Broken boilers are not only an expensive inconvenience; they can be a dangerous problem to a household too.
Regular services can catch problems early on and prevent issues with a boiler from becoming a hazard. But how often should you have your boiler serviced?
In rented properties, it’s the duty of the landlord to ensure a boiler is regularly serviced. But how often do they need to do this?
How Often Should a Boiler Be Serviced?
Boilers are an important component of your hot water and central heating system. For houses in the UK, a working boiler is a necessity in winter. Failure to service a boiler can lead to breakdowns. If this happens in winter, it will be most unwelcome!
For this reason, it’s important to have a boiler serviced regularly. All boilers, regardless of whether they are in rented accommodation or not, need to have an annual service.
Under British law, it’s a requirement that landlords have the boiler serviced every 12 months. Of course, if the boiler looks like it might have an issue, such as a leak or if the hot water isn’t turning on, then a professional should be called in to service the boiler earlier than this.
There are a few key signs that you might need to have a boiler check-up, even if it hasn’t been 12 months since the last service:
- The boiler is leaking
- There’s no hot water
- Water takes longer to heat up
- The boiler is noisy
- Bad smells (this be the result of dangerous carbon monoxide leaks)
- Energy bills are more expensive than usual.
Regular servicing doesn’t cost much, but it can save a huge amount of money in the long run. Not only will it help you to avoid having to pay out for an expensive replacement boiler, but regular servicing can help to keep your energy bills down, too.
Who Is Responsible for Servicing a Boiler?
Boilers need to be serviced at least once every 12 months, and tenants need to remember that it’s their landlord who is responsible for arranging a service in a rented property.
If a landlord fails to have the boiler professionally serviced at least once every 12 months, then they’re breaking the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, which enshrined this obligation into law.
It’s a landlord’s duty to provide a safe living environment for their tenants and, importantly, that includes providing a working boiler that won’t cause any danger to the health of those in the property.
If a landlord isn’t fulfilling these obligations, then tenants are well within their rights to demand it and even to take a landlord to court over the matter.
Landlords are responsible for paying the costs associated with the boiler service and any repair that might be needed, as long as it has arisen from general wear and tear.
What Is a Tenant Responsible for in a Rented Property?
Tenants also have obligations when it comes to having a boiler serviced. First, tenants must ensure that the boiler isn’t damaged, other than reasonable wear and tear. If a tenant were to physically damage the boiler, it would be their responsibility to have it fixed.
Tenants are also responsible for ensuring that a boiler service can physically be carried out on the premises of the property they’re renting. A landlord must give their tenant due notice, and let them know when the boiler service will be happening.
Tenants must allow service professionals onto the property and into the area where the boiler is located. In short, they must not stop the service from being carried out.
For their own health and safety, tenants need to inform their landlord of any issues or faults they think the boiler might have, so that if there is a problem the landlord knows that they need to arrange a service and potentially a repair.
Book Your Boiler Service Today
We specialise in servicing boilers, so if you’re looking to book in a boiler service, then don’t hesitate to contact Range Heating and speak to our friendly Manchester-based team today. Customer satisfaction is our priority, and we can offer you a no-obligation quote before any work is carried out. We are Valiant and Honeywell Installer Network accredited, so rest assured, we know what we’re doing.
