Hi guys, looking for some advice. The rental I’m in has ducted heating but currently not working. When I reported this to the agent they responded with, it was stated in the original ad as “ducted heating not included” which I had obviously overlooked or forgotten. However, on checking the condition report, it has been noted as “clean, working & undamaged”. My question is whether I am able to insist on it being repaired or just suck it up & use the reverse cycle air conditioning?
TIA
Ducted Heating in Rental Hasn’t Worked since Start of Lease
Mary Poppins on 09/04/2023 - 21:40
Comments
Well that depends on whether there are splits in every room or only one, as using one split to heat a whole house would not be that efficient at all.
If it's listed as working in the condition report then it needs to be fixed. That's a simple one. Doesn't matter if the ad said differently, the condition report is the contract. Also heating needs to be provided in any rental tho quality may be $ or a bit crappy). Look over tenancy rights as they cover heating (at least for Vic).
The reverse cycle ac was prob installed to replace the ducted heating.
Have you checked the pilot light?
No I haven’t. Wouldn’t even know where to start tbh. When I first used it, I could hear (what sounded like) the pilot light kicking in but there was never any heat - hence my initial request for maintenance to agent.
Reverse cycle will be cheaper than gas to run. Mine heats the lounge a lot quicker than the gas heater did as well.
They've probably copied and pasted the same condition report for years, which is pretty common in my experience. I've moved into more than one rental where the condition report for various bits as pieces was listed as "as new" even though the place was far from it.
We just take photos of everything, write up scuffs and marks and wear and tear everywhere, and sleep a bit easier in the knowledge that the real estate agent's condition report is demonstrably a crock of shit, making our condition report the definitive and only one.
A condition report doesn't give you an argument to force the landlord to repair things. The condition report is there to give the landlord evidence to charge you for damage if things are broken. As the real estate agent has admitted that the central heating wasn't working when you moved in you're free from that worry, but you're not going to get much further than that.
In my view you really have no choice but to suck it up. You write your condition report after the contract is signed and it's rarely worth much at all other than if there is a dispute over your bond.
Hmmm… that’s pretty much what I thought really. Thanks for taking the time to respond though 😊
Give the split system a go. It will be much cheaper to run than any gas heater.
Thanks everyone! Much appreciated 😊
not sure but it'd probably save a few bucks off your bill if you used the split system anyway