A prolonged lack of heating or hot water can be a serious defect in a rented home. Report the fault immediately and ask for it to be repaired. The cause, the outdoor temperature, the duration and the available alternatives determine how urgently measures are needed and whether a rent reduction is possible.
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A cold radiator does not always have the same cause. There may be a fault in the central heating boiler, a defect in a shared (collective) installation or a problem with a separate heat supplier. Start, therefore, by establishing which facility you rent and who is responsible for maintaining it.
Who has to repair a faulty central heating boiler
If the heating installation forms part of the rented home, major maintenance or repair is generally the landlord’s responsibility. Minor tasks that fall to the tenant under the allocation of maintenance duties may be treated differently. Only follow safe user instructions and do not carry out any technical work that requires expertise.
If you have a separate contract with an energy or heat supplier, report the fault to that supplier as well. An interruption in supply and a defect in the home’s installation can give rise to different responsibilities. Keep the fault reference numbers and the explanation given by each party involved.
What to include in your fault report
State since when you have been without heating or hot water, which rooms are affected and what any error message indicates. Record measured indoor temperatures with the date and time. Describe any special circumstances that make prompt action necessary, without sharing more personal data than is strictly required.
Ask for a repair appointment and, if a permanent repair is not immediately possible, for a workable temporary solution. Have any arrangements about electric heaters, electricity consumption or alternative accommodation confirmed in writing. Temporary help may be necessary, but it is not automatically a permanent solution.
When can you ask for a rent reduction
Not every brief fault justifies a rent reduction. In the case of prolonged or serious failure, however, your enjoyment of the home may be substantially impaired. The Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie) can deal with a defects procedure within the limits of its powers. In the private sector, different options apply to maintenance disputes; an advisory route requires an agreement between the parties, and a court may be needed for an enforceable decision.
The official explanation of maintenance and defects helps you choose the right procedure. Our article on rent reduction for defects describes which evidence to gather.
Who pays for extra electricity or accommodation costs
Higher electricity costs caused by emergency heating, or the cost of temporary accommodation, are not reimbursed as a matter of course. You must be able to substantiate, among other things, the necessity, reasonableness and extent of the costs and the basis for liability. Keep a record of your use of temporary facilities and keep the invoices.
Comparing energy bills can be a starting point, but weather conditions and tariffs may also differ. Make your calculation verifiable. Where possible, discuss reimbursement in advance and avoid choosing unnecessarily expensive solutions without consultation.
What if the landlord keeps delaying
Ask in writing for a specific schedule and explain why the situation cannot continue. In urgent circumstances, interim relief proceedings (kort geding) may be considered to enforce measures. The Dutch judiciary explains the urgent procedure.
Keep distinguishing between obtaining heating, a temporary rent reduction and reimbursement of costs. Which combination is appropriate depends on your objective and the evidence available. Do not stop paying all of your rent without having your situation assessed first.
Describe exactly which facility has failed
Distinguish between no heating, insufficient heating, no hot water and a fluctuating water temperature. A radiator that stays cold while other rooms do heat up may have a different problem from an installation that has failed completely. Note which taps and rooms are affected and when the fault occurs.
Pass on error codes exactly as you see them, without drawing your own conclusions about technical components. Keep a photo of the display and the engineer’s feedback. A fault report that only says “boiler broken” is less useful than an overview showing that the installation fails every day and shows a fault again after every reset. Only carry out actions that safe user instructions say are meant for you.
Urgency depends on the actual circumstances
A heating failure during a cold spell may call for temporary measures sooner than the same failure in mild weather. The duration, the size of the home and the availability of other heat sources also play a role. Describe specifically why waiting is a problem. A general complaint that the landlord is “too late” helps less than an up-to-date explanation of the situation.
Mention special circumstances only in so far as they are necessary to understand the urgency. You do not have to share an entire medical file indiscriminately. Ask the landlord for an emergency solution if a permanent repair depends on a spare part or further investigation. A delivery time may explain the schedule, but it does not in itself answer the question of how you can use the home normally in the meantime.
Measurements that support your report
Record indoor temperatures at fixed times and state in which room you are measuring. Keep the measuring spot the same as far as possible and note whether temporary heating is being used. Do not place a thermometer right next to a heater or an open window if you want to describe the general room temperature. An overview of the trend is usually more useful than a single extreme figure without context.
Do not present simple measurements as technical proof that the installation must be tested against all standards on the basis of your thermometer. For an expert assessment, the measuring method and circumstances may be relevant. Your records mainly support the duration and consequences of the fault. So also include reports, work orders and arrangements about temporary facilities.
Arrangements for electric emergency heating
If the landlord offers electric heaters, ask how many appliances will be supplied, which rooms they are intended for and how safe use will be explained. A small appliance for one room is not necessarily an adequate solution for an entire home. Also discuss what happens if the repair takes longer than expected.
Record who bears the extra electricity costs and how you will prove them. An appliance may work technically while the costs or the distribution of heat create new problems. Only use equipment in accordance with the instructions and have any doubts about the electrical installation assessed by an expert. Avoid improvising with heating devices that are not intended for safe indoor use.
A worked example for extra electricity consumption
Suppose an emergency heater demonstrably uses an average of one extra kilowatt for five hours a day, for ten days. That amounts to fifty kilowatt hours. At an applicable tariff of € 0.30 per kilowatt hour, this comes to € 15. The example is purely a calculation; actual consumption may differ because of thermostat operation, power rating and duration of use.
Where possible, therefore, keep meter readings and your tariff for the relevant period. Also mention any savings on other energy supplies if they are relevant to the calculation of the loss. A higher advance payment on your energy bill does not directly prove how much extra cost a single fault has caused. Alongside the calculation, you still need a legal basis or an agreement to claim reimbursement.
Collective heating and a separate supplier
In a building with collective heating, the owner, the property manager and the heat supplier may each have their own role. Check who your contracting party is for the supply and who maintains the installation in your home. Report the problem to the relevant parties and ask each of them specifically which component they are investigating. This prevents a defect in your home from being treated as if it were solely a general interruption in supply.
Ask for a fault reference number and a written description of the cause that has been established. Any compensation under a supply scheme must be assessed separately from a claim under tenancy law on account of a defect. Do not assume that every interruption in heating automatically falls under the same compensation rule. Use the applicable agreement and the current terms and conditions to have that question assessed.
Only cold water can also have serious consequences
If the heating works but there is no hot water, describe which normal facilities cannot be used. Is showering impossible, or is the temperature insufficient at only one tap? Are there alternatives in the home and how long has the situation lasted? The practical limitation is relevant to the seriousness of the defect and to a reasonable temporary solution.
If the temperature keeps fluctuating, ask for the underlying cause to be investigated. An engineer who measures hot water at one particular moment has not necessarily explained a reported daily fault. So note the times and duration, without carrying out unsafe tests yourself. A repair report stating what was investigated and replaced helps to assess whether a subsequent fault concerns the same problem.
Example of a recurring boiler fault
Suppose a tenant reports a fault three times during a cold week. A first reset helps for a few hours, after which both the heating and the hot water fail again. An engineer orders a part and the landlord supplies one emergency heater. This is a fictitious example and not a prediction of the outcome of any proceedings.
A targeted follow-up request mentions the recurring failure, the rooms that remain cold and the lack of hot water. Ask for a repair date and a temporary solution that addresses both problems. For a rent reduction, the actual limitation is assessed; for extra energy costs, a separate calculation is needed. If the landlord does not provide a clear plan, enforcing repairs when the landlord fails to act may be the next step.
Frequently asked questions about loss of heating
Is there a fixed period within which the central heating must be repaired
There is no single universal period for every fault. The seriousness, the circumstances and what is practically feasible are important. An emergency calls for faster action than a limited fault in mild weather.
Am I entitled to a hotel
Not automatically. The necessity of alternative accommodation, the alternatives available and liability must be assessed. If possible, make arrangements before high costs are incurred.
May I have a new boiler installed myself
Do not do so without first assessing your authority to do so, the recovery of costs and technical responsibility. A complete replacement is something different from a necessary emergency measure.
What if only the hot water is missing
That too can be a defect. Record the duration, seriousness and consequences and state clearly that the hot water supply has failed.
Do I have to accept just a temporary heater
A reasonable temporary facility can be useful while a permanent repair is being prepared. Record what it resolves and what is still lacking. Accepting a heater does not automatically mean that all complaints, extra costs or claims relating to the earlier period have been settled.
Can I claim a fixed amount for each cold day
There is no single automatic daily rate for every rented home and every fault. The applicable agreements, the seriousness, the duration and the legal route are decisive. Distinguish between a temporary rent reduction, demonstrable extra costs and any scheme operated by a separate heat supplier.
What if the engineer sees no fault at the time of the visit
Show your overview of previous failures, error messages and times. Ask which possible causes have been investigated and what you should record if the fault recurs. Confirm any new failure in writing. An installation that works temporarily does not mean that a recurring problem has been solved without investigation.
Does the rent automatically go back up after the repair
When a temporary rent reduction ends depends on the valid agreement or decision and on the repair. Record the date of the repair and check how the normal rent is to be resumed. If there is a dispute about whether the repair is complete, further assessment is needed; do not change your payments on the basis of a mere assumption.
Help with an ongoing fault
Send your tenancy agreement, reports and fault information to Arslan Advocaten to discuss the options for repair and any financial claims.
