Warm Front grant - bypassing Eagaheat

[Joelrio]

We have been awarded a £3,500 Warm Front central heating grant with work due to begin asap.

Our landlord is not happy with the eagaheat specification (and lack of information) and will not grant permission for them to install. Is it possible for us to bypass Eagaheat and use the grant to pay for other installers? We read on this forum that this has been done before.

 

[Agile]

In theory it should be possible but in practice because Warm front is a scamming organisation with its own "associated" installation companies they will resist that very stroungly.

Since Warm Front grants are primarily for owners with limited means then I dont understand why, in any normal situation, a rented property would be subject to a grant aided installation ( unless its a long leasehold in which case the Landlord, who is the freeholder, has no significant involvement ).

Tony

 

[Joelrio]

Thanks for this - I guess we need a way to turn theory into practice.

Our tenancy is registered (pre 1989) which makes us secure but doesnt take away the landlord's involvement.

 

[Agile]

In virtually all tenancies the landlord is responsible for heating and boilers!

I am aware of one where the 91 y.o. tenant got a Warmfront grant water heater fitted but I could not really understand why they were apparently responsible for the boiler.

As far as they seemed able to tell me they only paid a very low rent and as a consequence aggreed it was unreasonable to expect the landlord to meet that cost. I am not confident that was the exact reason but they seemed unable to explain it any other way. They were a really nice Irish family of a sister and two brothers, only one mad had ever been married but now divorced and it seemed so unusual that the sister was not married because she is so friendly and sympathetic.

Tony

 

[Agile]

Search on this forum for postings about bypassing Warm Front.

You will see that it proves very difficult but a very few people have managed it but certainly not many.

Many fail because the installer actually doing the work has to be approved by Eagaheat and they seem to expect that they can get a subcontractor to do the work for just £300 but the information is very scanty and as with all postings on forums they are often leaving out salient details.

Tony

 

[D_Hailsham]

Since Warm Front grants are primarily for owners with limited means then I dont understand why, in any normal situation, a rented property would be subject to a grant aided installation ( unless its a long leasehold in which case the Landlord, who is the freeholder, has no significant involvement ).

You really should check your facts! Warm Front grants are available to both owner-occupiers and to tenants, provided they meet the necessary criteria.

Warm Front Grants

As for the OP's comment that their landlord is not happy with the eagaheat specification and lack of information, the landlord should take this up directly with eagaheat. There are certain things which are not covered by the grant, such as boxing-in any pipes, as these are purely "cosmetic", so if the landlord wants this done, he will have to agree it with the installer and pay the extra. See What will I get from Warmfront.

In some parts of the country Warm Front use approved independent installers (there are two in my town). If you live is such an area, ask Warmfront to give you the name of a second installer.

As you are receiving a grant, you are probably getting all or part of the rent paid by your local council. In which case, you should contact your Local Council as the property may not meet the "Decent Homes" Standard; one of the criteria being that it "provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort".

 

[Agile]

I only said the grants were primarily for owners ( including leaseholders ) because in most renting senarios the landlord is responsible for providing the heating and hot water system.

In this case it has not been explained why apparently the tenant is receiving the grant yet the landlord is questioning the specification.

However, as its so often poor its not surprising that he may be questioning it under the question of giving approval for it as freeholder.

Tony

 

[1CANHELP]

Ah! Tony know all agile or so he likes to think, jumping in with both feet and wrong again sheeesh!

Now disapear old man and get back to your biasa boiler tinkering and let the REAL businessmen talk.

 

[Paul Barker]

If the worst comes to the worst and they fit a bad boiler, the whole system is so corrupt that in five years time they will fit you another new boiler. It is rampant fraud, which perpetuates for the whole lifetime of your qualifying and for the time EAGA remain in control of the purse, whilst having a vested interest in you being provided with new heating/ replacement boiler.

Until the money is controlled by a truly independent organisation with no vested interests, the fraud will proliferate.

 

[idealnumber1]

YOUR LANDLORD ISNT HAPPY,WELL TELL HIM TO BUY THE CENTRAL HEATING OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET,

 

[D_Hailsham]

I only said the grants were primarily for owners ( including leaseholders ) because in most renting senarios the landlord is responsible for providing the heating and hot water system.

Again, you need to check your facts before commenting. The fact that the landlord in a rented property is always responsible for providing and maintaining the heating system is not relevant when assessing the entitlement of the tenant to a Warm Front grant.

In this case it has not been explained why apparently the tenant is receiving the grant yet the landlord is questioning the specification.

Because, under the Warm Front legislation, the landlord has to give permission for the work to be done.

End of!!!

 

[kirkgas]

the criteria for getting the grant is based on who lives in the house not who owns it, i swear when we did the installs i visited to do a survey and the old guy was duly waiting on me, he didnt speak very good English so i had to explain i needed to go round measuring rooms etc, when he took me round it was clear he didnt know which rooms were which, i quizzed him about the house etc and after eventually speaking to his son, i figured out he basically they had brought the old guy in from his own house to claim the grant as they both had the same name they thought they would chance it, it cost our company a job as i could have turned a blind eye to get the install but it is theft, so i reported them to EAGA and the job got cancelled, the guy went tonto on the phone to my office saying i was a racist i said no i report all thieves

 

[Agile]

I appreciate that the grants are technically available to tenants.

However, that cannot be the end of the story!

Otherwise anyone who wanted a free boiler would temperarily rent the property to a destitute and get the Warmfront grant !

Furthermore, all the Councils and Housing Associations would do the same and save stacks of money on all their properties.

So there must be some clauses to prevent either of these happening.

I think there is a claw back on owners who sell too soon. But how could there be any clawback on floating tenants?

Tony

 

[D_Hailsham]

I appreciate that the grants are technically available to tenants.

There's no "technically" about it. Tenants are entitled to a grant if they meet the necessary criteria.

Otherwise anyone who wanted a free boiler would temporarily rent the property to a destitute and get the Warmfront grant !

The "tenant", because the criteria is income based, will invariably be receiving housing benefit. As this is not payable until the Council has has inspected the tenancy agreement and would be unlikely to accept one which is for less than a year, I doubt if such a scenario could happen.

In any case the tenant could not be evicted from the property without a court order. And I can see the judge querying why the owner had moved into other (presumably rented) accommodation and now wants his own house back.

Furthermore, all the Councils and Housing Associations would do the same and save stacks of money on all their properties.

No they can't! It only applies to tenants in PRIVATE rented accommodation.

I think there is a claw back on owners who sell too soon. But how could there be any clawback on floating tenants?

No, in both cases.

Tony

 

[namsag]

So basically what your saying is Agile does not have a clue and is living in cloud cuckoo land..