Indemnity insurance for boiler

sarahlouise1979

Hi,

New to this board, but this forum has helped me a lot in the past, so thought I'd come back for some advice!

In the process of selling our house, but the buyers solicitors have requested the installation certificate for the boiler we had installed about 6 years ago. We don't have it, and Corgi don't have record of it being registered. 😳

So, our solicitor has said that we need indemnity insurance, they'll organise it and it'll cost about £20. Fine. BUT, they have come back and said they want £70 for arranging it!! Our initial thoughts were something along the lines of , er we'll do it ourselves thanks...but it's not proving easy to find online- any ideas/ recommendations??

Thanks!

Johnandabby

Was it definitely before 1 April 2009, as it would be Gas Safe not Corgi after this date. Worth checking with Gas Safe first.

Have the buyers accepted the indemnity insurance, before you buy it? It's fine in place of the Building Regs compliance certificate, but as a buyer i would still be getting my plumber to check the boiler and installation thoroughly as well.

sarahlouise1979

Yep, deffo before 2009. It just seems that getting this indemnity insurance ourselves is going to be near on impossible and we're going to have to pay the stupid 'arrangement' fee!!

G_M

You cannot buy indemnity insurance. You'll have to use the solicior.

It's a rip-off price though. Cheap conveyancing outfit adding on charges wherever they can?

The whole deal is a scam anyway since under s36 of the Building Act 1984 the local authority must serve an enforcement notice within 12 months of completion of the work or else it is time-barred.

So the policy will never be needed, the insurer will never pay out, and the buyer will get no extra protection (it does not cover if the boiler breaks down!).

Only the insurance company & solicitor will benefit.

Hoploz

It would be better for the buyer - and better use of the £70 - to get a gas safety check. That will confirm it is safe NOW!

sarahlouise1979

Thanks GM- yes, it does appear to be a scam- do you reckon there's any point in us arguing with the solicitor, or will we end up just delaying the sale? Will the sale not go through without this insurance, or is it up to the buyer? Will his solicitor tell him he's daft for not making us get the indemnity insurance? I've read about sellers getting a boiler service done instead (as that makes more sense, safety wise), but then ending up having to pay for insurance too. Basically, do we just have to suck it up in order to sell the house??

G_M

Very often mortgage lenders insist on these policies, so if the buyer is getting a mortgage he may have no choice.

C_Mababejive

I cant believe all the fuss over aboiler. Its a money making scam. What about the floors/roof/electrics/plumbing/foundations etc,,is no one bothered about them/want indemnity for them?

G_M

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I cant believe all the fuss over aboiler. Its a money making scam. What about the floors/roof/electrics/plumbing/foundations etc,,is no one bothered about them/want indemnity for them?

It's not the boiler per se that is the issue. It's the lack of Building Regulations certification.

If the floors/roof/electrics/plumbing/foundations etc were all built prior to the date of introduction of BR rules, or have the requisite certificates, then that issue does not arise.

But I agree that it is the current condition of everything that matters (be it boiler, or floors/roof/electrics/plumbing/foundations etc).

Of course, with many aspects of a building (eg foundations, structural beams for example) it is impossible to inspect (without cost/permission/damage), but a Building Regs certificate provides proof that they were satisfactory at the time of construction/installation (eg the foundations were deep enough, the beams strong enough).

C_Mababejive

Agreed . I could fit my own boiler in my own house and not have to tell anyone about it.

G_M

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Agreed . I could fit my own boiler in my own house and not have to tell anyone about it.

Yes. And I could drive up a dual carriageway when it's empty at night at £150 mph and not have to tell anyone about it.

But in both cases, if the authorities happen to find out, there would be consequences.

(and in your case, if you try to sell, your buyer might rightly be concerned).