full structural survey - will it inform about the boiler/heating?

free4440273

i intend to get a full structural survey on a property i am considering buying. i am a bit worried about the boiler in the house. it is an absolutely beast of a boiler - it's like something i have never seen before, and it is housed in its own outside boiler room. it provides heating through the floor vents in the rooms (but the two bathrooms do have bog-standard radiators). what i want to know is, will a full structural survey (i.e. the most comprehensive survey one can have) determine the condition of the boiler/heating. if it won't, is there anything that will? on a related point, the blurb on property particulars often says something like: 'appliances etc have not been checked and the agent takes no responsibilty for their working order etc' . well, how does one get these things checked out. presumably, not even a full structural survey will tell me these things? is there anything that will? if there is, i am willing to pay 'extra' for it. hope this makes sense. thanks all - i would appreciate people's comments

waster_2

Normally a structural survey would be done by a Building Surveyor or possibly a Structural Engineer. Be careful, anyone can call themselves a surveyor without having any formal qualifications. Perhaps more importantly is that an “unqualified” surveyor will probably not carry any Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance and your come back, should there be a subsequent problem, may be somewhat limited.

I would suggest that you use a Chartered Building Surveyor. They will have the designation FRICS or MRICS after their name or otherwise a firm of Chartered Surveyors. Both are required to carry PI Insurance. Additionally, the RICS will also mediate in the event of any dispute arising. You can find a suitable RICS surveyor by phoning the RICS or looking on their website. You will also find information on there about the types of surveys.

Generally specialised mechanical and electrical installations are outside the expertise of a Chartered Surveyor and you would need the advice of a specialist building services engineer. However this could be required as part of a full structural survey and the surveyor you appoint would arrange the engineering specialist on your behalf and include his report as part of the structural report.

I would suggest you get at least 3 quotes from surveyors/firms who are local to where you are buying. But remember, full and professional surveys are not cheap so be careful of any low quotes you may get. Agree everything in writing and, should you decide not to use a Chartered Surveyor be sure to ask and get written confirmation that they have adequate PI Insurance. And if in doubt always ask questions and get everything in writing.

Good luck

mexicanwaver

Any Chartered Surveyor will usually put the standard blurb in the survey report...."Appliances etc have not been checked" or similar. The only thing they will do is to state the type of heating system (eg. full central heating, gas fired, electric) - and they may point out if there's something obviously wrong (eg. "Bedroom radiator looks corroded and may require replacement").

If you are genuinely concerned apart the condition of the heating, then your surveyor may be able to recommend someone to check it.

Alternatively, could you perhaps get an assessment done by someone like British Gas?

There's always the option of politely asking the vendors if you can go and test the heating yourself. I'm not saying this is a viable option, but at least you would get to see it working and listen out for any unusual noises or leaks etc. I presume the vendors are living there, rather than the house being empty?

free4440273

thanks for your help. yes, house IS empty - owner has been living abroad for six months. it's a 1970's built house - but it has a really 'strange' boiler and heating is supplied via the vents on the floor. never seen anything like it.

mexicanwaver

That type of open air heating system was pretty common in the 70's......so I'm told - I was only born in 78

It's nothing sinister, but it's probably worth you Googling to find out more about those systems - might put your mind at rest and might suggest problems to look for.

If the house is empty you may be able to arrange with the estate agent to go and test the heating (or has the house been disconnected from gas/electric?). They're not obliged to do that, but if it's halting a sale then they will most likely do their best to accommodate.

free4440273

mexicanwaver wrote:

That type of open air heating system was pretty common in the 70's......so I'm told - I was only born in 78

.

would that kind of system be functional - would it heat the house efficiently i mean. thanks again.

alanobrien

Nope, they will make a bland statement to get it checked out by a heating engineer

mexicanwaver

free4440273 wrote:

would that kind of system be functional - would it heat the house efficiently i mean. thanks again.

My understanding is that they're pretty good in terms of efficiency - but I've never had one.

A big factor in terms of its efficiency though could be the actual boiler itself. If it's still the original 1970's boiler, then you would probably see a an improved efficiency by upgrading it.

Btw - I'm no expert.....just offering suggestions.

undercover_elephant_2

Hi there,

sounds to me like it's ducted air heating. Basically, warm air is blown around the house, keeps the place quite warm, though I'm not sure of the efficiency, as the air will cool down quick. Also, it's dreadful if you (or anyone else) have asthma, as the dust accumulates in the system and then gets blown round.

If you do get it replaced, do it before you decorate, as there will ba a huge cupboard which you can knock through in the middle of the house, great if you need more space, not so good if you've already laid new carpets.

Elephant

santana-mx3

We had this type of system in our house when we bought it. We didn't find it too effective.

To be fair, however, it wasn't well thought out for our house. The system was in a cupboard in the hallway with ducts coming out in the hallway, kitchen, lounge, landing, bedroom 1 and bathroom. However, it didn't have any ducts at the back of the house (bedrooms 2 and 3, cloakroom). Also the previous owners built an open plan extension onto the lounge and kitchen which didn't help.

We had it replaced with a normal boiler (which went in the same cupboard in place of the old system) and radiators in all rooms.

The other houses in my road that I have visited have also converted to normal boiler/radiators so I assume they were not happy with the warm air system (or replced it at the end of its life).

My wife is Canadian and prefers the hot air system which is the usual system out there and doesn't have the ugly radiators. In the houses I've been to out there, it's pretty effective.

waster_2

mexicanwaver wrote:

Any Chartered Surveyor will usually put the standard blurb in the survey report...."Appliances etc have not been checked" or similar. The only thing they will do is to state the type of heating system (eg. full central heating, gas fired, electric) - and they may point out if there's something obviously wrong (eg. "Bedroom radiator looks corroded and may require replacement").

If you are genuinely concerned apart the condition of the heating, then your surveyor may be able to recommend someone to check it.

............

alanobrien wrote:

Nope, they will make a bland statement to get it checked out by a heating engineer

That is why I said you will need a Building Services engineer. Yes, a Chartered Surveyor undertaking a full structuarl survey (structural being the relevant word) will exclude items outside their area of expertise.

However, as I went on to say, the Chartered Surveyor, if so instructed, will arrange the specialist engineer on your behalf and include the specialists report as part of the structural survey report.

The main thing is always put in writing precisely what you want and get the agreement to it, including the fee, before you commission any reports, etc.

If it is an old boiler it will be inefficient and costly to run. Additionally, its life expectancy will not be very good. I would seriously consider getting the whole heating and hot water installation upgraded to one of the new high efficiency type boilers. There may even be some form of grants or incentives available to do this. Furthermore, the mess and disturbace is probably better before you move in and the house is empty rather than having to be done when all the carpets are downa and furniture in. You can bet if you leave it the first cold spell of the winter it will let you down.

Also, if you do get a survey that says it's on its last legs, you could use that the negotiate a reduction on the purchase price with the vendor!

Good luck.