Can a boiler scupper my sale?

huglebear

My buyer's solicitor says I need to provide a CORGI compliance cert for my 1-yr old Vaillant condensing boiler. I've given them the benchmarking documentation, the 2-yr guarantee and the name of my CORGI-registered installer. Their surveyor just noted 'new, good boiler'. I know I should have got the cert from CORGI - tbh, we may have mislaid it - but the docs I'm providing demonstrate the boiler's age and condition, and the fact that the installation was carried out by a CORGI engineer. Is it reasonable for me to ask them to proceed on the basis of this documentation? They can apply for a replacement cert if they need it - I don't want to cos they take 10 working days from CORGI and I want to complete before then, as my buyer knows.

Canucklehead

Good evening: It depends on how thorough your buyer's solicitor happens to be...after all, the certificate will prove that the installation complies with Building Regs. It is refreshing to hear that solicitors are actually requesting all relevant documentation related to gas central heating and consumers are becoming more aware of requirements....sorry, that doesn't help you. However if the installation has been notified, then you should provide the buyer with the certificate. Does your timeline for exchange/completion not permit acquisition of the certificate from CORGI?

HTH
Canucklehead

Doozergirl

Common sense would suggest that it is fine to proceed but...

If they won't complete without the cert, then you could alwyas ask for exchange and completion on the proviso that an amount of money (few hundred quid) from the sale is held in trust by one of the solicitors until the CORGI certificate arrives.

When it arrives, they release the money back to you.

MarkyMarkD

Why the heck should anyone produce a CORGI certificate for their boiler when selling their house?

I've bought a few houses and never even considered that I should have got one of these.

Red_Panda_2

I wanted a Corgi cert for the boiler in the house I recently bought, but as it was for my peace of mind, with the consent of the vendor I arranged for it and paid for it, after all it would have been no use to them so only fair we paid.

MarkyMarkD

Well said, RedPanda.

I don't see any reason why it should be a standard thing for a house vendor to provide.

clutton_2

caveat emptor - let the vendor get this if they want - after they have bought the house.

Altarf

clutton wrote: »

caveat emptor

Since that means "Buyer beware", that is exactly what they are doing - checking everything before it is too late to do anything about it.

clutton wrote: »

let the vendor get this if they want - after they have bought the house.

And that would be too late.

The buyer has seen a shiny new boiler on the wall and knowing the number of plumbers with spurs wants to check that it won't kill them, blow the house up or cost them a fortune to fix if it is wrong, and doesn't want to proceed with the right paperwork.

Your options are to delay whilst you get the papers, agree to leave some money on bond with one of the solicitors whilst it is obtained, or tell them to get lost.

If you choose the last option either one of you will back down or the house sale will fall through. Depends on how confident / lucky you feel when you decide what to do next. House sales have fallen through for less reason than this.

Canucklehead

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Why the heck should anyone produce a CORGI certificate for their boiler when selling their house?

I've bought a few houses and never even considered that I should have got one of these.

Good morning: Since April 2005 (England and Wales), all new boiler installations (and relocations for that matter) must be notified in order to meet the legal requirements of building regulations. For further info see http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/340/DomesticHeatingComplianceGuide_id1165340.pdf
http://www.trustcorgi.com/consumer/requestacertificate.htmx

HTH

Canucklehead

olly300

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Well said, RedPanda.

I don't see any reason why it should be a standard thing for a house vendor to provide.

It depends what the vendor claims.

If they don't state the boiler has been recently installed or that the boiler is serviced regularly then the surveyor (homebuyers/full-structural survey) will recommend that you get the boiler checked out yourself.

barrymung

Personally, I'd tell 'em that I'd made a mistake, the boiler is i fact 5 years old and thus doesn't need a certificate.