending on detailed circumstances. That includes, for example, loads of fan heaters, rather than a repaired boiler. In general, only social landlords quote such figures.

It's a condition of my council's selective licensing that there should be provision for handling emergencies if the landlord is absent.

[Muzza]

I live in the US at the moment, 7 hours behind the UK, yes its difficult BUT when my boiler broke I had someone out within 2 days, one thing she should have in place is a boiler cover or she should have tradesmen lined up who she trusts so if something goes wrong she can get in touch with them immediately, its not acceptable to be without heating or hot water for any longer than a day or two in my opinion.

[MisterB]

its not acceptable to be without heating or hot water for any longer than a day or two in my opinion.

thats your opinion NOT fact.

as others have pointed out, its not always that simple. there is nothing to stop the OP going out and getting heaters is there? if I was that cold thats exactly what I would do.

beg steal borrow or heaven forbid actually buy one if its that bad. when someone is that cold its not about who pays, what went wrong, its about keeping warm !

I do think it is a good idea though for an overseas or distant landlord to have some sort of emergency cover that the tenant (or agent) can access