MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Our boiler packed in 6 weeks ago last Thursday so for the coldest weeks of the year we had no heating or hot water. It's taken our landlord 6 weeks to get us a new boiler which is just not on so how do we go about getting some rent back off him? It's a HMO flat in Glasgow so he's well broken his HMO terms. We have asked him directly but obviously he said no so what legal ways can we do it?
He is registered and all that and the flat's registered to him etc so it's all legal enough in those respects.
He did give us electric heaters but they're fantastically expensive, any way we could be getting some dosh for 'lecy bill too?
Ta!
Read this:
Key bit:
"If the landlord fails to get repairs
done after being told about them:
• the tenant can sue the landlord in court. The court can
award damages, and order repairs to be done. Get
advice before taking court action
• where the landlord has been told about the need for
repairs, and failed to do them, a tenant can contact
their local council who have new powers, under Part 1
of the Housing Act 2004, to carry out an assessment
of the property using the new Housing, Health and
Safety Rating System (HHSRS)"
Is this the case in Scotland though?
I would have died for 6 weeks or wear my winter cycling gear inside.
6wks?! was it that busy?
I'm suprised he hasn't even offered to lower the rent for a month. I guess money must have been tight for him?
It has been a mad period since the new year for the heating industry with thousands and thousands of breakdowns so I'd imagine getting someone to quote for, order and install a new boiler would take some time. I know a lot of suppliers have been out of stock of some models of boiler such has been the demand.
We rent our house out and rent another to live in ourselves and as a Landlord I would have given you some heaters (which he did) and reimburse you some of the extra electricity verses the cost you would have incured in gas for the central heating. Depending on the size of the house/flat £50 should do it. Maybe a bit more if the house is very big or very drafty. I'd be happy with that arrangment if the shoe was on the other foot and it was the house I rent.
Things do go wrong in life and even if it was your house it would not have been an overnight fix. We refuse to do any work on the house we rent out now without the tenants there after a past tenant made false claims abut missing items - and finding times that suit you or your contracters and the tenants can also slow things down too. If you like the place, want to stay and previously had a good relationship with the landlord I wouldn't get too worked up.
Six weeks is a PITA, definitely. Can't comment on Scottish regs or tradesmen availability, but if he was actively trying to get it done, but not able to wave a magic wand, I guess you'll not get very far. I've been a landlord for more than ten years now, and have three regular heating engineers I can call on. It took a long time to find reliable guys who will do a good job and not take the piss on pricing. I can usually get one of them next day for a diagnosis/quick repair, but even with using them regularly, a boiler swap last year before the winter rush started needed nearly two weeks notice. As a landlord I never want to fall out with a tenant, since voids are a huge kick in the wallet, so I'd personally be looking to waive some of the rent to compensate if asked nicely. Get some accurate figures on how much extra it's costing you and put them to him, in writing, and see how you get on.
Also so you can turn to your local goverment for rental advice
and get them to true value the rental income too.
They will inforce all works and also correct rental
But you may fined the Landlord will not increase
your rental period.
I haven't had my merino wool base layer off for the past 6 weeks!
This is our 2nd year in the flat and he's been alright with us until the upstairs shower started to leak to downstairs (it's a big 2 floor flat) - which still hasn't been sorted! That was about 5 months ago.
There had been various people at our flat having a look at the boiler and they all said different prices, I think what took him so long is he was trying to hold it off until he got a good price but 6 weeks is just not on.
I'll ever so kindly ask him again for some dosh and if he says no then it's off to the council I think.
Thanks for replying everyone!