Get advice for people living in privately rented properties on what to do if it is too cold due to either inadequate heating, draughts, disrepair or dampness. Find out what you can do yourself, what your landlord can do and what the council can do to help if there are still problems
Standards for Heating in Privately Rented Properties
In cold winter weather most of us reach for the central heating controls and turn up the thermostat. Not everyone has central heating or electric heating but if you do rent a property then it should have some kind of fixed heating.
This could be gas central heating, electric storage heaters or other electric heaters that are fixed to the wall and spurred in (wired directly into the electricity supply - there is no plug socket).
The general standard is that a healthy indoor temperature in bed-sitting rooms and communal living/dining rooms is 21˚C, bathrooms 22˚C and elsewhere, including common landings and stairs 18˚C. The heating system should be able to maintain these temperatures when the outside temperature is - 1˚C.
Draughts and Ventilation
Just because the heating is turned on does not mean your home is warm and comfortable. There may be draughts from the windows, doors and floorboards causing you discomfort, or maybe it just too expensive to turn on the heating.
When we refer to draughts then this is different from ventilation. It is important to ventilate a property to prevent other problems such as condensation and mould growth.
Ventilation is allowing fresh clean air into the property that is controlled and does not cause discomfort. A draught on the other hand, is unwanted cold air entering the room which causes discomfort.
So keeping your home warm is not just about turning the heating on. There are some things you can do and there are some things that are the landlord’s responsibility.
