Possible Boiler Problem... Who's Responsible??

[spinningfish]

Hello there

My girlfriend and I moved into a rented property in Cumbria in December 2006, which has Oil Central Heating.

We're not heavy users of the heating at all, and rarely switch the thing on. The annoying aspect is that it does fire itself up every now and again to heat the water tank, even though we have got an immersion heater and there doesn't appear to be any way to switch that aspect of it off at all.

Regardless of this, we have used 1400 litres of oil since December, which sounds like a helluva lot to me, and this stuff ain't cheap.

Apparently we have run out today, and I've asked the letting agent to get someone out to check the boiler, because it doesn't seem right.

If it is found to be faulty, or in need of a service, am I liable to pay for a load more oil again?

Thanks

Fishy...

[johnhowell]

Fishy,I would suspect the landlord is required to maintain the boiler - similarly for gas - but not a legal requirement like gas. Get it serviced yearly, they need tuning to run efficiently. If not tuned properly it will soot up and run even more poorly. Also, get the flue swept ~ £40, then get the boiler tuned again for the better breathing condition. The correct nozzle has to be installed -ours had the wrong size installed and it sooted up very quickly indeed.

Find the make and model of the boiler and search online for the manual.

Join boilerjuice.com to get the best fuel oil price for your area, and join up with neighbours to get better buying power.

It is not cheap - large sum all at one go, but the immersion heater will be more costly.

The boiler must be able to be switched off completely, either by the controller unit on the wall or on the boiler itself. But, i would recommend running the boiler rather than immersion.

My girlfriend bought 1200 litres ~ £400+, but this will last half the year or more. This heats a 4 bed bungalow with two showerooms and baths every night.

Regards,
John

[Aequitas]

Section 11(1)(c)of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 imposes upon the lanndlord of premises held under a short lease and obligation:

to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for space heating and heating water.

[spinningfish]

Thanks for the information guys. I emailed the letting agent yesterday asking whether they could someone to come and have a look at the boiler, and got this response:

"Thanks for your email. We are happy to send someone to check the boiler for you. If however there is not a problem the cost will have to be met by yourselves. If this is ok please let us know and we will instruct a plumber."

I don't really know what to do. If there's not a fault, I can't really afford it. Is there not a legal requirement for boilers to be serviced yearly?

[Nightmare4banks]

Hi all!

Spinningfish,in reply to your post and in my view:

The landlord is liable to maintain the boiler whether it runs on gas or any other form of fuel.

So,make sure he carries out his obligations under the implied terms of the tenancy agreement i.e. logic and common sense would dictate that he would be liable.

I hope you find this information useful.

If you have any more questions,please feel free to ask.

Keep us posted.

All the best!

[spinningfish]

Good advice...

The next logical step would be for me to find out when the boiler was serviced and act accordingly.

Thanks again.

Fishy.

[BobbaFett]

If you are renting, the boiler must be serviced every 12 months, and a LSV, Landlord Safety Certificate provided. This is legal requirment, and can result in prosicution if not provided. So stick that at your landlord/letting agent

[kennythecelt]

Above post is correct.

Ask the landlord to produce written details of the last check undertaken.
This must be undertaken annually. You need to make access available. They have the same responsibilities as for example the district council with gas central heating systems. Check them out for further advice. Lanlord has H&S obligations to you and inhabitants.

Sounds like a lot of oil used!
Have you got a padlock on the filler cap? It is not unknown for someone to drain tanks!
Consider insulation grants to keep house warmer, landlord permission generally required check est website on google.

Hope info useful

[spinningfish]

Email from letting agent:

"The landlord has been into the office today and has been able to answer the two queries.

The boiler was last serviced in November 2006. (I know from my own use of oil that 1400 liters of oil used over 6 months in the winter period is quite economical.)"