Should I pay extra for gas safety certificate

pgalland

My boiler (old conventional boiler with loft tank, hot water cylinder etc...) just died. I am replacing it with a combi boiler that will need to be moved down in the kitchen (next to the main access).

The heating engineer who came to see the boiler - who is gas safe certified - is telling me that on top of the cost for material (boiler itselfs + pipes), labor and power flush, he will nee to charget me an extra 100gbp to issue a certificate... Is that normal? After spending roughly 2500, I find this a bit steep.

Also - he is telling me that my gas meter is outdate and would need replacing (it still has slots to put 20p and 50p coins in). He says he can do it for a fraction of the cost my gas provider would charge me for it. Can you please confirm that even though the gas meter is not meeting today's norm - the gas company would still charge me to replace it with something that is safe? I find this quite shocking !

Thank you for your answers

bizzybee

I'm sure more knowledgeable people will be along later but as far as I know a gas safety certificate is only required in a tenanted property.

As for the meter, we have only ever had meters changed by Transco, in fact our engineer wouldn't touch the meter, said it was the property of British Gas at the time.

phill99

He's taking you for a ride.

He should be issuing a certificate as part of the installation, not offering it as an optional extra.

Some gas fitters are trained and certified to change meters. However, it won't cost you anything if Transco do it.

I think he is conning you and you need to kick him into touch.

booty40uk

You need to find another installer. Do not use this one as he is trying to con you.

gas4you

Even if it was a rented property, a new appliance doesn't technically need a landlord certificate for the first year, although I always supply one anyway.

I assume he is trying to get £100 out of you for the Gas Safe registration of the boiler.

I always include £10 for this in my original quote to the customer.

As said find someone else. You do not necessarily need a new meter anyway.

southcoastrgi

he is ripping you off on at least 2 counts so he is prob ripping you off with the boiler change too, don't use him get another couple of quotes from other installers

unclebulgaria

Ring National Grid, if there is an issue with the meter it'll be changed free of charge usually four hours after requesting its inspection.
How much someone charges for a boiler notification is up to them, it only costs us a couple of quid anyway and time to do it so £100 is just a tad overkill.

pgalland

Thanks guys - after getting his quote, I told him to take a walk.
4800 to replace a system boiler with a combi 37kw (vaillant) - which included - wait for it - 850 just for the new 15/22mm pipes - 500 for a powerflush and 5days of work... He also wanted 500 to replace the gas meter (which is free from Transco)
So I looked for a local guy and found one living 1 street down, who came and fixed my system boiler in 10min - so no need to change mine. He will send me a quote to replace it next year when I re-do the kitchen (my boiler is about 25y/o and I expect it to die any minute now) - he didn't even want me to pay him for the service of the boiler !!

Thanks for your advice guys - you made me save a ton of money !!

bizzybee

That's great news. :T Thanks for the update.

booty40uk

Great news. You should be highly recommending the guy who fixed your boiler and advising all friends and family to avoid the con man at all costs.

katejo

bizzybee wrote: »

I'm sure more knowledgeable people will be along later but as far as I know a gas safety certificate is only required in a tenanted property.

As for the meter, we have only ever had meters changed by Transco, in fact our engineer wouldn't touch the meter, said it was the property of British Gas at the time.

Your first statement is incorrect. Homeowners who have lodgers are also required to have a gas safety certificate (unless the lodger is a member of the family).