Boiler problems in rented housing

01Which faults are most common?

Most central heating faults in a rented house are not a broken boiler. They usually come down to a few well-known causes that a resident can fix with a short instruction, or that an engineer can sort out in a single visit.

Low water pressure

A central heating system runs on water under pressure. The boiler has a pressure gauge. Usually it should read between 1.5 and 2 bar; check the boiler manual for the right value. If the pressure drops too far, the boiler switches itself off or shows a fault code. Topping up is a minor repair and therefore a tenant's task.

Air in the radiators

Gurgling sounds and a radiator that does not get fully warm point to air in the system. Bleeding the radiators solves this. Bleeding often lowers the water pressure, so afterwards the system usually needs topping up.

Thermostat

Flat batteries in a wireless thermostat, a wrongly set programme, or a thermostat in the wrong room. In shared housing the thermostat is usually in the living room. If it is warm there, bedrooms on the cold side of the house sometimes get too little heat, even when the boiler works perfectly.

Boiler does not ignite or keeps cutting out

After a power cut or a short interruption, a restart is often enough. Restarting the installation after a failure is also a minor repair. If the same fault code keeps coming back, it is a job for an engineer: a dirty burner, a faulty igniter, or a problem with the gas supply or the flue.

02Quick overview: fault, first check, who to call

What does the resident notice?	First check	Who fixes it?
Whole house cold, boiler shows a fault	Pressure gauge, fault code, reset once	Resident (top up, restart); if it persists: engineer via landlord
One radiator stays cold or gurgles	Radiator valve open? Bleed, then check pressure	Resident; if that does not help: engineer
Boiler keeps needing topping up	Look for leaks at radiators or pipes	Landlord: leak or faulty expansion vessel
Boiler discharges water via the overflow	Pressure too high after topping up?	If it repeats: engineer
Bedrooms cold, living room warm	Thermostat, radiator valves, windows	Landlord if the capacity falls short
No hot water, heating works	Fault code, hot water setting	Engineer via landlord
CO alarm sounds, headache or nausea	Check nothing: get outside	112, then a CO-certified company

Values and steps differ per appliance. So hang the boiler's short manual visibly next to it, ideally in the residents' languages.

03What may the tenant do, and what must the landlord do?

The split is set out in the Dutch Civil Code and the Besluit kleine herstellingen (Minor Repairs Decree). According to the Dutch government, the tenant's tasks include:

bleeding and topping up the central heating;
restarting the central heating after a failure;
preventing taps from freezing.

The landlord is responsible for major maintenance, such as a new boiler, and for the repair, inspection and replacement of technical installations in the home. Major repairs to chimneys and flues are also the landlord's.

Article 7:206 of the Dutch Civil Code says the landlord must remedy defects when the tenant asks, except minor repairs and defects the tenant is liable for. A boiler that does not work properly is therefore normally the landlord's business, even if the resident has checked the pressure first.

Do not tinker with the appliance

Since 1 April 2023, work on gas combustion appliances, such as the boiler, a gas water heater or a gas heater, may only be done by a company with CO certification. According to the Dutch government, doing this work yourself is a punishable offence. Topping up and bleeding remain ordinary tenant tasks; opening the boiler does not.

This article is general information and not legal advice. What applies in your case depends on the type of agreement and what it says. If in doubt, consult a lawyer.

Know before the residents call

eyesonrooms measures temperature and humidity in every room and flags a house where the heating does not seem to be working in the 07:30 morning email.

Request a pilot

04How quickly must a landlord fix a fault?

The law does not set a fixed number of hours for a heating fault. It is clear, however, when a tenant can take further steps:

Huurcommissie. After written notice, the landlord has six weeks to remedy the defect. If that does not happen, the tenant can ask the Huurcommissie (rent tribunal) for a rent reduction.
Repair it themselves. If the landlord is in default, article 7:206 of the Civil Code allows the tenant to have the defect remedied and recover reasonable costs from the landlord, if need be by deducting them from the rent.
Heat standard. In the Huurcommissie's policy book, heating that gives off too little heat is a defect. With -10 °C outside, it must be possible to reach 20 °C in the living room and kitchen, 18 °C in a bedroom and 22 °C in the bathroom.

Those six weeks are the threshold for a procedure, not a reasonable response time in winter. A house without heating in frost leads within a day to plug-in electric heaters, and within a few days to a risk of frozen pipes and damp (see frost damage and heating failure). A good landlord therefore agrees their own response time with the installer, weekends included.

05Carbon monoxide: what are the risks and is a CO alarm mandatory?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced by incomplete combustion, for example in a poorly maintained boiler or a blocked flue. You cannot see or smell it. The Dutch fire service lists symptoms including headache, nausea, vomiting, tiredness, confusion, drowsiness and a faster heart rate. Precisely because that looks like flu, it often goes unrecognised.

Is a CO alarm mandatory?

No, at the moment a carbon monoxide alarm is not a legal requirement in every home in the Netherlands. The Dutch government does advise fitting one, and having the gas appliance checked at least once every two years by a CO-certified company. For a landlord of shared housing, an alarm is a small investment against a large risk.

Where should the alarm go?

In the room with the combustion appliance, 1 to 3 metres from it, on or just below the ceiling.
The NEN-EN 50292 standard also advises an alarm in every bedroom, at breathing height.
Not in a cupboard, behind a curtain, above the sink, or next to a door, window or cooker hood.

What should a resident do when the alarm goes off?

Get outside as quickly as possible, and bring the other residents.
If anyone has symptoms: call 112.
Do not go back in until the fire service or an engineer says it is safe.
Inform the landlord, so a CO-certified company can check the appliance.

06How do you make sure residents report a fault properly?

In shared housing, the biggest delay is often the report itself. Residents do not always speak Dutch or English, do not know who the landlord is, or think a housemate has already called. A few practical arrangements help:

An instruction card next to the boiler in the residents' languages: the pressure gauge with its green zone, how to top up, how to restart, and when to call.
One reporting point that is always the same, in a fixed place in the house. A QR code in the hallway that lets residents report a fault in their own language, with a photo of the pressure gauge or fault code, saves a phone call through an interpreter.
Keep a record. For each report, note the time, what was reported, when the engineer came and when it worked again. Those response times show which installer is quick and which house keeps coming back, and give you evidence if there is a dispute later.
Plan maintenance. Put the two-yearly service per house in the schedule, before the heating season.

eyesonrooms offers a QR reporting form for residents in five languages, and a housing management module in which faults are tracked as tickets with date and status.

07How can you spot failing heating before the complaints come in?

A central heating system rarely breaks down all at once. There are often signals first that residents do not report: the pressure drops slowly, a radiator gets half warm, the house takes longer each morning to reach temperature. With a temperature sensor in every room these signals become visible:

All rooms cool down together while it is cold outside: one resident's open window does not explain that. The heating is probably not working.
One room stays consistently colder than the rest of the house: a radiator with air in it, a closed valve or a radiator that is too small.
A room warms up remarkably fast while the rest stays the same: often a plug-in electric heater, because the central heating falls short there (see plug-in heaters and electricity costs).
Humidity rises in cold rooms: a risk of condensation and mould if the fault lasts too long.

eyesonrooms measures temperature and humidity in every room. It flags a room that is too cold, a house where the heating does not seem to be working and a likely plug-in heater, and puts it all in one summary email every morning at 07:30. That way a coordinator can visit before the first complaint arrives.

08Frequently asked questions

What is the right water pressure for a boiler?

Usually between 1.5 and 2 bar, in the green zone of the pressure gauge. The exact value is in your boiler's manual.

Does the tenant have to top up the heating?

Yes, bleeding and topping up the central heating and restarting it after a failure are minor repairs for the tenant. Repairing, inspecting and replacing the boiler are for the landlord.

Is a carbon monoxide alarm mandatory in rented housing?

Not in every home at the moment. The Dutch government does advise fitting a CO alarm and having the appliance checked at least once every two years by a CO-certified company.

How long does a landlord have to repair the heating?

For a procedure at the Huurcommissie, the landlord gets six weeks after written notice. In winter that is not a reasonable period for a house without heating; agree a faster response time with your installer.

May the tenant call an engineer themselves?

If the landlord is in default, article 7:206 of the Dutch Civil Code allows the tenant to have the defect remedied and recover reasonable costs. Work on the boiler may only be done by a CO-certified company.

Boiler problems in rented housing: causes, rules and who does what