Test heating before making an offer?

phoebe1989seb

It does seem perfectly reasonable to request this.....although that said, it has never been offered as an option by vendors to us and nor have we offered it ourselves

Our last sale (2011) our buyers requested through our EA that the boiler (Rayburn range) was inspected by a pro, which we obviously agreed to.

The house we bought in 2011 was vacant, the owners had moved out after twenty years having started a major renovation in 2008 then given up half way due to ill health. They had new oil-fired heating installed in 2010 and crazily had the boiler sited in the most dilapidated (attached) outbuilding you could ever imagine. On our second viewing - the vendor who we were meeting for the first time - ran through the workings of the heating system with DH, but I don't believe he saw it working, which given the circs was a little naive

Road_Hog

googler wrote: »

Just 'firing it up' without confirmation of whether or not it's ready to be fired up could do major damage to any kind of boiler, and is borderline irresponsible.

You or the EA could try it, but who foots the bill if it's not ready for use, when you haven't even made an offer on it?

Spot on. I'm selling an empty property, drained down. If any fool tried to start the system, then they would be footing the bill, through the courts if necessary.

princeofpounds

Always always always give the heating and hot water systems a go if you can.

In an occupied house, this is normally straightforward.

The thing to do though is to ask the person showing you around to turn it on. That way if there is a problem it's not your fault.

In a repo or empty house where things have been turned off, it may not be possible and that's a risk you will have to take.

js3142

Thanks for all of the replies. It sounds like the thing to do is to explain what I'd like to the estate agent, so that they can check with the vendor that this is OK with them before anything is tested.

Johnandabby

I bought a house from a house builder that was part exchanged. It had been empty for over 1 year, and the heating system had been drained down. Before exchange I organised (with their agreement!) for a qualified plumber to refill and test the system at our cost because I was nervous about it.

As it was only a couple of weeks before exchange and completion, they also agreed to keep the heating system running at a low temperature rather than draining and refilling later. Not sure how many would agree to this now, but we took meter readings at this point and paid for the additional gas and elec

poppysarah

If its owners showing you round then just ask if you can try the taps.

FireWyrm

js3142 wrote: »

A newbie FTB question...

Is it 'normal' to want to test heating/hot water systems before making an offer to buy a house? It seems logical to me to want to see how this important system works before making an offer but I have a feeling this would be an unusual request on my part? The house I'm considering is currently empty so it's not as simple as just going in and seeing if it is warm and running a tap...

Or do people tend to pay for a professional inspection post offer being accepted?

Thanks for any advice.

You're not buying a washing machine or a tv, or anything else that comes with a guarantee and certain consumer rights. When you buy a house, you buy it 'as seen' and you are considered to have taken on any and all existing problems with it when you sign on the dotted line.

Of course you want to see that the taps work and you get hot water out. You should also (if you have any sense) insist on a gas safe certification (at the vendor's expense) and preferably proof that the boiler was at least wiped with a greasy rag in the last year.

You are planning to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds. Ask all the questions you like and if they look at you funny, just ignore them. Either they want to sell or they dont.

G_M

googler wrote: »

Just 'firing it up' without confirmation of whether or not it's ready to be fired up could do major damage to any kind of boiler, and is borderline irresponsible.

You or the EA could try it, but who foots the bill if it's not ready for use, when you haven't even made an offer on it?

Oh get real! Stop half-quoting! You're better than that googler!

I said

if its a repo, or empty as in not lived in, then the gas may be turned off and the water drianed down- in which case you are stuck.

But otherwise I would certainly ask to see the heating turned on (takes 5 seconds to see if boiler fires up!), thermostat turned off (does boiler turn off?), and if you have 15 minutes spare you can see if all rads heat up.

I did not suggest a buyer should march into an empty house and just switch stuff on!

Mojisola

I would try all the taps, flush the toilets, want to see the heating system working, see hobs and ovens are working, etc. After buying a house with drain problems, I'd also want to check the drains.

You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it and making sure the lights, windscreen wipers, brakes, etc, worked. Why would you spend thousands on a house without making sure the things you're buying actually work?

bylromarha

Mmm - interesting.

We're selling our house - the buyer enquiries have come through asking for a boiler service before completion. Property is 7 years old - boiler last serviced 2 years ago.

I rang our solicitor to ask why this had suddenly popped up and he advised that the buyer was trying to get everything sorted, he was actually being cheeky as it's buyer beware and he had no right to demand an up to date boiler service. And if he wanted one, he should pay for it. So we should say no to the request.

OH and I think it's the solictor covering themselves to be honest - solicitor has advised a couple of unecessary searches (delaying the process) and another of the enquires which came through today was requesting documentation in regard to a 1916 covenant... we don't have it.

Just got this niggle that the boiler issue is going to come back and bite us on the bum.