I was renting a water heater. It had been installed in my house in the early 1980s. And the rental contract had been handed down from home owner to home owner.

But there was never an attempt at maintenance, even upon request I got told "there's no need, there's nothing to maintain on it." but they kept increasing the rental cost year over year "because of inflation". It had been paid off for decades! What do you mean you need to charge more? What exactly am I paying for? My water heater is just a number in your books. You have zero costs for it!

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

... Why would you rent a way heater, in a home you own? Is the house a school or something???

[–] madjo@feddit.nl 22 points 2 weeks ago

I've since replaced it with a water heater I bought outright. For a while I wasn't aware that you could just buy a heater. So I just gritted my teeth and paid up.

But my point was the weird and pointless increase of fees.

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I've read your response to others that you bought the replacement outright, but I wonder if the original renter was about to sell their house and needed a water heater. Saddling the future with this debt could be cheaper than buying it outright.

[–] madjo@feddit.nl 3 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know. It might be that it was usual at that time to rent those things than to buy them. My parents also had a rented water heater when they owned a home, which is why I didn't even think twice about it.

I don't know how expensive those boilers were in the 80s.

[–] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Probably this… if you’re not going to benefit from the new water heater, you’d probably be tempted to pass it off to the next owner. Renting is a way to do that.

[–] Overshoot2648@lemm.ee 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Get a heat pump water heater and give them back that junk!

[–] madjo@feddit.nl 6 points 2 weeks ago

I have since replaced it with a water heater I bought outright. Sadly a heat pump isn't an option in my home. So it's a simple electric 80liter water heater.