No hot water
Question from Renee updated on 22nd May 2015:
We currently lease a commercial building and have never had hot water, or even taps.When I brought this up with the landlord he basically said we had agreed to it in the beginning with no hot water. The original lease was started in 2011 before I was employed by the company but there is nothing mentioned about the building not having or having hot water. Our lease is up for renewal so I just want to find out our legal obligations as we are a engineering firm and you can only imagine how dirty the guys hands get with no hot water to clean. I don't have hot water to wash my hands after the bathroom either. We have our own hot water urn in the kitchen for hot water as none of the sinks have hot water taps to start with so at least we can have smoko but I just don't think it's right we are not able to wash our hands in hand water after going to the bathroom etc. The kitchen is situated upstairs and at the other end of the building from the toilets also.
Our expert Alan Bruce responded:
The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (the Act) generally applies to all residential tenancies, but does not apply in respect of, or cover, tenancies that relate to a wholly commercial premises. It is recommended that any party seeking information regarding a commercial tenancy seek independent legal advice from a solicitor to determine what options are available in these circumstances.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment provides information and guidance on building law and compliance, services including weathertight homes, and advice for tenants and landlords.