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Bought a house with a Gas Safety Cert but boiler not working on day we moved in

2

Comments

  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »
    You need to speak to your solicitor who handled your conveyance.

    I would have expected there would be a clause in your purchase that the boiler etc would be in working order at the date of entry.

    If you advised your solicitor of this on 29 November and they haven't got back to you within a month then you should be chasing them. It's their responsibility to protect your interests.

    This, it comes down to what is in your contract. If you don't know, ask your solicitor for advice.
  • chanz4
    chanz4 Posts: 11,057 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Xmas Saver!
    this sounds like a repo, where the services have been turned off or rather capped op can you clarify
    Don't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Gas Safety certificate? As in what landlords have to provide for their tenants each year?

    All it says is
    a) the boiler is 'safe' (nothing about condition, reliability etc)
    b) the boiler is safe on the date tested (no guarantee it will remain safe, or working, the next day)

    If you had arranged for a GasSafe engineer to inspect the boiler yourself, and he had described it as 'reliable', 'in good condition' etc, the you might have a case against the engineer.

    But not the seller.
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »
    You need to speak to your solicitor who handled your conveyance.

    I would have expected there would be a clause in your purchase that the boiler etc would be in working order at the date of entry.

    If you advised your solicitor of this on 29 November and they haven't got back to you within a month then you should be chasing them. It's their responsibility to protect your interests.

    I agree with this, maybe it's a Scottish thing (perhaps we're more in need of the heating :)) but I've never bought anywhere that doesn't have this sort of clause in the missives.
  • silvercar
    silvercar Posts: 50,256 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Academoney Grad Name Dropper
    agrinnall wrote: »
    I agree with this, maybe it's a Scottish thing (perhaps we're more in need of the heating :)) but I've never bought anywhere that doesn't have this sort of clause in the missives.

    It is a Scottish thing. Doesn't apply in England or Wales, where it is down to the buyer to check anything they want.
    I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Is this Scotland? Did I miss somethimg?
  • pinkteapot
    pinkteapot Posts: 8,044 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    OP hasn't said where they are. They've been given some advice by posters north of the wall that doesn't apply if they're in England or Wales.

    OP - assuming England or Wales I'm afraid it's just one of those things. When my mum sold our family home the 20-year old boiler had always worked fine. She turned it off when she left and it wouldn't turn back on for the new owners. Occasionally, a boiler will choose that really awkward moment to go. :(

    Agree with the others that it's a little odd that the previous owners turned the gas off. Do you mean at the stopc0ck? Some people go overboard turning things off when they leave though.
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    silvercar wrote: »
    It is a Scottish thing. Doesn't apply in England or Wales, where it is down to the buyer to check anything they want.

    Can anyone quote typical wording from an English contract covering the heating system?
  • specialboy
    specialboy Posts: 1,436 Forumite
    Doozergirl wrote: »
    This! Why was the gas even off?
    Sounds to me like the house is on a Card/key meter and it was empty so ad to register themselves before they could top up the meter.
  • Richard_Webster
    Richard_Webster Posts: 7,646 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    When you go round a house you ask to hear the boiler fire up. They can press the over-ride/turn up thermostat and then you should hear it fire up and the radiators should start to heat up. That's not going to cover everything about the boiler and CH system but it is a start and should be easy to arrange.

    If gas turned off then you need to be more suspicious and ask for a test.

    If it is repo they probably won't agree to this but that is part of the risk of buying a repo and one of the reasons why they are generally cheaper.
    RICHARD WEBSTER

    As a retired conveyancing solicitor I believe the information given in the post to be useful assuming any properties concerned are in England/Wales but I accept no liability for it.
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