New boiler - no building regs certificate

tyler80

Part of the point is the solicitors aren't crossing the t's.

They've provided all the documents and asked us to make an appointment to sign the contract without any paperwork for the boiler installation. You start to wonder what else they've missed.

The boiler was only installed last November, when we made the offer we expected to get a house with a boiler still in it's guarantee period. I think accepting a gas safety certificate instead of the paperwork is already a compromise so don't see that we should be paying for it as well.

G_M

You have several choices:
1) walk away
2) kick up a fuss: demand the original GasSafe installer's sign-off which constitutes BRs certification + the manufacturer's guarantee, and/or a gas safety certificate and/or the cost of you getting a certificate
3) pay for an inspection yourself and providing the boiler is fine, swallow you pride and buy.

tyler80

I've settled for asking for the vendor to provide the gas safety certificate once again.

I've also got in touch with the installers to see if they can provide any paperwork, the type of boiler it is normally comes with a 5 year guarantee so there should be 4+ years left to run. No idea if they'd honour it but no harm in asking.

C_Mababejive

Even if the boiler was not working and totally wrecked, a new one off the shelf would only be around £700. If you pay me cash and your local, I'd fit it for you.

joerugby

Bear in mind you will be asked for a certificate of building regs compliance for this when you eventually come to sell the property

silvercar

tyler80 wrote: »

I've settled for asking for the vendor to provide the gas safety certificate once again.

I've also got in touch with the installers to see if they can provide any paperwork, the type of boiler it is normally comes with a 5 year guarantee so there should be 4+ years left to run. No idea if they'd honour it but no harm in asking.

They should do if it is working when you phone them up to register it.

tyler80

The saga continues, the vendor has been in touch with the original installers who have told her the reason that it has not been registered is because they have a year to register it. This is a complete lie, as it's only 30 days.

I've explained to our solicitors that the lack of paperwork may be a problem when we come to sell in the future (we may get a buyer like me ;-) ), their exact response was "it's not a problem"

You start to think if the installer isn't bothered about completing the registration then there may be other things they couldn't be bothered to do either.

sonastin

tyler80 wrote: »

You start to think if the installer isn't bothered about completing the registration then there may be other things they couldn't be bothered to do either.

This is the situation my mother found herself in. The boiler wasn't installed properly and she ended up with someone else making it safe. The second engineer couldn't/wouldn't register it because he hadn't done the original installation. She complained to GasSafe who investigated the problem but they don't get involved in the registration because it is nothing to do with them. We're hoping the local building inspector will regularise it, but the building inspector where I live didn't seem to be too aware of the regs in relation to boiler installations so I'm not too convinced by the building control route. (not tried it yet because part of the installation that would need inspecting is at the back of the garage - which is currently rammed to the rafters with my belongings while work is being done to my house - we'll follow up this option once I've finished moving out).

I'm hoping, for her sake, that when she comes to buy, the buyer will accept a gas safety certificate because an after-the-fact building regs certificate is bloomin' hard to come by.

Owain_Moneysaver

tyler80 wrote: »

The saga continues, the vendor has been in touch with the original installers who have told her the reason that it has not been registered is because they have a year to register it. This is a complete lie, as it's only 30 days.

I've explained to our solicitors that the lack of paperwork may be a problem when we come to sell in the future (we may get a buyer like me ;-) ), their exact response was "it's not a problem"

You start to think if the installer isn't bothered about completing the registration then there may be other things they couldn't be bothered to do either.

Exactly.

And I think the same applies to your solicitor.

Instruct your solicitor to tell the vendor's solicitor that unless the vendor can provide (a) a retrospective Building Regulations certificate for the work AND (b) the boiler's Benchmark Form completed and signed by a Gas Safe certified installer (required for the boiler warranty) then you will regard the property as being sold without a legal, safe and working heating system and will revise your offer price accordingly. This will reflect not only the cost of installing a new heating system (not just the boiler - cylinder and controls may also have to be updated) compliant to Part L of the Building Regulations, but the disruption and redecoration incurred.

Life's too short to !!!! around. There are plenty of other houses out there, and not too many buyers at the moment.

tyler80

The thing is, well over a month ago we said we'd accept a gas safety certificate in lieu of the proper documentation but we recently found out they were unwilling to provide this.

I've already stated to them that we our offer was made subject to there being a new boiler correctly installed with all the correct paperwork.