Problems found after moving into house

ash28

MarkBargain wrote: »

That's a good point, do people really bring round an army of professionals before buying a house and what would that cost for call-out fees?!

We did request the buyer get a gas safety certificate for the boiler and they declared on the seller questionnaire that the heating system was in working order.

The gas inspection is the buyer's responsibility, as is an electrical check - our buyers wanted us to pay for both gas and electrical inspections - we said we would meet them half way and pay for the gas inspection and they could pay for the electrical check.

Both our heating system and electrical system were in full working order when we left - but that doesn't mean to say it something didn't go just after we moved out.

We had a dodgy light in the hall (had been dodgy for a number of years), but we got someone in to look at it before we put the house on the market - it was nothing more sinister than a dodgy switch.

maninthestreet

What type of survey did you have carried out on the property? I would have expected a homebuyer's report to pick up on the fact that there were no internal doors.

ash28

MarkBargain wrote: »

True, three of us didn't notice the lack of internal doors, I guess we were looking at the rooms etc.

My point isn't about the plumbing, it was the citing of the electric point.

The back door, or at least the lock, had to be replaced as the correct key wouldn't work in the lock at all.

The radiator was bled and that didn't work, the whole thing is cold as are the pipes supplying it. Could need a new thermostatic controller I suspect.

Could just need you to turn off all the other radiators in the house - leave your cold one on and then give your central heating a good blast - it could just be a small blockage.

Worked for us.

Lovelyjoolz

MarkBargain wrote: »

We needed to get someone to climb over the gate, force the door open from the outside, and professionally replace the door.

MarkBargain wrote: »

The back door, or at least the lock, had to be replaced as the correct key wouldn't work in the lock at all.

£5 for a replacement lock barrel

ultrarunner

MarkBargain wrote: »

The key wouldn't turn in the lock so it wasn't a planing the door issue.

Ever heard of WD40?

k3lvc

Loads of good advice on here and the OP seems to be taking it in the spirit it's intended.

Best thing I ever did when we last moved house was to photograph/try everything at the second viewing - even so we still managed to miss

a) a new shower installed/tiled straight onto plasterboard
b) a dodgy boiler and an empty (holed) radiator as we viewed on a hot summers day

Looking at the photos now gives a good reminder of how much work we've done and how the place is almost unrecognisable vs what we bought

ToasterScheme

Does this cold radiator have a thermostatic valve on it already?

If so, sometimes these can get stuck closed, especially if they are old or if the valve is turned off for a while, e.g. over the summer.

Remove the top part of the valve (the bit you turn to set the heat level) - using the knurled nut at the base of it. Don't use a tool (if this is tight you're probably undoing the wrong part...). You won't lose any water by doing this.
Inside there will be a small pin that should be free to move up and down by 2 or 3 mm. If it seems stuck, grab it gently with a pair of pliers and try to pull it vertically upwards.
Don't bend it or hit it with a hammer.

It's a really good idea to compare it with a working rad to see what sort of travel is normal for your make of valve.

In my last house this was part of my routine for switching on the heating in the autumn.

artbaron

I had to laugh at that OP, not least that you didn't notice the house had no doors apart from one, which didn't open. Cross your fingers and look up - is there a roof? Phew.

juliebunny

The thing is, when you are looking round a house, and the current owners are still there, it's pretty uncomfortable to start testing out electric sockets etc - you do have to assume that generally people have some sort of common decency - even though there will be those who hide behind 'buyer beware'.

When I moved into my house, I asked to go round again so they could show us how the boiler worked and they were really huffing and puffing about it, but at least it showed that it all worked. They left the house in good conditon and even had the carpets cleaned - there were a few dodgy bits of DIY mind you, but haven't found anything major (yet!)

Apparently in Scotland, if the heating doesn't work and you move in over Winter, you can bill back to the previous owner.
And I knew a woman who had her solicitor hold back funds on the day she was moving in due to damage at the property - not sure how she managed that one - getting into the property before the funds had been tranferred.

What do you do if the previous owners have had a massive party and trashed the place? It seems unfair that there should be no recourse at all. I guess you do live and learn from bad experiences, and it's good to share too.

MarkBargain

maninthestreet wrote: »

What type of survey did you have carried out on the property? I would have expected a homebuyer's report to pick up on the fact that there were no internal doors.

We just had the basic one, but can used some of the money we paid to start putting things right.