# Council House: As housing authority is coco obliged to provide central heating?



## salaried (6 Dec 2010)

I have just had a conversation with a plumber employed by the council who installs gas central heating in local council houses as soon as they become vacant. 

Apparently this applies to all vacant houses before a new tenant arrives. 

My query is I have two brothers , both bachelors living in the same council house all their lives and do not have any form of central heating. They have both lost their jobs recently and put every cent into their house. They have had their house rewired, plastered, painted and furnished but did not think about and now cannot afford central heating. 

They are not the type to ask for anything whether deserved or not but I am wondering as landlords are the council obliged to provide some form of heating. 

If they are fitting central heating to vacant houses why not to occupied houses.


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## bren1916 (6 Dec 2010)

I'd imagine it'd probably  have something to do with providing heating to new tenants leases etc whilst they can get away with slowly retro-fitting currently occupied housing stock.
Your brothers really need to conatct their local council housing/maintenance dept. and enquire as to the provision for installing heating, ie. is there a list in place?


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## Thirsty (6 Dec 2010)

I've never heard of a tenant doing substantial works to a rented property without the prior approval of the owner.

Given that they have (one assumes) improved the property can the owner agree an abatement of rent in return? Would they be willing to do the same for central heating?


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## ajapale (8 Dec 2010)

Mod Note:

I have referred this thread to the mods as its unclear where it belongs in *Welfare and State Benefits* or Property Investment /Tenants Rights.

aj


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## Welfarite (8 Dec 2010)

Property Investments/Tenants' Rights seems most appropriate if only on the basis that this forum might elicit more appropriate responses. Thare are no SW benefits for this type of thing but there may be Council grants/ home energy, etc.


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## ajapale (8 Dec 2010)

Contact www.threshold.ie who have a lot of experience dealing with Local Authority Tenancy issues.

The OP should also contact the housing department of the local authority and perhaps contact one of their local councellors with experience of these matters.


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## ajapale (8 Dec 2010)

Some local authorities such as Kildare Co Co have programmes to upgrade their housing stock to provide central heating.



> There is currently a Central Heating Programme being run by Kildare County Council which aims to ensure
> that all Local Authority Housing in Co. Kildare would have some form of central heating. This would ensure
> that the approximately 900 local authority houses that were identified as having no central heating would
> have either gas, oil or solid fuel central heating. 3,905 households were identified as having no central
> ...


Also Dublin City Council would seem to have a similar programme. 
[broken link removed]



> Get Central Heating installed in your Council home that you rent from the Council.




Central Heating Programme - Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government 



> *Central Heating Programme*
> 
> 
> This programme for the installation of central heating in existing local  authority rented dwellings, which lacked such facilities was introduced  in July 2004. It is administered locally and the planning and execution  of works is a matter for each local authority. Under the Programme a  grant of 6,000 euro or up to 80% of the cost, whichever is the lesser,  is payable for each house.  The balance of the cost is met by the  housing authority. In addition to central heating facilities the work  may also include related energy improvement and smoke detection  measures.


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## salaried (9 Dec 2010)

*coco central heating*

Thanks for your replies guys. Thirsty ,The council are not aware of the revamp undertaken to the house, It would not make any difference any way ,but I appreciate your input. Bren 1916, I did contact the local council on my brothers behalf and the engineer could not believe they are without proper heating, But said they were out of funds. Ajapale thanks for the link and the idea of contacting threshold, I will do that straight away. Thanks again for going to the trouble to reply, Happy christmas to you all, Regards Cumnor.


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## ali (9 Dec 2010)

My sister in law has a council house in Ballyogan in Dublin 18 and got her gas heating put in free of charge by the council last year. She had been on a list for about 8 months but then saw the workmen installing locally and phoned council to remind them that she was also waiting and that work was going on a couple of doors down from her. The crew were sent over to her the following afternoon and her house is now toasty. She also had insulation (attic) done by the council around the same time but I don't think it was the same work crew.

A.


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## salaried (10 Dec 2010)

Thanks for that Ali. Glad she was sorted out.


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## Sandals (10 Dec 2010)

friend-mullingar-about three years in council house when council put in double glazing and central heating off the range.  I know her family did masses of work on house as really old, painting, tiling everywhere, kitchen presses etc upgraded. Thankfully she has moved on now.....


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