marqueemoon

I am after a bit of advice, if anyone can help. The subject may have been covered before, so apologies if that's the case, but let me off cos I am new here!

My hot water is heated using a boiler which gets its gas from a Butane bottle. On Monday the pilot light went out (as usual when it is windy) and I could not relight it. I called the landlady today, and with a bit of difficulty got her to send a plumber round. He eventually fixed it but told me that the boiler was old, badly positioned, the gas botles were dangerously exposed to the sun, it needed protection from the wind, and other stuff.

Now I know my landlady, and spending money is not something she likes to do. So my question is, when she tries to say it is my responsibility am I right in believing that is not the case? The contract only states I am responsible for damage and minor repairs. And how do I get her to make the changes the plumber advised if she refuses?

Of course I don't expect to ever get any deposit back after this!

twistedmelon

Tricky one.
From past knowledge there are no regulations regarding rights of tenants when it comes to services as there is the UK.
There are regulations as to safety with Gas but to comply the landlord will just have to make it inoperable.
As far as I am aware there is no obligation to provide you with hot water. However if you rented the place with hot water working you could always threaten to withold the rent, the law tends to be on your side when it comes to trying to evict someone or pay for a new boiler yourself and take it out the rent. Either way if they are unhappy they will have to denounce you and that is not a path they will want to persue.
Friendly approach first is better but then try constant badgering.

jdr

Not sure you are right on the hot water law, if it was on when you signed the contract then it should be on for the rest of the contract and could not just be rendered inoperable.
There is even a law where the tenent has to be supplied with the facility to receive Spanish TV.

jimenato

Definitely friendly approach if at all possible.

Your situation happened to me. I was on good terms with my (Spanish) landlord and with his prior agreement I replaced the boiler, paid for it and reduced my next months rent payment.

If he had not agreed to that, I would have done it anyway and let him try to do something about it.

marqueemoon

Thanks for the replies.

As I thought there is no consensus on the situation. Obviously I would love to sort this out amicably, but when my table top oven (here when I moved in) broke after 2 months, and I bought a new one, the landlady made it clear that she considered the new one was hers. that was me paying 100 euros to replace a 30 euro piece of rubbish. I knew that was likely before I bought it but weighed argument over easy life.

For hot water it is different! Anyway I will keep you posted if I learn anything!

twistedmelon

Sounds as if you are scared of your landlady and she smells your fear.

jay01

when you are looking to move out put the broken one back in oas it is her property and the fact it has broken I would doubt can be put down to you unless you dropped it or get one from a second hand shop as long as it does the same thing tuff on her. The fridge part of our fridge freezer stopped working, we reported it and a repair man came round to fix it, declared it past repair and it has been replaced with a new one so stop being scared of her and dig your heals in, if your looking to move at the end of your contract and consider that your unlikely to get your deposit back why leave her with the cooker as well.

We had a similar problem with our gas boiler it was leaking and we had a constant smell of gas, they did not want to send a plumber out so I basically spelt it out to her with the words your house and kaboom, plumber was round later the same day and it was repaired.

Dig your heals in, be polite but forceful on what you think is your entitlement and hot water should be a basic requirement not a luxury.

marqueemoon

Thanks for the good advice Jay01. I will definitely be putting my foot down on the hot water and gas issue!

Rosemary

I hope that you will be successful with your landlady. Emphasize the dangers and how it is her responsibility to ensure that the apartment is a safe place for her tenants.

Rosemary

twistedmelon

Your welcome

marqueemoon

And thanks to you too twistedmelon

I wasn't not thanking other people, but Jay01's was the last comment, and I had already written a general 'thanks' earlier

twistedmelon

I'm just to needy
Hope everything gets sorted, you must be starting to whiff with no hot water in this weather

marqueemoon

I do have hot water now which is great! Don't know if the other things the plumber said were needed will get done, but at least I can be clean

And I could always have a dip in the sea if it stops working again