Landlord issue

AARRRGH

Dear all,

I don't know where else to post this.

I live in a two bedroom apartment which is empty during the day. At night the only thing on is a few lights, the oven for maybe 20 minutes, the emersion for maybe 30 minutes, and my latop. We really do not use a lot of electricity.

However, my ESB bills are ridiculously high - nearly €200 per bill.

There is obviously a problem but the landlord won't do anything about it.

There is even a heater with sparks coming out of it (note: the heating does not work.)

I am entitled to get the landlord to get an electrician out, correct?
Should I have to pay the large ESB bill due to the wonky wiring in the flat?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

PS the rent for this apartment is €1100 a month, so this is no kip.

Einstein

sounds to me like the bill you're getting is probably for somewhere else aswell. Check with the other tenants and ask them if they have a problem, otherwise i'd demand he does something about it and sort out the heater, they'll get away with anything they can.

woolymammoth

http://www.oasis.gov.ie/housing/renting_a_flat_or_house/

enjoy!

Gordon

Moved from PI.

irlirishkev

I was about to ask if you had storage heating. Then I read that your heating isn't working. If it is storage heating, then it could be that it's actually on, but no heat is being 'stored' or whatever.

I've stopped using my storage heating because it's more expensive than everything else in my apartment put together. Complete waste of money considering that by the time you come in from work in the evening, the heat's all gone!

But yeah, you should demand that the landlord has an electrician investigate why the bills are so high. It'll only cost €50 for an ESB dude, and it'll save you money in the future. If he discovers a problem, get the landlord to pay you back some of the excessive bills..

Good luck, it's a minefield!

K.

bruce wayne

I would assume you have storage heating in your apartment ? Do you have it on oftan, during the day perhaps ? Storage heating is very expensive and is oftan the cause of the huge electricity bills. And yes you are most defo entitled to get the landlord out to fix the heater that does'nt work.

MorningStar

I'm pretty sure the landlord doesn't need to get the ESB out to figure out why the bill is so high. That dispute is basically between you and ESB. In saying that , you need access to the meter to check what the reading is, if you aren't getting access you have trouble with him.
The broken heater is the landlords problem. Best to tell him in writing that you want it fixed. If he refuses you could get an electrician to fix it withhold the amount from rent but you MUST PROVIDE A RECEIPT for the electrician.

As said storage heater are expensive to run and can appear not to give any heat later in the day. If it is a wire style heater if not used regularly it can spark if not clean and used irregularly.

Why did the landlord say he would get it fixed?

KTRIC

My advice is when you get home switch off and plug everything out, then check if the meter is still spinning. If it is then you have a problem. Plug your storage heater back in (if not switch it on at the wall) but leave it off and then check the meter again. By doing this you should easily find out what appliance is sucking all that power.

petes

That bill should only be about 50 to 60 for each bi monthly period. I dont agree that it is a dispute between you and esb as another poster mentioned. The landlord should get an electrician to look at the appliances in the apartment and check the meter. On you bill is it an estimated reading(will have an e in front of the meter reading)?. For 1100 a month you really should have this type of thing sorted. Have you thought about getting gas for the heating and not using electricity?

Have you lived there long?

irlirishkev

petes wrote:

Have you thought about getting gas for the heating and not using electricity?

Is that possible? I figured once an apartment was set up for electric storage heating, then that was it, and there was no (easy) way to change it..

gamer

look at your esb meter ,read unit setting in morning, then again when u get back evening,,work out how many units did it use today,,than the whole week,multiply ,by 8, 8weeks in an esb bill,see does it match up.ask landlord to get electrician to call when u are there,to check meter,,and disconnect unit,,anything with sparks coming out is dangerous,it cud goon fire,very dangerous.it could just be using electricity constantly.knock off everything plug out plugs,even vcr dvd ,cooker,,if disc still going round its possible someone else is connected to your meter.maintenace doesnt cost landlord anything,he gets tax allowance for all electrical repairs.your esb is VERY HIGH.

MorningStar

petes wrote:

That bill should only be about 50 to 60 for each bi monthly period. I dont agree that it is a dispute between you and esb as another poster mentioned. The landlord should get an electrician to look at the appliances in the apartment and check the meter. On you bill is it an estimated reading(will have an e in front of the meter reading)?. For 1100 a month you really should have this type of thing sorted. Have you thought about getting gas for the heating and not using electricity?

Have you lived there long?

Contray to popular belief a landlord does not have to do everything your way. No landlord is going to allow you put in gas and no tenant is going to pay to get it put in. I guess you can use portable gas heaters but I think a landlord can ask them to be removed if he thinks them dangerous or damaging.
The landlord is not an electricity provider so your dispute is with the person providing. He should help you out but is not obliged. The suggestion to figure out the offending electrical item makes most sense.
I had a tennat say the electric were faulty and I had done something to them. The problem was he had a broken TV and when I told him he claimed I broke it and wanted me to buy him a replacement! Both parties can be unreasonable don't just assume the landlord is at fault. If her phone bill was high you wouldn't contact the landlord same rule applies unless you can prove a faulty electrical item is eating energy. That is of course impossible as you don't get electric leaks. Wonky wiring as mentioned will cause problems but it is really really unlikely to cause a high bill. The electrity has to go somewhere and will blow a fuse before putting up your bill.
Being fair it is possible the bill is not just for your appartment if it is in a converted property. Switch everything off and check the meter, see how much is used in a day etc... is the only option.

seamus

That's extremely high unless your 2-bed apartment is an oven, the immersion is on 24 hours a day, or you're running a server farm with air conditioning in one of the bedrooms.

If it's a new apartment complex, get the ESB out to check it. I've heard so many stories about builders not bothering their arse to connect the ESB up correctly, and people paying the bills of their neighbour(s).

MorningStar

gamer wrote:

maintenace doesnt cost landlord anything,he gets tax allowance for all electrical repairs.

That is not an accurate statement. Everything else you suggest is really good advise

jay567

Best thing u could do is call the esb and ask them what they suggest. About the sparks flying yes the landlord should get it sorted for you.

AARRRGH

Thank you for your replies.

1. The heaters are broken and switched off. However, because there are sparks, it's obvious something funny is going on.
2. I know we don't use much electricity. We are not the "sit in front of the tv" types. We don't even cook much.

Can I legally get my landlord to refund all the excess ESB bills I've paid? Or is it my fault?

logic1

seamus wrote:

That's extremely high unless your 2-bed apartment is an oven, the immersion is on 24 hours a day, or you're running a server farm with air conditioning in one of the bedrooms.

Interesting note having the immersion on, for shower water only, 24 hours a day costs less per month than turning it on for a shower every day and off afterwards.

.logic.

landser

dublindude wrote:

Thank you for your replies.

1. The heaters are broken and switched off. However, because there are sparks, it's obvious something funny is going on.
2. I know we don't use much electricity. We are not the "sit in front of the tv" types. We don't even cook much.

Can I legally get my landlord to refund all the excess ESB bills I've paid? Or is it my fault?

First off, as suggested above, check to see if your bills are estimated or not. given that you say that there is no one there during the day they probably are. at present i'm €260 in credit with the esb as they over estimated my bills for a year. you use well below average electricty, therefore your bills don't reflect your actual usage. call esb and give them your actual reading.

the esb bill is your responsibility, not your landlords unless you can show that you're being charged for another flat as well or there a faulty appliance is ruinning up the bill (unlikely) and you have brought this to your landlord's attention

overall, it sounds more like a pronlem with bill estimation

AARRRGH

I have spoken to ESB and our bills are not estimated... They are proper readings.

I suspect it is the sparking heater.

Hmmmm. I'll do more investigative work.

Thanks for the advice.

MorningStar

dublindude wrote:

Thank you for your replies.

1. The heaters are broken and switched off. However, because there are sparks, it's obvious something funny is going on.
2. I know we don't use much electricity. We are not the "sit in front of the tv" types. We don't even cook much.

Can I legally get my landlord to refund all the excess ESB bills I've paid? Or is it my fault?

1) Get them fixed and charge the land lord if they are broken. If something is dangerous you are allowed to get them fixed. What did he say when you asked to have them fixed? This is really important, by law he has to provide heating and hot water. What type of heaters are they?

There are many reasons why your bill could be high and some of them may have nothing to do with the landlord. The landlord has no reponsibilities for your contract with the supplier of a service. Is it an estimated bill? Your first stop has to be ESB on your bill

gamer

u need to urgently get heater disconnected URGENTLY ,LIKE tomorrow,if sparks coming out it cud go on fire ,,melt thru cables,whole apartment could go on fire,ring landlord now,asap,tell him i want that thing disconnected tomoorow,or today,,ozzys gaffe went on, fire a month ago,,cos of 1faulty appliance.IT IS A MAJOR HEALTH fire RISK ,could be letal ,deadly HAZARD.sounds like cables shorted out and its overheating.it must be disconnected from ESB SYSTEM URGENTLY.

petes

You say that you have cleared it with esb and that they are not estimated. In the apartment complex is their hall and stairs lighting. You really need to get this sorted and having a dodgy heater would be top of the list before worrying about the expense. I know if I had a heater with sparks coming out I wouldnt be sleeping in the apartment until it was fixed. I asked already but you havent answered. How long have you lived there and how long has this been going on?

fred funk }{

gamer wrote:

look at your esb meter ,read unit setting in morning, then again when u get back evening,,work out how many units did it use today,,than the whole week,multiply ,by 8, 8weeks in an esb bill,see does it match up.ask landlord to get electrician to call when u are there,to check meter,,and disconnect unit,,anything with sparks coming out is dangerous,it cud goon fire,very dangerous.it could just be using electricity constantly.knock off everything plug out plugs,even vcr dvd ,cooker,,if disc still going round its possible someone else is connected to your meter.maintenace doesnt cost landlord anything,he gets tax allowance for all electrical repairs.your esb is VERY HIGH.

I think this is best idea, It will tell you straight away if your electricity is been stolen.
Switch off the power at the main switch on the fuse board so there is no power going into the apartment at all. If the disc in the meter is still spinning somebody is using your power.

If the disc is stopped turn back on the power and turn things on one by one and check the disc each time to see how fast its spinning.

You should find the culprit fairly quick.