help! - how is my tenant making my boiler go onto lockout

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Katy

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We have an ongoing problem with a tenant who is in a downstairs flat in a house converted into two flats. Over many months she has been reporting electrical problems, tripping, thermostat randomly resetting, programmer moving etc. etc. She would trip the electrics then leave the house for the evening, leaving the upstairs tenant with no electric, heating etc.

After spending a lot of money getting electricians and heating engineers round, she was basically caught red handed at the circuit board. (There were also no problems whilst she was away recently). We locked the circuit board cupboard a week ago and then she only tampered with the programmer. We locked that 6 days ago and now only the thermostat is changing settings (which is okay because the upstairs tenant can reset it when he walks in) but also she is making the boiler (potterton suprima) go onto lockout leaving the upstairs tenant with no heating or hot water.

(She has also been turning the thermostat down to minimum on the actual boiler).

Please can anyone help - how is she making it go onto lockout?! Does she have to have access to the actual boiler controls or can she be tampering with something else? She only now has access to the Horstmann DRT2 thermostat programmable digital room thermostat and the boiler.

I would be really grateful for any comments.

Thank you.

 
Create two totally separate flats, with 2 boilers, 2 thermostats and 2 programmers, etc etc etc.

The easiest way to make a boiler go to lockout is usually to turn off the gas to it.

I take it the tenants don't get on.

 
Canoeboy said:
You could also move Steptoe in as a Sub-Tenant- The your tenant will either leave very quickly or disappear 

If the boiler has valves on it then they could be playing with them, it depends what you men by lockout - lockout is normally a gas lockout (in my opinion) - 
the potterton is flashing red lights - which means lockout.

so, do you reckon the only way of her making it do that that she is taking the front off the boiler?   - I wouldn't put it past her by the way.... thanks

 
Create two totally separate flats, with 2 boilers, 2 thermostats and 2 programmers, etc etc etc.

The easiest way to make a boiler go to lockout is usually to turn off the gas to it.

I take it the tenants don't get on.
Thank you - yes, we could create two totally separate flats, but the set up has worked perfectly for 15 years - I think she just doesn't want anyone in the upstairs flat - she seems to want the whole place to herself! 

The upstairs tenant ended up moving out last year because of all the "non-existent" electrical problems that she was creating - she was only caught last week - the new chap has only been there two weeks - he knows what the score is though.

I think I need to take action to prevent her from access the front of the boiler - thank you

 
Canoeboy said:
no as said above, the valves - gas, flow etc - could all force a lockout and most valves are under the boiler or outside, most don't need covers taking off
thank you - I think preventing her from accessing the circuit board cupboard and programmer wasn't enough, we now need to prevent her accessing the boiler! Thank you

it will also lockout if something is put over the flue
thank you - I did notice the wheelie bin outside had a dent on the top of it the other day! - I will bear that in mind too - many thanks.

 
Turning off the gas meter might do it too. But please do not even think of restricting access to the gas meter and its emergency shut off valve.

 
Or simply move in for a week, 

If you are supplying the beer, :D

Canoeboy said:
You could coat the gas valve with that stuff that marks your skin under ultra violet - like they do with money......

But best to evict her......


Or,

What about that sticky stuff for mice,?

:)

 
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