I moved into a rather old property recently, and thought it would be okay to heat due to its high energy rating- however this is not the case at all. Somehow the property was rated a C and passed on its electric, with no insulation, a dodgy boiler, radiators that don’t get hot and no properly working ventilation fan or shower in the bathroom. The house can just about get to 15° now that the temperature has dropped, but will only sustain that temperature for about an hour. The bathroom, even with a working radiator does not heat up at all really, to the point we can see our breath when in there.
Heating this place seems both expensive and impossible- I really don’t know what to do.
You should start by reporting this issue to the agent/landlord in case there is something youre not aware of with the controls. Ask him how the place got a C rating on the EPC. If the situation doesnt improve and he wont release you from the contract, call in the Environmental Health Officer who will force him to deal with the issue.
Sounds like the boiler is broken. That’s a £4,000 bill for the landlord! If the boiler was working and if at least one radiator was working then that radiator would be hot. But if ALL radiators are basically cold (15 degrees is cold) or minimally warm then it means it is highly unlikely that it is just a bleeding problem. It is possible it is just the pump in the boiler is broken, that’s only £400 to replace. But if heat exchanger is blocked that’s a new boiler. You need to tell landlord to take action now, but tell them clearly THE BOILER IS BROKEN AND I HAVE NO HEAT, don’t dance around with a long explanation. Its the kind of thing that should be fixed as an emergency and within 24-48 hours. And stop paying the rent until it is sorted.
I was in my Apartment for 6 months moved out last week, however the heating didn’t work 3 engineers came out and they had to order a part so it means that they still didn’t fix it before I left so I had no heating for over 4 weeks just had mini heaters from concierge, my landlord says it’s my fault for not checking the heating in summer and won’t reduce my rent or pay my electric bill as it will be sky high using mini heaters and now she’s trying to take my deposit off me for general wear and tear - any advise?
@Troy3 Is deposit lodged with a scheme?
You will have opportunity to contest it if so.
Illegal to not have lodged deposit with scheme.
Is there a check in and check out inventory?
Just suck up the electric bill, you can’t expect LL to pay.
Hey yes there is check out and in inventory but I was the first tenant in the apartment so any marks on walls or eg the cleaning when we left there saying there was light dust on work tops which isn’t possible when it was cleaned day before- just being very picking - deposit was paid via open rent
There are some free government initiatives coming up concerning boilers and insulation. Your landlord might appreciate you looking into these schemes. It could benefit you both.
Older houses tend to be chilly. Perhaps you should look to move to a newer property.