Issue with water in rental property.

yellowcrayon

Im having a bit of an issue at the moment with my landlord; our hot water, for some reason or another, is not working. Its been like this for the last 5 days.

This is a reoccurring issue and it happens approx every 2-3 months, and is especially bad in the winter and we are without hot water for days at a time.

Our landlord came over a few days ago and said that he sensed for the last few weeks that there was an issue, but he didnt tell us, and we couldnt tell. (We live next door to our landlord and everything is inter-connected.)

He's promised that a plumber will come over, but no one ever does, and for the last 3 days he's been coming in and having a bit of a fiddle with the taps and the shower (which obviously isnt going to fix it).

My question is, how long does a landlord have to rectify an issue like this? I mean, we really need the hot water and havent been able to have a shower or bath for days.

Ray Palmer

I have spent over 4 months trying to get my own heating sorted out. The plumber regularly didn't turn up and also claimed the problem was fixed when it wasn't

LL suffer the same problems as everybody else when dealing with tradesmen. It may be out of LL control.

drumswan

Ray Palmer wrote: »

I have spent over 4 months trying to get my own heating sorted out. The plumber regularly didn't turn up and also claimed the problem was fixed when it wasn't

LL suffer the same problems as everybody else when dealing with tradesmen. It may be out of LL control.

LOL, good man Ray. Unfortunately provision of hot water is a basic tenet of a rental agreement, if a LL is not professional enough to have such a simple issue resolved promptly he has no business operating as a landlord, or at least should not be renting that particular property.

OP, you are paying for a service, the landlord is failing to provide one of the basic standards required in the Residential Tenancies act and thus is breaking the lease agreement you signed with him.

Give him reasonable written notice to have the issue fixed once and for all, document everything, contact Threshold/the PRTB and look to move.

djimi

The landlord being able to show that they are trying to get hold of a plumber will buy them some time, but ultimately if the property is without hot water for a period of time then the tenant has every right to start to asking questions as to what the landlord intends to do to resolve the issue in a timely fashion. When you are paying rent for a property that does not have a basic service like hot water then a landlord saying that its out of their control isnt really good enough.

K.Flyer

You may also propose to your Landlord, that because it has been a long term issue and he has not been able to get the problem resolved himself, that you are going to get someone to fix it and you will be deducting said cost from the rent. If you do go down this route do make sure you get an official detailed invoice from whoever you get to carry out the repairs.

yellowcrayon

Thank you for the quick replies

I understand that it can be hard to get tradesmen to commit to coming to your house on a certain day/time and actually arrive.. which is why I havent completely flipped my lid at my landlord... yet.

We've been living here for 3 years and Ive explained to the landlord that unfortunately I cant be without hot water for much longer and cant continue to wash myself and children with wet wipes and cold water.

@djimi: is it reasonable to ask the landlord for proof that he's contacted a plumber? I have an awful feeling he hasnt contacted one at all because he just keeps coming into my house fiddling with my taps and shower and Id say he's hoping it'll fix itself.. I just wonder, because I mean, i cant really demand to see text messages/call logs to a plumber, can i?

yellowcrayon

Thanks for the idea K.Flyer. Does the landlord have to agree to this or can he demand that he picks a plumber to come and fix it?

djimi

yellowcrayon wrote: »

@djimi: is it reasonable to ask the landlord for proof that he's contacted a plumber? I have an awful feeling he hasnt contacted one at all because he just keeps coming into my house fiddling with my taps and shower and Id say he's hoping it'll fix itself.. I just wonder, because I mean, i cant really demand to see text messages/call logs to a plumber, can i?

Well the landlord is obliged to fix issues like this in a timely fashion, so if he keeps messing about with it himself then yes, I dont see any issue with you asking for proof that he has sought outside assistance, or at least for some kind of written confirmation of the steps that he is taking to resolve the issue and the time frame which he expects to work to.

Ray Palmer

drumswan wrote: »

LOL, good man Ray. Unfortunately provision of hot water is a basic tenet of a rental agreement, if a LL is not professional enough to have such a simple issue resolved promptly he has no business operating as a landlord, or at least should not be renting that particular property.

Can you explain the magical abilities you obtain when you become a LL?:p

I mean I have been doing it for 20 years at this point and still find it hard to get a tradesman to turn up and actually fix a problem. I have managed massively expensive projects but according to you I am not a professional because a tradesman doesn't turn up or resolve the problem.

I can be pretty sure you have never actually had to deal with such a problem because you would know that it is nothing to do with the LL being professional or not.

To meet legal requirement a LL can shove in a instant shower and they are done. Not as good as repairing the water heating system.

djimi

The point is how you fix the problem is your own business; the bottom line is that the tenant is paying you rent for a property which is legally obliged to have the facility to provide hot water. If you cannot provide hot water, for whatever reason, then the tenant is entitled to start asking why they are paying you rent and to start to seek to have the lease terminated if necessary. Its up to you to find a way to get a plumber to the property to fix the issue in a timely fashion; how you do it is of no concern of the tenant.

yellowcrayon

Ray Palmer wrote: »

I mean I have been doing it for 20 years at this point and still find it hard to get a tradesman to turn up and actually fix a problem. I have managed massively expensive projects but according to you I am not a professional because a tradesman doesn't turn up or resolve the problem.

I havent seen a plumber in 3 years so I thinks its probably just my landlord that's assumed to be unprofessional

Djimi, thanks for the replies, they've been helpful . I think at this stage Im being a little soft with my landlord and I think I'll call in to him this evening and ask for a timeframe for this to be fixed. We're into day 5 without water so I dont really mind at this stage what has to be done to fix it.

drumswan

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Can you explain the magical abilities you obtain when you become a LL?:p

It doesnt take 'magical abilities' to engage a plumber to fix a hot water supply within a three year period.

K.Flyer

yellowcrayon wrote: »

Thanks for the idea K.Flyer. Does the landlord have to agree to this or can he demand that he picks a plumber to come and fix it?

TBH I am not 100% sure of the legal aspect of it, but I have done work for L.L.s and Tenants alike where the Tenent has paid for the work and deducted it from the rent.

yellowcrayon

Thanks for the replies. The issue was fixed today by the landlord himself... he went into the house this morning without permission whilst I was at work (a whole separate issue now) to fix it.

Here's hoping its fixed permanently

foggy_lad

yellowcrayon wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. The issue was fixed today by the landlord himself... he went into the house this morning without permission whilst I was at work (a whole separate issue now) to fix it.

Here's hoping its fixed permanently

You should get yourself out of that place, no landlord should enter your home without permission and prior notice, report this to the PRTB.