Got keys - Boiler issue

Izzy529

Hi just looking for some advice.

Got keys to new house on Wednesday and in with them was a fuse and a note from the previous owner explaining the fuse had just blown in the heating switch.

Plugged new fuse in and everything seemed fine. Then on Friday morning the new fuse blew again so ok maybe just a coinceidence. New fuse put in then on Friday night it blows again!

Checked with my dad who is an electrician and he said it will be due to an underlying issue but this could be anything from the pump to the controller to the boiler card. It would need a full investigation to find out the cause.

Phoned soliciotr to inform her of situation and she seemed fairly laid back saying a fuse is pretty cheap to buy. Which it is but I am more worried about that fact it keeps happening.

Any idea what I should be doing now? Solicitor was going to send fax to seller explaining what has happened. I have phoned a company for a one off repair but this will cost up to £400.

Sorry for the long post but any help would be great! Thanks!

PS sorry for any spelling mistakes!

DPJames

I think once you've exchanged and completed, the seller doesn't have to do anything about it, and neither does the solicitor.

Just get a gas man out to have a look, might be a lot cheaper than you think to sort.

go_cat

Did you get the boiler inspected before you bought.? If not I am afraid you haven't got a leg to stand on

EDIT we didnt get ours checked and have just had to buy a new boiler so buyer be warned!

Izzy529

Thanks for your reply.

It states in our missives the boiler should be working on the date of entry and for 7 consecutive days following.

If we don't keep replacing the fuse then we have no hot water or heating ie the boiler isn't working.

The solicitor also told us to inform the of any issues we have within 5 working days.

Cheeky_Monkey

In that case, I think your solicitor should be taking the issue a bit more seriously than making flippant remarks about how cheap fuses are!

IMO, the fact that the sellers left you a fuse would indicate that they knew there was a problem with the boiler.

[Deleted User]

I would be a bit suspicious that the previous owners knew that this was a repeated problem.., as it would be perfectly possible for them to replace the fuse themselves (if they have enough time to buy one, they have enough time to put it in the boiler). I would suggest this strongly to the solicitor and get him/her to pursue the fact that the seller sold the house knowing at exchange that there was an ongoing problem with the boiler. At the least, this may help u get something towards repair/replacement costs.

G_M

Scottish prperty law is not my area but
1) in Eng, the property should be in same condition at Completion as at Exchange. Question is whether this issue was ocurring when you Exchanged.....?

2) you say "It states in our missives the boiler should be working on the date of entry and for 7 consecutive days following." This seems pretty clear. And the note from the seller is evidence they know there is a fault! Stupid of them to put it in writing!

The blown fuse is not the issue, the cause is the issue. So step one is to get an electrician's report or boiler engineer's report in writing, to say why the fuse is blowing.

Once you have this, plus a quote/receipt for rectificaton work, then you can make a claim to get the money back. Your solicitor should help with this.

Izzy529

Thanks everyone!

Trying to get a local engineer out since the big company's want to charge a fortune.

However, being a Saturday most are only opened for emergencies.

Will get on the case Monday morning and hopefully the solicitor takes it a bit more seriously.

I had the quick thinking to keep the note left by the seller.

McKneff

A fuse blows because there is something wrong somewhere, the fuse blowing is the warning.

I cant see how a company can quote £400 for a repair when they dont know what is wrong with it.

rpc

This is almost certainly in Scotland, due to the mention of "missives" so English ways do not apply.

Typically, essential functions like heating and hot water must be working properly on settlement and the buyer has 5 days (varies) to put the seller on notice if that is not the case. There is no "as it was at exchange" - it must work. end of.

The seller is almost certainly liable and if you have put them on notice then they will end up having to foot the bill. Keep on with your solicitor, arrange your own fix (get a report on the problem) and then hand everything over to the solicitor. The solicitor is probably relaxed because it's summer (less need for heating) and your missives are clear.

bitsandpieces

Assuming you're in Scotland, I'd be pushing your solicitor to raise this with the seller - make clear to her that it's not just a fuse (in which case, advice not to bother with any kind of legal action would have made perfect sense!) but will cost hundreds of pounds to repair the underlying fault. If I remember rightly, you may well have a claim against the seller. This is what you pay the solicitor for, though - so don't rely on half-remembered maybe-facts from some random on the internet