Certificates

bb169

For the sake of £50/£60 I would suggest getting the boiler checked out...could be costly if it doesn't work correctly, thats just my opinion though.

arbrighton

bb169 wrote: »

For the sake of £50/£60 I would suggest getting the boiler checked out...could be costly if it doesn't work correctly, thats just my opinion though.

Or fatal. Carbon monoxide. Silent killer.

G_M

Why not do a check yourself:
* look at the consumer unit /fuse box. (get a book from the library to identify the different types). If it is modern, that tell you a lot. If it is an old fashioned wooden fuse box, that too tells you something.
* turn on the heating. Do the rads heat up?!
* Does hot water come out of the taps?
* has the vendor got a CO detector? Test it is working (they have a test buton). If it is, then you know there's no CO leak!

Most of this stuff is just common sense.

No one has certificates for these things unless they are newly installed, or they are landlords.

If you really want certificates, pay a sparkie/gas engineer yourself - you were happy to pay for a survey, why expect the vendor to pay for these?

jbainbridge

Our boiler hasn't been looked at in years and works fine. Indeed as others have said there is no _requirement_ for any paperwork etc. I've never worried about it.

Our house has been on the market - now sold. On reflection - next time I'd get it serviced as it does seem like a small plus point for buyers.

unclebulgaria

Kelvin.uk wrote: »

Hi there,

So I'm in the process of buying a house, I have had the survey results back and the following is under "Risks to people".

Electricity - no current test certificate.
Central heating - no current test/service certificate.
Gas - no current test certificate.

I'm a little surprised how little care has been taken with the services in the house and think the owner should have got these checked when putting the house on the market. I'm worried that when I get these checked, there could be problems? Do you think it's fair to ask the seller to provide these certificates before we exchange contracts? Not sure if I should try and push this or not...

Your thoughts?! Thanks!!

You hold all the cards, ask the seller to get them checked before you sign anything!
And please don't listen to the cobblers about boilers working forever faultless and have never or very rarely been checked.
CO detectors don't prove that boiler is working correctly and nor does the fact its producing any heat on either side, hot water or central heating!
If they aren't prepared to provide you with any proof that things have been looked after or are even working as they should then pull out! I would!!
Oh and the one about the gas engineer mate who says servicing causes more problems than it solves, are you serious??
A regular service will, or should, highlight small problems that may well turn into expensive repairs later. How do you know this guy hasn't been fiddling with things he shouldn't have? Are you sure he hasn't stuck anything down with chewing gum?
You're spending a lot of money so make sure you wont be spending anymore after you bought the place!

unclebulgaria

oldskoo1 wrote: »

As for the little care to maintaining services. Our boiler is about 14 years old, has never been serviced and has also never broken down or emitted carbon monoxide. I have a gas engineer mate who says regular servicing can actually do more harm than good depending on the engineer. It is wise to ensure the boiler is safe periodically but dismantling a boiler often can lead to unwanted problems. If something ain't broke, don't mess with it.

Keep your carbon monoxide alarms active and get it safety checked every once in a while.

What utter rubbish!
How do you know that your boiler isn't producing CO? Please don't tell me your monitor hasn't rung out!
Your mate is talking out of his backside by the way!! How are you supposed to check for small leaks that rot boiler cases and end up ruining a perfectly good boiler? Seals don't last forever on combustion chambers so not taking them apart tells you nothing other than you're either tight or daft!
Do you have a family? Do you value their safety?
Your boilers flue could be rotten or rotting and about to leak CO or POC's (products of combustion) into your house but you won't know because the boiler hasn't been checked thoroughly!
Come on, if you're going to post advice then make sure you aren't advocating unsafe practice!!
You cut corners with gas appliances at your peril.

cr1mson

Our gas boiler is serviced annually but I don't have a certificate to prove it so even if servicing is taking place there may not be a certificate. Could provide other documents though.

To be honest that is the only one I would expect evidence of when buying a house is the boiler. Surveyor is !!!! covering!

C

seven-day-weekend

We have our boiler checked and serviced annually but have no certificate to say so (other than the service contract details).

We have nothing at all for the electricity and haven't had it checked for years.

We have two CO alarms and five smoke alarms.

Our son has just had his flat rewired and has all the certification for this, but who will care, if he sells his flat in ten years' time? Although he does have, as a result of the rewire, two mains smoke alarms and a mains heat alarm in the kitchen, which might be useful when selling.