Homebuyers report through, advice re: electrics?

AdrianC

Thinking as a vendor, if you asked me to pay to have the electrics checked to satisfy your over-cautiousness, you'd get a two-letter reply...

If the sale fell through, then so be it - because (sorry, but...) I'd view it as a big flashing red light that you were likely to be an absolute nightmare of an old woman over every tiny detail.

lessonlearned wrote: »

You can ask the vendor to provide safety certificates but it is not a legal requirement for them to do so.

Personally I think it should be but there you go.

...even though...

However, be warned even if you do have safety certificates there's no guarantee…

and

I'm afraid I do not take certificates at face value - I always get my own guys in to double check everything.

So - iyho - it should be a legal requirement for the vendor to pay for something that isn't worth having? Ooookay...

lessonlearned

AdrianC wrote: »

T

So - iyho - it should be a legal requirement for the vendor to pay for something that isn't worth having? Ooookay...

Of course not!!!! You are just being obtuse.

The certificates shouldbe worth the paper they are written on and legally enforceable.

I though the HIP was basically a good idea which was poorly implemented. The idea was sound in principle but badly executed.

There needs to be far more protection - for all parties. Our system is flawed and there are a lot of charlatans out there.

There are far too many less than truthful vendors who are only too happy to try and pull the wool over the purchaser's eyes.

(I'm speaking as a retired EA by the way).

Some of the stunts that vendors try to pull, endeavouring to offload shoddy workmanship, bodged diy, covering up damp and rot with quick fixes, clapped out boilers and unsafe electrics is truly shocking.

Half the time the surveyor's report is worthless.

They will not lift carpets, move furniture, will only inspect the roof from the ground using binoculars, the damp meters are a total waste of space, they rarely bother themselves to go into the roof void to inspect timbers, they are not able to check gas and electrical installations and so on and so forth.

What you get is a bland catch all "report" which is useless.

It's time the system was much clearer and fairer - for both vendors and purchasers.

It requires government legislation that has some teeth.

At the moment it has to be a case of Caveat Emptor, therefore a sensible purchaser will double check everything.

Either that or risk being faced with redial work running into £££££'s.

Now this is ok if you are buying a "project" because that is what you expect but when someone just wants a nice house at a fair price then they should be entitled to a fair deal and not landed with a load of unexpected costs.

Yes we discovered that we had a lighting circuit with no earth…..This was the house with the electrical safety certificate.

The vendor was an absolute charlatan and conman who had cleverly concealed a host of issues.

lessonlearned

AdrianC wrote: »

If the sale fell through, then so be it - because (sorry, but...) I'd view it as a big flashing red light that you were likely to be an absolute nightmare of an old woman over every tiny detail.


.

Trying to ensure that you and/or your family are not electrocuted, blown up or asphyxiated by carbon monoxide fumes hardly warrants being classed as a "nightmare of an old woman over every tiny detail"

AdrianC

lessonlearned wrote: »

Of course not!!!! You are just being obtuse.

<shrug> I'm not the one suggesting something should be legally required, then immediately afterwards stating that - even if one was available - I wouldn't trust it...

The certificates should be worth the paper they are written on and legally enforceable.

It'd be nice, wouldn't it?

However, as you point out...

There are far too many less than truthful vendors who are only too happy to try and pull the wool over the purchaser's eyes.

So would you ever trust it? Not sure I would. Not that I'd particularly care, because - as a buyer - I'd be satisfying myself anyway. B'sides, the amount of dismantling that'd be needed for more than a cursory inspection would rule it out. I know I wouldn't particularly want holes cutting in plasterboard to check things that aren't otherwise visible.

So how often do you have the electrics professionally checked in your own home?

lessonlearned

Last house.

New build 1988.

Downstairs layout changed 1992, additional sockets and lighting so everything checked.
1990 - CAT cabling installed upstairs so again everything double checked
New kitchen 1994 - new wiring layout to kitchen all done professionally, checked and signed off
2008 - new central heating system, including all pipework, radiators, new consumer unit fitted and electrics checked -

Sold house in 2012 and more or less compiled my own HIP - even though they had been ditched.

I didn't do the survey for them because no lender will accept a vendor's survey.

I did supply guarantees and building regs for all works done, plus gas safety certificate and full service history of ch, Fensa Guarantee for replacement windows (still under guarantee), electrical safety certificate.

A complete dossier including receipts and invoices for all work done to the house, a wiring diagram for the electrics, a guide to all schools, bus services, dr's surgeries etc, even down to the best chippy and takeaways…….

My purchasers were chuffed to bits:rotfl:

I left them a bunch of flowers and a card. I would have left them some wine but they were Muslims and I didn't wish to cause offence.

My property was well maintained, freshly decorated throughout and they paid me a good price……

A classic win-win with everyone walking away with a big smile on their face.

The saga with the electrics was for a house my son bought.

AdrianC

lessonlearned wrote: »

...because no lender will accept a vendor's survey.

I wonder why...?

lessonlearned

AdrianC wrote: »

I wonder why...?

:rotfl::rotfl:

Because some vendor's can't be trusted????;)

AdrianC

lessonlearned wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl:

Because some vendor's can't be trusted????;)

And what's the easiest, most foolproof way to identify which is which...?

Building_Surveyor

It amazes me how many people scrimp on spending a few quid on electric or gas tests when the fact is you are spending more than likely above and beyond £100k for the house.

Taking my surveyor hat off for a second, and putting my family's safety first I would rather pay for the tests for my own piece of mind,

lessonlearned

Building_Surveyor wrote: »

It amazes me how many people scrimp on spending a few quid on electric or gas tests when the fact is you are spending more than likely above and beyond £100k for the house.

Taking my surveyor hat off for a second, and putting my family's safety first I would rather pay for the tests for my own piece of mind,

Absolutely.

Would we buy a car without a service history.