Is my landlord legally obliged to provide central heating?

[CatKisser]

Hi all,
I'm preparing for a meeting with my LL and would like to go in from an informed point of view so would appreciate advice.
I live in a 2 bedroom semi - a farm cottage n the middle of nowhere. My LL is the farmer and lives opposite me in the huge farm house. He is a nice chap in some ways but IMO negligent when it comes to his properties.

My issue is heating. I have 2 open fires which are inefficient - the heat goes straight up the chimney. Three rooms also have storage hearers which I'm not keen on as they give out heat while I'm at work, which is a waste, and they're expensive to run.

Finally, upstairs there are 2 radiators which do not work and never have. LL's builder says some inexperienced chap put them in and never got them fixed when they failed to work.

The winter gone was my first in the house and was terrible. I was FREEZING. Every night without fail I was on the sofa with a duvet watching my own breath. I pay £525/month and actually I don't think I'm unreasonable to ask for adequate heating.

Someone I spoke to had an idea that rental properties HAD to have proper central heating in them...can anyone advise on this?
Thanks!

[Allthelittlefoxes]

No, they don't have to have central heating. It would affect the level of rent not having it but many many properties lack it and it is perfectly acceptable to rent out a house as long as there is a method of heating it. It sounds as though your cottage could do with having the open fires replaced with wood burning stoves, ideally boiler stoves which can be linked to radiators. I would meet with your landlord having researched the costs of these and try to negotiate their installation, perhaps in return for a small increase in rent. I realize this may not be ideal, but presumably you knew there was no central heating when you took on the property, and the rent level would undoubtedly have been higher if there was CH.

[Allthelittlefoxes]

Sorry should have added, he does have to get the broken radiators fixed.

[ElizabethMedora]

There is no obligation to provide central heating or indeed any heating but what there is should be adequately maintained.

[BikeRunSki]

Watching with retrospective interest.

I've rented plenty plenty of farm/rural properties in the past with only fires or storage heaters.

[CatKisser]

I would be happy with wood burners and yes, I took on the property knowing the state of the heating (although I naturally assumed the radiators installed actually worked, which they don't)

However, if the temperature in the house is consistently below a certain level during the Winter months, I don't believe this constitutes adequate heating. I don't massively care about central heating, more that I'm able to heat my house full stop!

[CatKisser]

Thanks for the additional info about the radiators! I actually think that if they worked it would make ALL the difference!

[PintOfWine]

What happened last winter when you told your LL how poor the heating was at the time? Did you ask him to come and inspect the place? Did he disagree with you?

If you made no complaint at the time but are asking him to fix it in summer, I think he will be a bit taken aback and may not be as proactive as he might have been in the winter.

If you did complain and he did nothing, I'd let him know you won't be able to stay in same condition unless he'd like to add xyz (which would cost him hundreds rather than thousands, like central heating would run). If he refuses, move.

[CatKisser]

Last winter I said nothing - I didn't know him well enough and was rubbish about standing up for myself. I bought shit loads of wood and coal and kept the fires burning, which got me through but was massively expensive but inefficient.
I'm asking him to fix it in summer because I think that's better than approaching him when it gets colder and demanding instant action.
Let's be clear here, he owns a massive amount of land, livestock and properties. I don't think I'd be asking anything unreasonable if I asked for working radiators throughout the house.

[weatherall]

Move.

You have no legal rights other than safety eg gas checks.

If you complain he can evict you.

He is under no legal obligation to provide heating.

I would want a carbon monoxide check in the meantime. If you have coal fires and the flue hasn't been cleared for a while it could be dangerous.

Storage heaters are a pita. I had then in a private let 9 years ago, paying £600 PCM for heating that didn't work when I wanted it.

It's not uncommon in rural areas with no mains gas.

If you are determined to stay get a calorie gas heater, a plug in oil heater or one of those stove things that look like real fires.

But really, just move.

[weatherall]

Calor not calorie

[inabeautifulplace]

Ignore the utter bollocks in the post above. That's the best advice I can give you.

[Pipbin]

I used to live in a house with just storage heaters.
I had a couple oil filled radiators and found that made it bearable. Ultimately we moved, and we owned the place!

[CatKisser]

Thank you, I do appreciate these comments - they're really making me think.
At the moment, moving isn't an option before this winter, as I won't be able to save up the £1500 or so needed before that time. I also fully take on board the advice that he's not obliged to do anything except maintain the radiators (which I think will make a big difference.)
I think my only hope is for my neighbour and I to speak to him rationally and see what he says. We are both reliable tenants and keep the houses in good order - I'd like to think we're not asking anything too outrageous. We are both stocking up on wood already though - I I need to get some coal in in preparation.

[CatKisser]

Haaa, I did smile at the calorie heaters - lose weight and heat the house at the same time?! :-)

[AWombWithoutARoof]

What are the radiators connected to? Is there a back boiler?

If it's quite a small cottage would one wood burner be sufficient? You could ask for one of the boiler type ones.

[PintOfWine]

It is very odd for you not to let your LL know the radiators weren't working in the winter. If you don't tell him, how is he suppose to fix them? He may not even be aware of it.

And what he owns is irrelevant. He could be mortgaged to the max with a failing farm for all you know.

[inabeautifulplace]

www.nihe.gov.uk/index/advice/renting_privately/advice_tenants/tenants_rights.htm

Have a look at the statement of tenancy terms on this page. Unless you have one which specifically states that you are responsible for maintaining the radiators, then they are your LLs responsibility in law.

[specialsubject]

how much money your landlord has is irrelevant.

as PJ says, your landlord is not clairvoyant and can't fix what he doesn't know about. He needs to get the radiators working as you would have assumed that they did when you rented the place. But the open fires are as you saw it before signing. BTW what runs the radiators???

the storage heaters can be run reasonably economically - I've been in a place with them and was warm. Are you on the right tariff? Have you been using the controls correctly?

[CatKisser]

Well sorry that it's odd but I can't change the past. I didn't want to risk being evicted and I made do.
womb the estate agent blurb stated there was a back boiler! and there is a manual switch in the chimney that suggests so, but I've had the fire burning all day and all night and it's not heated anything at all.
I think one decent wood burner would be sufficient if the radiators were also working, as I spent most of my time in the living room and bedroom. The kitchen is warm through cooking and the bathroom is warm through heated towel rail.

[specialsubject]

aha - a back boiler. That's what you were sold and that must be made to work.

You do not have rights to a wood burner as one wasn't provided when you signed up. You do have plenty of other rights, weatherall is a landlord-hater who has 'you have no rights' on cut and paste.

What about the storage heaters? are you on the right tariff?

[CatKisser]

Thanks, just typed a long post and lost the bastard!!!
I do appreciate your help - I would never "demand" a wood burner but I think it may be worth asking. But I will ask that he fixes the radiators and the back boiler for the fire. As for the tariff I'm on EDF blue price promise E7, which does seem to be a reasonable price...

[Pipbin]

Storage heaters are worse than useless.

[AWombWithoutARoof]

Can you see the back boiler in the fireplace? I used to have one, you could clearly see a metal box. If the agent advertised it as being there I wonder if it's present but not connected properly or working properly.

Do the radiators heat up even slightly? Have you ruled out them needing bleeding? Is there some weird thermostat that you haven't spotted yet that might in some way be overriding them?

[specialsubject]

I lived in a flat where the storage heaters worked fine. As repeatedly noted, it needs the correct tariff with a midday boost and knowledge of how to use them. They are not as good as gas/oil but it is perfectly possible to stay warm with them.

OP - sounds like you have economy 7 but you need more time for the heaters (obviously not in the summer!) Get back to EDF and ask for an economy 10 or similar. Your heaters will only heat up during the 'cheap' hours. Do you know how to set the controls?