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Draughty windows in rental property

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  • 03-05-2016 11:53am
    #1
    Cherrycola
    Registered Users Posts: 1,378 ✭✭✭


    Hi

    We've just moved into a rental property and there are massive gaps in lots of the windows, causing draughts strong enough to move the curtains!
    We are losing a lot of heat as a result, and the heating system is so expensive to run as it is, underfloor heating and rads, it used €150 of oil in a week- that's a whole other story as we don't know if it's working properly, but we are barely using it now even though it's still been quite cold at night. So the house is very cold as a result of having to cut down on the heating and biting wind coming in through every window.
    My question is can we insist the landlord get the windows repaired to stop the draughts?

    We don't have the option to move as there are literally no rental properties in the area.

    We are dreading the winter if we are this cold in May!

    Also regarding the heating, the LL was very blasé about how much the heating cost before we moved in, as we were unfamiliar with the system, and now we can't believe how much money we have had to spend on oil in the space of 6weeks, €500 and counting! We have requested that the boiler be checked and serviced to make sure it's working properly but are still waiting to hear back. Any suggestions on how to approach this without becoming the annoying tenants from hell?


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    #2
    Michael D Not Higgins
    Registered Users Posts: 7,223 ✭✭✭Michael D Not Higgins


    The landlord is responsible for ensuring the house meets minimum standards. Under article 5 of the Housing Standards for Rented Housing Regulations, the property should be in a proper state of structural repair.

    “(2) For the purposes of sub-article (1) ‘a proper state of structural repair’ means sound, internally and externally, with roof, roofing tiles and slates, windows, floors, ceilings, walls, stairs, doors, skirting boards, fascia, tiles on any floor, ceiling and wall, gutters, down pipes, fittings, furnishings, gardens and common areas maintained in good condition and repair and not defective due to dampness or otherwise.”

    I'd worry about the heating after sorting the drafts. You can't know for certain if there's a problem if the heat is just escaping.


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