Written by
Emma Collins
Published on
Jan 25, 2026
The call comes in at 7am on a Monday. Or 11pm on a Friday. A tenant has no hot water.
How you respond in the next few minutes determines whether this becomes a quick fix, an escalating complaint, or — in the worst case — a disrepair claim. The difference often comes down to asking the right questions and making the right triage decision.
This guide gives you a framework for handling "no hot water" reports: what to ask, what tenants can check themselves, how to classify urgency, and what to document along the way.
Why "No Hot Water" Needs Immediate Attention
Hot water isn't optional. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords must keep installations for heating water in repair and proper working order. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 reinforces this — tenants have a right to live in a property that's fit for habitation, which includes access to hot water.
In practice, this means:
No hot water is typically treated as an emergency, especially during colder months or where vulnerable tenants are involved.
The expected response time is 24 hours for urgent cases — not to complete the repair necessarily, but to attend, diagnose, and either fix or provide interim solutions.
Delays can trigger disrepair claims. Courts look at how quickly landlords responded, not just whether they eventually fixed the problem.
With Awaab's Law now in force for social housing and expected to extend to the private rented sector, fixed response timeframes are becoming the norm. Getting your triage process right now puts you ahead of the curve.
First Response: Questions to Ask the Tenant
Before you instruct a contractor, gather the information that determines urgency and helps diagnose the issue. A few targeted questions can save hours of back-and-forth.
Establish the scope:
Is there also no heating, or just no hot water?
Is this affecting the whole property or just certain taps/showers?
When did it start? Was it sudden or gradual?
Check for simple causes:
Has there been a power cut recently? (Can reset boiler settings)
Have you bled any radiators lately? (Can drop boiler pressure)
Are your gas and electricity supplies working? (Check other appliances)
Is the boiler displaying any error codes or warning lights?
Assess urgency factors:
Are there any vulnerable people in the property? (Elderly, young children, anyone with health conditions)
Do you have any alternative way to heat water? (Electric shower, kettle)
What's the weather like? (Winter = higher urgency)
Document the tenant's answers. This forms part of your audit trail and demonstrates you took the report seriously and gathered relevant information before making a decision.
Simple Checks Tenants Can Do First
Many "no hot water" calls can be resolved without an engineer visit — or at least diagnosed more precisely. Here's what tenants can safely check themselves:
1. Check the energy supply
Is the gas working? (Try another gas appliance like the hob)
Is the electricity on? (Check lights and sockets)
Has the prepayment meter run out?
2. Check the boiler pressure
Look at the pressure gauge on the front of the boiler. It should read between 1 and 1.5 bar when the heating is off. If it's below 1 bar, the boiler may have cut out due to low pressure. This is often fixable by repressurising via the filling loop — but only if the tenant is comfortable doing so and has the manual.
3. Check the thermostat and timer
Power cuts can reset boiler settings. Check:
Is the thermostat set above the current room temperature?
Is the timer set correctly? (Not stuck on "off" or a previous schedule)
Are the batteries in the thermostat working? (Wireless thermostats)
4. Check for error codes
Most modern boilers display error codes when something's wrong. Ask the tenant to note down any codes or flashing lights — this helps the engineer diagnose the issue faster and may indicate whether it's a simple fix or something more serious.
5. Check the pilot light (older boilers)
On older boilers with a visible pilot light, check if it's lit. If it's gone out, the tenant should not attempt to relight it themselves — this needs a Gas Safe engineer.
Template message to send tenants:
Thanks for letting us know about the hot water issue. Before we send an engineer, could you quickly check the following:
1. Is your gas supply working? (Try the hob if you have one) 2. Is your electricity on? 3. What does the boiler pressure gauge show? (Should be 1-1.5 bar) 4. Is the boiler displaying any error codes or warning lights? 5. Has there been a power cut recently?
Let us know what you find and we'll take it from there. If you smell gas or see any signs of a leak, don't touch anything — open windows, leave the property, and call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999.
Triage Decision Tree
Based on the tenant's answers, classify the repair into one of three categories:
Emergency (same-day response)
Instruct a contractor immediately. Aim for attendance within 24 hours.
Complete loss of hot water and heating
Any time of year with vulnerable tenants (elderly, children, health conditions)
Winter months (October–March) regardless of tenant circumstances
Suspected gas leak or carbon monoxide (call National Gas Emergency on 0800 111 999 first)
Boiler making unusual sounds, burning smells, or visible damage
Tenant has no alternative way to heat water
Urgent (24–48 hour response)
Instruct within 24 hours. Keep the tenant informed of timeline.
No hot water but heating still working
Summer months with no vulnerable tenants
Tenant has electric shower or other hot water source
Intermittent hot water (works sometimes)
Low pressure identified but tenant unable to repressurise
Routine (within 7 days)
Schedule for next available appointment.
Hot water temperature slightly lower than usual
Issue traced to tenant's own appliance (e.g., electric shower)
Tenant-fixable issue (low pressure, reset thermostat) — provide guidance and follow up
When in doubt, escalate. It's better to send an engineer who finds a simple fix than to delay and have the situation worsen.
What to Do While Waiting for Repairs
If the repair can't be completed immediately, you have a duty to mitigate the impact on the tenant.
Offer temporary solutions:
Portable electric heaters (if heating is also affected)
Electric kettle for hot water (basic hygiene needs)
Offer to cover reasonable costs for temporary solutions
Keep the tenant informed:
Confirm the contractor has been instructed
Provide an estimated attendance time
Update them if there are delays
Consider compensation:
For extended delays (more than 48 hours), a rent reduction may be appropriate
Document any offers made and the tenant's response
Don't leave tenants in the dark. Poor communication is often cited in disrepair claims as evidence of landlord negligence — even when the actual repair was completed within a reasonable time.
Documentation Checklist
Every "no hot water" report should generate a clear audit trail. If this ever becomes a complaint or claim, your documentation is your defence.
At the point of report:
Date and time tenant reported the issue
How they reported it (phone, email, WhatsApp, portal)
Questions asked and answers received
Triage decision and rationale
During the repair process:
Contractor instructed (date, time, company)
Estimated attendance communicated to tenant
Any delays and reasons
Interim solutions offered
After completion:
Repair completed (date, time)
What was done (diagnosis and fix)
Any follow-up required
Tenant confirmation that issue is resolved
For more on building a robust documentation process, see our guide on how to create an audit trail for property repairs.
Common Causes and What They Mean
Understanding the likely cause helps you set expectations with the tenant and brief the contractor.
Symptom | Likely Cause | Typical Fix |
|---|---|---|
No hot water or heating, boiler not firing | Low pressure, power issue, gas supply | Repressurise, reset, check supply |
No hot water, heating works | Diverter valve fault | Engineer required — valve repair/replacement |
Hot water lukewarm | Thermostat issue, limescale buildup | Thermostat adjustment or descale |
Boiler fires then cuts out | Overheat protection, blocked flue | Engineer required — safety check |
Error code displayed | Varies by code | Check manufacturer guide, likely engineer required |
Boiler making banging/kettling noise | Limescale or sludge buildup | Powerflush or heat exchanger clean |
If you're seeing patterns — the same boiler issues across multiple properties, or repeated callouts to the same unit — it may be worth scheduling preventative maintenance rather than waiting for the next breakdown.
Building Emergency Response Capacity
Reactive repairs are expensive and stressful. A few proactive steps can reduce the frequency and severity of "no hot water" emergencies:
Annual boiler servicing: Not legally required (unlike the annual gas safety check), but significantly reduces breakdown risk. Many letting agents build this into their management service.
Tenant education: At the start of each tenancy, show tenants where the boiler is, how to check pressure, and how to report issues. A five-minute conversation can prevent unnecessary callouts.
Reliable contractor relationships: Have at least one contractor who can respond to genuine emergencies within 24 hours. Pay the premium — it's worth it when you need it.
Boiler cover policies: For larger portfolios, landlord boiler cover can provide predictable costs and faster response times.
The Bigger Picture
"No hot water" is one of the most common tenant reports — and one of the most time-consuming to handle manually. Every call requires the same questions, the same triage decisions, the same documentation.
The letting agents who handle this efficiently aren't doing it through heroic effort. They're doing it through systems: clear frameworks, templated communications, and consistent processes.
Whether you systematise this manually or use software to automate it, the principle is the same: capture the right information upfront, make a clear triage decision, document everything, and keep the tenant informed.
Do that consistently, and "no hot water" stops being a crisis. It becomes a process.
Lanten automates tenant repair requests from first contact to resolution — capturing the diagnostic information, classifying urgency, instructing contractors, and documenting every step. No more 7am phone calls or chasing contractors for updates. Book a demo to see how it works.
