Vendor requesting FENSA cert

Scully38

I'm selling my parents house due to money problems. I was given their house in the will. The vendors are now asking about a FENSA certificate for building work my parents had done, even though no new windows/doors were changed in the remodeling of the kitchen. Do I still need one if that's the case? I can't prove that no new windows/doors have been put in, only my word. I've checked on the FENSA website and my parents details aren't showing up, and i've checked with the people who installed the kitchen and can get no help at all as the kitchen was fitted 7 years ago. So how do I proceed? I don't want this all to go to hell because of it as it's been 'sold subject to contract' three times (buyers all pulled out for losing their buyers/not having enough finances in place) and I can't afford to live in it, and am up to my eyes in debt already, so need this to go smoothly.

Also they're asking about sewerage and drains and tbh I have no idea about any of that, and can't find any of my parents paperwork on the house, so have no idea what to do to answer those questions. Any advice? Thanks in advance,

ognum

You can only be honest and say you dont know the answers If buyer wants a second opinion they can send in a surveyor but you cant give what you havent got!

Scully38

ognum wrote: »

You can only be honest and say you dont know the answers If buyer wants a second opinion they can send in a surveyor but you cant give what you havent got!

Thanks, they've had builders around to view the property, but have not had a survey done (probably wanting to save money and get me to answer all other queries).

DVardysShadow

YOU are the vendor - they are the buyers!

Their solicitor is taking the usual brass covering option of asking questions to formula rather than explaining to buyer the implication.

Are you selling as executor or has the house been transferred to you already?

Assuming it remains with the estate of the deceased, the answer to the FENSA cert question should be 'to the best of <seller>'s knowledge, there has been no work requiring FENSA certification' as for sewers, it depends on the question, but the answer should be '<seller> has no knowledge of this'

Suzy_M

Sounds as though any windows/door work may pre-date the requirement for FENSA certifiicates which were introduced in 2002.

Alter_ego

The only certificate a seller MUST provide is an "Energy performance certificate" Any thing else is at their discretion, even if work has been done recently.

DVardysShadow

Alter_ego wrote: »

The only certificate a seller MUST provide is an "Energy performance certificate" Any thing else is at their discretion, even if work has been done recently.

True enough. But the buyers may not seek to compel an answer by invoking the law. They may just walk away. OP's question is [I suppose] motivated by this possibility.

Scully38

sorry brain dead, yes i'm the vendor (slaps head), The house is mine as all the executor work finished last year.

Thanks for the advice, I cared for both my terminally ill parents at home and was there when they did the kitchen and no windows were removed or replaced, if it happened before my parents bought the property i've no idea and no way to prove either way, so i'll just state that to them. Is this a standard question from solicitors?

As for the sewers, i'm no plumber and the only drain i'm aware of is next to the toilets outside that flows to the street, but that's it as far as I know. I just don't want anything falling through again.... becoming paranoid that it will.

Cheeky_Monkey

I think the sewers/drains questions will be answered by the normal Drainage Search the buyer's solicitor will do.