We have no central heat for the foreseeable future.
As you were updated yesterday, there was a stain (and an actual hole) on the wall where the boiler conduits run, so we finally had Scottish Gas out to look at it. After opening up the wall, they discovered that the flue was completely uninsulated, installed incorrectly, and isn’t large enough nor up to code — therefore was possibly leaking carbon monoxide gas. So, they have to install a pump and an additional conduit to remove the exhaust, and to replace the existing conduit, and then add insulation into the whole wall. They estimate that the absolute soonest that this repair would take place is 2 weeks from now. They said “worst case” should be 6 weeks. But then we asked them what their gut feeling was, and they said that it was a “nightmare situation,” and that they just did one that took 12 weeks from the time they gave the quote until it got through planning permission & they put up scaffolding.
Another issue is the fact that this is an historical building… so, finding out from the planning commission people just how much the gas company is allowed to do in terms of changing the structure is a big question. Another big question is what the owner will want; they were throwing figures around like £1000 for labor, and £1500 for parts — at minimum. There’s the suggestion that the city will have to look into the whole building to see what’s going on, and that’s where the word “nightmare” comes from. It’s possible that the boilers for all twenty flats have been installed incorrectly.
So … we don’t know, it may be that we are 2 weeks to 3 months without heat, with winter approaching.
OR, we throw off all of our work, writing, and research deadlines, pack up, and move to another flat, adding chaos to the equation. After, of course, finding another flat…
– D & T
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Quelle horreur!
Here’s hoping everything works out,
and quickly…
that does sound like a total mightmare
Das ist furchtbar!
I think housing legislation states that your landlord has to provide you with housing that is of a “tolerable standard” – which includes heating in the winter.
I hate to say it, but it might be best if you started looking for a new place.
You should absolutely get out of there, otherwise you could be in for a nasty winter. And why should you have to stick it out? I’d find somewhere else. After months of icy cold you’ll have to put up with weeks of disruption anyway.
Horrible, anyway. These things always come along at the worst time.
Oh no, that is dreadful! I am glad you checked it and weren’t gased though!
Oh. My.
I’d be moving. Or at least I say that in my heated flat. In reality, after being here for 12 years, this month actually, (and only having the rent increase in that time by $50) I would hate the idea of moving. One does gather a lot of “stuff” when one lives with a pack rat (or three) and it will probably take us at least two weeks (if not a month) to move everything out. But on the positive side, you haven’t been where you are for 12 years AND you have pared down quite a bit the last couple of times that you have moved, it may be a good idea to start looking for a new flat.
Ick.
That’s awful! Unless you are sure that you can function comfortably in a cold apartment, perhaps you should seriously consider looking for some place new (and warm) to stay, even though it’s going to add to chaos, etc… Being cold is no joke. I know that I can’t concentrate in a cold apartment. There’s no certainty that they’ll resolve the heating problem in a timely manner. The good thing is that at this point, you have a little bit of time to do something about the lack of heat situation before it really gets cold.
If you decide to stay in the apartment, perhaps the landlord could give you a reduced rent fee for lack of heat, etc…
Ummm… I don’t remember now: Did you ask for opinions? LOL! I know it’s a little late to ask since I’ve already given you mine. 😉
Good luck with your situation.
Paz
P.S. If you stay, remember that you’ll have to live through and put up with the construction woes — workers coming in and out and the noise, etc…. Uggh!
I’d get out of there. Your climate is too cold to go without heat and all that mess of construction going on. I’m wondering how much stuff you have there to actually haul off to a new place, but then the deadlines and all…hope you can work this out.
I’ll be moving to Edinburgh at the end of December so my room will be empty. Nice quite townhouse in the West end. You should come take a look! My flat mate needs someone that knows how to cook to replace me and she’s very quite.
Sounds like a good offer!
Thank you all for your well-wishes, and for your advice. Thank you also, Chris, for the invitation to take up with your flatmate!
I think that we’re going to end up sticking it out for a few more days, until we have a definite answer on what the landlord will be planning to do about this. She must fix it, and she already knows that the flat won’t sell (or, at least, won’t sell for as much as she owes on it), and she seems a decent person. So – sometime next week and we’ll know what’s going to happen, hopefully.