reconnecting gas and electric in a repossessed house?

nixinix

Does anyone know how much you are charged for having the gas and electric reconnected (prob. British Gas) on a property which has been repossessed?

Trying to make sure I have thought about all costs...but when I tried calling BG it said I had up to a 45 minute wait unfortunately I couldn't wait that long so I am hoping that someone out there knows the answer to save me another long phone call. Thank you in anticipation!

bubblesmoney

same query here. in addition to gas and electricity could someone clarify how much reconnecting the water costs.

when they reconnect the gas, do they check for leaks or does one have to call out another person to check out the boiler and other gas appliances etc. same query for the water reconnection. after reconnecting water supply do they check if there are any leaks from disconnected appliances etc or does one have to employ someone else to do that.

looks like when buying such properties one needs to get a person each to do the following things
-reconnect gas
-reconnect electricity
-reconnect water
-check gas appliances and boiler
-check water connections to appliances etc especially if some have been disconnected and capped off
-change locks for main door and rear door and garage

apart from the usuals like telephone, broadband etc. is there anythingelse that needs to be done for repocession properties. any need to contact creditors chasing previous occupants etc to inform that new owner now in property??

Premier_2

When I bought a repossessed property, reconnection of supplies was a simple case or turning on the switch on the electricty supply panel, turning the gas isolation valve on next to the meter, and turning on the water at the stop !!!! (normally under the sink)

Cost: FREE!

...but you do need to be aware of the risks. e.g. water flowing from perhaps a broken pipe where the ex-owner ripped out a sink etc. It all depends how bad the property was trashed by the previous owners - mine was very good, the owners just walked away. Be particularly careful about the gas supply and ensure it is robust before turning on the supply. If in doubt a Corgi registered engineer would probably check out both gas & water for a standard call out fee of about £60

Bungarm2001

I have never gone to BG to get anything done unless I have no choice.

To get the gas back on, it depends if the meter has been removed and/or it has been cut off at the street. If it has been cut off at the street, my first call would be to National Grid or United Utilities and take it from there.

If the meter has been removed, and the supply is still within the property, I would phone any supplier that you fancy (the cheapest one) and tell them you are the new owner and want them to supply your gas (and electricity?) It would help if you had a meter reference point for both (any old bills lying around? or call UU and ask for it)

You shouldn't be charged for a new gas meter supplied, but they won't actually connect the meter to any gas pipe in the house. You'll have to get a CORGI bloke to do that.

The elecric meter...do the same, phone a supplier, tell them the circumstances and see what they come up with. This should work out free too. I haven't had a new electricity meter installed in a property in a long while, so I can't remember if the installer will actually connect the supply or not. I think they do, but only after testing the wiring or at least making sure the meter tails are up to todays standards along with the fuses etc. You'd do well to have a proper chat about this with a supplier and find out if there are any costs. If there are, I would be inclined to phone others and see what they charge.

Water being cut off is something I have no experience of. Aquick call to your local water authority should answer all your questions. Make sure you have a completion statement or some such as proof of ownership in case you need to fax it off to anyone. You don't want to be charged for the previous owner bills.

bubblesmoney

at a couple of empty / repocessed properties i have viewed i have been told by EA (they didnt know much more than they told me even after repeated queries) that supplies cut off (water electricity and gas) and all taps etc had do not use sticky on them and they told i would need to get 'someone' to do the needful. when i queried who this 'someone' was or 'what the needful was' then didnt have a clue and said ask utility company, they didnt know where it was cut off.

if and when i get a survey done (homebuyers survey) i will ask the surveyor to find out where the utilities have been disconnected etc and what needs to be done.

do i need to ask vendors for a copy of the last utility bills (gas water electricity) so that i can inform my new/same company who to transfer it from.

Bungarm2001

"do i need to ask vendors for a copy of the last utility bills (gas water electricity) so that i can inform my new/same company who to transfer it from."

It isn't neccessary...the new supplier can find this out in seconds once they have the address and postcode. UU hold all this info and give it out on request. Whoever you choose as your new suppler will contact them first, probably while you are still on the line. No need to ask the vendors.

poppysarah

I'd add in check what's in the hot and cold water tanks too.

Premier_2

poppysarah wrote: »

I'd add in check what's in the hot and cold water tanks too.

All these demands on the surveyor won't come cheap, and expect the answer to be...wait for it...water (plus a dead pigeon if visable! Why do pigeons always choose a cold water tank as their last perching place? )

...perhaps with a suggestion that you spend more money on a chemical analysis of the water if you really want to know the exact composition. Probably just cheaper to drain it out and refill it if in any doubt.

bubblesmoney

Premier wrote: »

All these demands on the surveyor won't come cheap

spoke to HSBC mortgage advisor yesterday and was told basic valuation comes free with lifetime tracker mortgage (no fees, no charges for early repayment overpayment) with daily interest calculation, unlimited overpayment etc. also was told Homebuyers survey will cost extra 190£ or more depnding on type / age of property and location etc. i thought the 190£ for homebuyers survey was a cracking deal if i manage to get that for any property that i might be interested in. the advisor said would try giving me a premier deal with reduced interest rates but cant guarantee (but even the regular interest rate is cracking factoring in no fees, didnt enquire much about the premier deal as just 0.2% difference in interest rates so didnt think would make much difference even if i didnt get it). he asked me to wait till thrusday before making formal enquiries as he expects rates to be decreased then for fixed deals but not so sure about tracker deals getting lower. didnt bother asking about structural survey costs as am looking at 6-7y old properties. on secong thoughts should i do the structural survey instead for these vacant properties with disconnected utilities etc. or would it be ok just doing the home buyers survey for the vacant/repocessed property. will the homebuyers survey cover assessment of all these utility connections boiler etc?

nixinix

Can I say thanks to everyone for your replies. I have already researched water and have been told as the property I am looking is metered it is just a case of letting them know that you have moved in, sky will charge £60 for an engineer and bt is free but will contract us in for 12 months, at least now I know there shouldn't be any big hidden charges to come out and scare me!

Thank you

Premier_2

bubblesmoney wrote: »

spoke to HSBC mortgage advisor yesterday and was told basic valuation comes free with lifetime tracker mortgage (no fees, no charges for early repayment overpayment) with daily interest calculation, unlimited overpayment etc. also was told Homebuyers survey will cost extra 190£ or more depnding on type / age of property and location etc. i thought the 190£ for homebuyers survey was a cracking deal if i manage to get that for any property that i might be interested in. the advisor said would try giving me a premier deal with reduced interest rates but cant guarantee (but even the regular interest rate is cracking factoring in no fees, didnt enquire much about the premier deal as just 0.2% difference in interest rates so didnt think would make much difference even if i didnt get it). he asked me to wait till thrusday before making formal enquiries as he expects rates to be decreased then for fixed deals but not so sure about tracker deals getting lower. didnt bother asking about structural survey costs as am looking at 6-7y old properties. on secong thoughts should i do the structural survey instead for these vacant properties with disconnected utilities etc. or would it be ok just doing the home buyers survey for the vacant/repocessed property. will the homebuyers survey cover assessment of all these utility connections boiler etc?

The basic valuation survey provides no protection to the buyer whatsoever - all it does is values the property for the lender to ensure you are not paying more for it than it's worth i.e. so that the lender is not lending you more than the property could be sold for should you fail to keep up repayments.

The homeowners survey is, imo, neither use nor ornament. It charges you more than the valuation survey and whilst may indicate a few more things to be aware of, if there is anything it doesn't mention which you think it should have, the surveyor will use the get out clause of 'well, you didn't pay for a full structural survey'

A full structural survey will set you back a significant sum. It does have the benefit of holding the surveyor responsible if items are not disclosed, but expect it to be full of 'get-out clauses' telling you what has not been covered and what you should spend even more money on investigating.

None of the reports would cover, e.g. whether a gas boiler was fully functional and maintained. Only a CORGI registered engineer is permitted to do that. At best the survey will point out you should employ one to ascertain the condition & functionality.