No heating at home

Macha

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Emergency plumbing, fixing a leak, replacing a tap etc. is one thing. Finding an RGII plumber to source and install a heater edit: Boiler less than a week before Christmas is quite another.

Here's an idea, OP. You go ahead and see if you can find somebody willing to do it. If you can, for a reasonable price, then contact your landlord and say here's an option I've found.......why don't you go with him or else I'll pay him and reduce the rent accordingly.

If you read back through the thread, you'll see that a plumber advised the landlord to replace the boiler two years ago and told her it wasn't possible to get replacement parts. The fact that she ignored him and allowed this situation to become possible is the sign of a bad landlord.

In Belgium, the tenant is responsible for getting an annual service of the boiler. If a plumber told me this during that service, I would tell my current landlord and he would get it replaced immediately. In fact we had a problem with the old dishwasher not working and he had it replaced within a week. And it's a lot easier to live without a dishwasher than functioning heating system.

Fol20

odyssey06 wrote: »

1.If landlord's aren't prepared for what comes with operating a business then we're all better off if they clear off out of it and sell the property on to an owner occupied,

2.or a landlord that will approach it like a business.

3.Doing his best is not good enough when you are running a business!

4. If your best isn't quick enough, you need to come up with alternatives in the property for heating & hot water.

1. They are leaving with the rental stock shrinking and low and behold rent increasing

2.the only people investing now however it is not meeting demand is REITs ans thats only down to the taxation of these.

3. The governmwnt ironically dont view it as a business and more like unearned non reckonable income

4. Where does it say that is legislation?

Bannasidhe

10pennymixup wrote: »

If the OP wasn't a tenant, but the home owner. Do the "keyboard experts" think that they would be able to perform the same Christmas miracle that they are expecting the LL to pull off?

Can't believe this thread is going on this long.

I'm a home owner.
My boiler broke down 4 days before Xmas 3 years ago.
It cost an eye watering amount of money to get it fixed but I wasn't having my young grand children staying in a house without heating (and yes, I have an open fire/immersion/SER/oil filled rads etc).

It wasn't a miracle. It was expensive.

I have since gotten a new boiler. No need to go to Poland. I had a choice of boilers right here in Cork. I took out insurance that gives me 24/7 365(6) emergency repair cover including boilers- it costs me €158 a year,

The LL (and yes, I have been an LL) has a duty to get the heating repaired ASAP - sending to Poland for a boiler does not constitute ASAP.

Macha

Macha wrote: »

If you read back through the thread, you'll see that a plumber advised the landlord to replace the boiler two years ago and told her it wasn't possible to get replacement parts. The fact that she ignored him and allowed this situation to become possible is the sign of a bad landlord.

That may well be true, but it doesn't change one pertinent fact: YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO SOURCE AND INSTALL A BOILER WITHIN A FORTNIGHT BEGINNING THE WEEK BEFORE XMAS. You just won't. OR you might find one who'll do it for €7k.

Is it the LLs fault it wasn't done sooner? Possibly.
Does it suck for the tenant? Definitely.
Does it make them entitled to want it resolved quickly? No, IMO.
Do either of the above factors mean it can be done any quicker? No way, Jos

Macha wrote: »

In Belgium, the tenant is responsible for getting an annual service of the boiler. If a plumber told me this during that service, I would tell my current landlord and he would get it replaced immediately. In fact we had a problem with the old dishwasher not working and he had it replaced within a week. And it's a lot easier to live without a dishwasher than functioning heating system.

No disrespect, but Belgian regulations and landlord / tenant relationships mean SFA to either the OP or anybody else here but you.

Also, a dishwasher is child's play compared to a gas boiler. I'd say, in a pinch, you could walk out the door now and have a new one installed within 45 mins, depending on where you lived and what sort of transport you had available. I've hooked up dishwashers and washing machines myself with a few pints on me. Daniel O'Donnell can't even do gas boilers.

Bannasidhe

Bannasidhe wrote: »

The LL (and yes, I have been an LL) has a duty to get the heating repaired ASAP - sending to Poland for a boiler does not constitute ASAP.

Maybe it’s a difficult boiler to source. When we finally got a plumber willing to actually do the job for us he then had a lot of trouble sourcing a boiler to fit in the location where the boiler is as newer boilers have gotten bigger and would not fit, he did eventually find one to fit and then took probably another two weeks before he had a day to do the job. That’s the reality.

Fol20

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I'm a home owner.
My boiler broke down 4 days before Xmas 3 years ago.
It cost an eye watering amount of money to get it fixed but I wasn't having my young grand children staying in a house without heating (and yes, I have an open fire/immersion/SER/oil filled rads etc).

It wasn't a miracle. It was expensive.

I have since gotten a new boiler. No need to go to Poland. I had a choice of boilers right here in Cork. I took out insurance that gives me 24/7 365(6) emergency repair cover including boilers- it costs me €158 a year,

The LL (and yes, I have been an LL) has a duty to get the heating repaired ASAP - sending to Poland for a boiler does not constitute ASAP.

You got your boiler fixed, replacing is a whole different kettle of fish.

You might have some form of emergency cover however not everyone would take this type of cover out.

Its your choice if you want to pay over the odds for a repair. Depending on cost, i may not even do it for myself let alone a tenant especially if im doing The requirement by law to repair in reasonable amount of time.

10pennymixup

Macha wrote: »

If you read back through the thread, you'll see that a plumber advised the landlord to replace the boiler two years ago and told her it wasn't possible to get replacement parts. 6 years ago when the boiler was 11 years old. The fact that she ignored him and allowed this situation to become possible is the sign of a bad landlord.

In Belgium, the tenant is responsible for getting an annual service of the boiler. If a plumber told me this during that service, I would tell my current landlord and he would get it replaced immediately. In fact we had a problem with the old dishwasher not working and he had it replaced within a week. And it's a lot easier to live without a dishwasher than functioning heating system.

If only you had read it correctly

A plumber saying 6 years ago, to the tenant not LL, that a boiler (which is still being made today) was impossible to get parts for. Yeah, totally believable.
I have an old Firebird oil burner and boiler that I bought second hand 20 years ago in a house, still going, parts not a problem. Had to swap out the oil pump because of idiots tipping the tank and damaging it about 7 years ago that's it apart from nozzles

As for the dishwasher story, really not applicable. But hey ho.......................

it took you the guts of a week to get something as simple as a dishwasher replaced, can you see how this is kind of weakening your point?

Bannasidhe

Aminah Delightful Stomach wrote: »

Maybe it’s a difficult boiler to source. When we finally got a plumber willing to actually do the job for us he then had a lot of trouble sourcing a boiler to fit in the location where the boiler is as newer boilers have gotten bigger and would not fit, he did eventually find one to fit and then took probably another two weeks before he had a day to do the job. That’s the reality.

I Had an old baxi - put in by the builder before I bought the house. Couldn't find a model of the same dimensions to fit the space exactly. Still changed the boiler. Had to adapt the kitchen unit it was hidden in - pain in the hole but no reason not to change continually braking down boiler or send to Poland.
My mother changed her boiler this year - different dimensions to mine - still got one in Cork.

The reality is the LL is renting out a property and that bestows certain obligations on him/her - fixing heating ASAP is one of those obligations.
Sending to Poland for a boiler is not ASAP. I know about buying things from Poland - I ordered my kitchen sink from there as I couldn't get the kind I wanted in Ireland. I allowed for the time it would take to arrive and factored that in when arranging for builders to start renovations. If I needed a kitchen sink ASAP I would have rethought and gotten one in any of the many many builders providers in Ireland - many of whom sell boilers btw.

Look, the whole "sending to Poland" thing might be a load of cobblers for all we know. It could be the boiler guy just leading the LL on as easily as it is the LL leading the tenant on. Still though, it's not like any other big box white good that you find in a kitchen. You can't walk into Harvey Norman's and say "yeah, I'll take that one", then stick it in the boot of your car.

A suitable one has to be identified that will fit, they have to be sourced, ordered, delivered and installed. At a time of the year when tradespeople and post/deliveries shut down for days or weeks at a time.

L1011

10pennymixup wrote: »

If only you had read it correctly

A plumber saying 6 years ago, to the tenant not LL, that a boiler (which is still being made today) was impossible to get parts for. Yeah, totally believable.
I have an old Firebird oil burner and boiler that I bought second hand 20 years ago in a house, still going, parts not a problem. Had to swap out the oil pump because of idiots tipping the tank and damaging it about 7 years ago that's it apart from nozzles

As for the dishwasher story, really not applicable. But hey ho.......................

it took you the guts of a week to get something as simple as a dishwasher replaced, can you see how this is kind of weakening your point?

There are actually models of boiler which were rather unsuccessful, use less popular brand burners (Firebird oil ones would be Riello nearly always I think which are extremely common) and so on - and would be impossible to get parts for at this stage. Had someone over on one of the other sub-forums I mod here with a relatively recent boiler from a big brand for which parts are nearly gone recently.

ninjarambohd

Thanks everyone for the replies. I got the landlord to install a immersion for the hot water and managed to get some electric heaters and all but I'm so sure my electricity bill is going to go through the roof! Was wondering is there any law for tenants that I can use to get my landlord to pay for the electricity or at least reduce the rent or something?

elperello

Good news.

You now have heat in the house and hot water for showers, washing etc.

You and your family can now relax in some comfort. Another poster suggested checking out the condition of the chimney before lighting a fire. Please do that.

You will have records to show how much you spent other years for gas. Add up your extra ESB bills and subtract what you spent on gas in other years.

You can request the LL to pay that amount or make a contribution.

Fol20

elperello wrote: »

Good news.

You now have heat in the house and hot water for showers, washing etc.

You and your family can now relax in some comfort. Another poster suggested checking out the condition of the chimney before lighting a fire. Please do that.

You will have records to show how much you spent other years for gas. Add up your extra ESB bills and subtract what you spent on gas in other years.

You can request the LL to pay that amount or make a contribution.

You can request, but the ll can decline

ninjarambohd

Fol20 wrote: »

You can request, but the ll can decline

Can he decline? Are there any rules that the rtb has set out in this regard?

Who2

No harm but you seem like a tenant from hell. I’d be sending to Israel and looking for an excuse that you would leave. Looking back through your posts you seem like the sort of tenant that’s searching for a problem every day. If being a tenant is such an issue you should look at buying your own place and maybe having to deal with your own problems.

10pennymixup

ninjarambohd wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the replies. I got the landlord to install a immersion for the hot water and managed to get some electric heaters and all but I'm so sure my electricity bill is going to go through the roof! Was wondering is there any law for tenants that I can use to get my landlord to pay for the electricity or at least reduce the rent or something?

ninjarambohd wrote: »

Can he decline? Are there any rules that the rtb has set out in this regard?

I know it's already been said but I'll say it again........no the LL does not have to pay for your electricity usage. You're their tenant, not their offspring. If you don't want high bills, don't use the electricity.

And for those posters from earlier that didn't understand why the word "entitlement" was used, now do you get it?

I know I'm paraphrasing but:

"I got/made the LL fit something new that they didn't have to fit to their great expense. I managed (the hardship, the horror) to get electric heaters. And despite saving on gas to heat the water/ house, I now want the LL to pay for the electricity that heats the water to wash and warm my body. Can somebody please point me to the law (too busy to look it up myself) where I can get/make/ force my LL to pay for my electricity usage"

"Are you sure they don't have to pay? Are there any rules that I can use to get them to pay my electricity bill"

Bannasidhe

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I Had an old baxi - put in by the builder before I bought the house. Couldn't find a model of the same dimensions to fit the space exactly. Still changed the boiler. Had to adapt the kitchen unit it was hidden in - pain in the hole but no reason not to change continually braking down boiler or send to Poland.
My mother changed her boiler this year - different dimensions to mine - still got one in Cork.

The reality is the LL is renting out a property and that bestows certain obligations on him/her - fixing heating ASAP is one of those obligations.
Sending to Poland for a boiler is not ASAP. I know about buying things from Poland - I ordered my kitchen sink from there as I couldn't get the kind I wanted in Ireland. I allowed for the time it would take to arrive and factored that in when arranging for builders to start renovations. If I needed a kitchen sink ASAP I would have rethought and gotten one in any of the many many builders providers in Ireland - many of whom sell boilers btw.

And how long is it going to take to organize a builder to rework the kitchen to fit the new boiler? You are living in cloud cooko land if you think it does take a good few weeks to get a new boiler fitted.

ninjarambohd wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the replies. I got the landlord to install a immersion for the hot water and managed to get some electric heaters and all but I'm so sure my electricity bill is going to go through the roof! Was wondering is there any law for tenants that I can use to get my landlord to pay for the electricity or at least reduce the rent or something?

Why on earth would the LL have to cover your heating bills? Was he paying for your oil/gas?? Obviously not so why should he pay your electricity. It’s uuur choice to use it so you pay.

Ask if you want but expect to be laughed at and out on the evict at first opportunity list.

Old diesel

One of the challenges of 2018 "market rent"

Is that money which ordinarily would cover rainy day situations like this is going into rent instead.

I don't know the OPs family finances but it's entirely possible that the extra money on electricity is enough to cause them worry on how exactly they are going to pay for it.

They might only barely have enough to survive on for all we know.

This of course isn't the same as the landlord been required to compensate.

ninjarambohd

Who2 wrote: »

No harm but you seem like a tenant from hell. I’d be sending to Israel and looking for an excuse that you would leave. Looking back through your posts you seem like the sort of tenant that’s searching for a problem every day. If being a tenant is such an issue you should look at buying your own place and maybe having to deal with your own problems.

Don't judge too quickly when you don't know the whole story.

1874

Old diesel wrote: »

One of the challenges of 2018 "market rent"

Is that money which ordinarily would cover rainy day situations like this is going into rent instead.

I don't know the OPs family finances but it's entirely possible that the extra money on electricity is enough to cause them worry on how exactly they are going to pay for it.

They might only barely have enough to survive on for all we know.

This of course isn't the same as the landlord been required to compensate.

Then the tenant needs to approach svp or some such similar organisation, they really do sound like a self entitled adult child. Aside from having only heard their side, they admit the landlord was getting this sorted, added an immersion and sorted temporary heating, at a time of year it will be near impossible to get anything sortedby a plumber at short notice, only an RGI can do this work not just anyone or any plumber. It's been stated they already declined inspections and as another poster said, a boiler of that age isn't finished, my current boiler is ober 21 year old, on a few occassions I was told by plumbers servicing it that it was obsolete/couldn't get parts, I've considered replacing it mainly when it let me down on a few occasions, i believe both at Xmas time in some of the coldest weather back in winters 2009-2012, I've also had some minor work on it since in the intervening 6 or so years, but it keeps going (fingers crossed for xmas) but equipment like this gets a lot of use (which I consider to be better, I heat water with it year round also) so it gets well used but is kept running regularly. Sometimes something old/reliable/simpler is better than something newer/more efficent but more finicky. The latter posts of the OP show an appalling sense of entitlement, they sound like a grown up child and an absolute nightmare to deal with as a tenant.

Dakota Dan

Old diesel wrote: »

I learned to drive in a 1980s Nissan with no airbags, no ABS and it had a carbarettor.

I survived - but guess what - airbags, ABS, electronic fuel injection are all great things to have.

Life moves on and what was okay 30 years ago isn't today.

Property suppliers need to evolve to meet a market where fewer people grow up with open fires

What do older cars have to do with heating a house. God help everyone if any disaster ever happens and they have to go back to basics but in the real world people wouldn’t take long to adapt.

Dakota Dan

odyssey06 wrote: »

Fuel was a lot cheaper back then... and open fire it needs someone at home and alert tending it during the day.

Plus if open fire hasnt been lit in years chimney could be blocked or in major need of sweeping by a professional.

A professional to sweep a chimney with an open fire? Hardly rocket science I sweep two chimneys with stoves and didn’t get any degree on chimney sweeping.

Old diesel

Dakota Dan wrote: »

What do older cars have to do with heating a house. God help everyone if any disaster ever happens and they have to go back to basics but in the real world people wouldn’t take long to adapt.

I'm illustrating people's differing expectations from years ago to 2018

Old diesel

1874 wrote: »

Then the tenant needs to approach svp or some such similar organisation, they really do sound like a self entitled adult child. Aside from having only heard their side, they admit the landlord was getting this sorted, added an immersion and sorted temporary heating, at a time of year it will be near impossible to get anything sortedby a plumber at short notice, only an RGI can do this work not just anyone or any plumber. It's been stated they already declined inspections and as another poster said, a boiler of that age isn't finished, my current boiler is ober 21 year old, on a few occassions I was told by plumbers servicing it that it was obsolete/couldn't get parts, I've considered replacing it mainly when it let me down on a few occasions, i believe both at Xmas time in some of the coldest weather back in winters 2009-2012, I've also had some minor work on it since in the intervening 6 or so years, but it keeps going (fingers crossed for xmas) but equipment like this gets a lot of use (which I consider to be better, I heat water with it year round also) so it gets well used but is kept running regularly. Sometimes something old/reliable/simpler is better than something newer/more efficent but more finicky. The latter posts of the OP show an appalling sense of entitlement, they sound like a grown up child and an absolute nightmare to deal with as a tenant.

If the plumber is saying the old one can't be fixed when it actually CAN be fixed then thats a matter for the plumber.

It's not the tenants job to wonder if the plumber is telling the truth or not.

The original post inplies that its the whole replacement boiler thats ordered up from Poland - not simply a specific part that the plumber said couldnt be got but which someone found available in Poland.

Of course the landlord could just have adressed the "why are you ordering from Poland" point as that's clearly going to be perceived as causing a delay.

When you want delays minimised

elperello

A set of chimney rods and brushes is not part of the average renters household equipment.
Even if the tenant had them most sensible landlords wouldn't want any enthusiastic amateur having a go.

Bannasidhe

Aminah Delightful Stomach wrote: »

And how long is it going to take to organize a builder to rework the kitchen to fit the new boiler? You are living in cloud cooko land if you think it does take a good few weeks to get a new boiler fitted.

.

And yet I managed to do it.
It wasn't even difficult.
No cuckoos were required.
It's called planning.

Something some here seem to think a person running a business (which is what renting out property in return for money is) don't need to trouble themselves with.

Funny how the LL was able to find a plumber to fit an immersion...

Bannasidhe

Bannasidhe wrote: »

And yet I managed to do it.
It wasn't even difficult.
No cuckoos were required.
It's called planning.

Something some here seem to think a person running a business (which is what renting out property in return for money is) don't need to trouble themselves with.

Funny how the LL was able to find a plumber to fit an immersion...

Well I’m telling you from experience this year during the summer when demand would not be as high that it took over a month to get a new boiler fitted in our own house.

A boiler fitting takes at least one full day if not more, fitting the immersion could be done as a nixer in the evening.

Bannasidhe

Aminah Delightful Stomach wrote: »

Well I’m telling you from experience this year during the summer when demand would not be as high that it took over a month to get a new boiler fitted in our own house.

A boiler fitting takes at least one full day if not more, fitting the immersion could be done as a nixer in the evening.

And I'm telling you my experience was completely different.
I organised a new boiler for my own house and my Mothers.
This Summer.

Both took less than a day to fit.
We had the boilers within days of ordering them.
Two different suppliers.
Two different boilers.
Two different plumbers.
The longest part of the process was deciding which boilers to get.

Mother's was straight forward enough. Mine was tricky.
Mother's took a morning.
Mine took a day (8 am to 4:30pm).

limnam

Mod Note

Do not post illegal advice please.

10pennymixup

Illegal advice removed as it was quoted in your post.

Mod Note.