Gas boiler query

marksoton

G_M wrote: »

They have been candid. They answered your questions about paperwork.

You can, of course, ask them to get the boiler either inspected (for safety) or serviced, and they might agree. I wouldn't.

Have you had a survey done? Who paid? You or the seller? Why? And why should checking the boiler be different?

If you buy a brand new house, you expect everything including the boiler to be brand new. If you buy a 2nd hand house............

No they haven't ,not yet anyway. Would you buy an 11 year old car with no paperwork?

I'd expect a service, why wouldn't you? I'm not buying a 10KVA generator mate i'm buying a property. It's a leasehold so i'm limited in my insurance options.

HouseBuyer77

The vendor has been great to this point but their lack of candour over the boiler troubles me. I'd rather any costs were dealt with now before exchange.

You will find many people happily live with ancient boilers and no gas safety certificates, indeed I'd say a new regularly serviced boiler is very rare outside of rental. So it's unsurprising the house you're buying doesn't have a safety certificate or a new boiler. They're probably not hiding anything and will be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Also a service won't guarantee the boiler is not going to break down, merely that it's safe and currently working.

Realistically you should just look at the boiler age, say 10 years is the lifetime of a boiler and beyond that expect to want to replace it. So in your case a replacement is on the horizon. You may find it gives you many more years of service, but it could break down tomorrow it's just a risk you have to take.

By all means get the service/certificate done, the plumber can tell you what the reckon to the state of the boiler whilst they're at it (giving you a vague notion of how likely it is that it will break down tomorrow) but you're not going to get a guarantee of a working heating system for the next X years.

G_M

marksoton wrote: »

No they haven't ,not yet anyway. Would you buy an 11 year old car with no paperwork?
If I was concerned about its condition I'd pay the AA (or someone) to inspect it.

I'd expect a service, why wouldn't you? I'm not buying a 10KVA generator mate i'm buying a property. It's a leasehold so i'm limited in my insurance options.

What has buildings insurance got to do with it?

marksoton

G_M wrote: »

What has buildings insurance got to do with it?

You ask that question as regards me making sure my boiler is at least serviced.. Wow...

marksoton

HouseBuyer77 wrote: »

You will find many people happily live with ancient boilers and no gas safety certificates, indeed I'd say a new regularly serviced boiler is very rare outside of rental. So it's unsurprising the house you're buying doesn't have a safety certificate or a new boiler. They're probably not hiding anything and will be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Also a service won't guarantee the boiler is not going to break down, merely that it's safe and currently working.

Realistically you should just look at the boiler age, say 10 years is the lifetime of a boiler and beyond that expect to want to replace it. So in your case a replacement is on the horizon. You may find it gives you many more years of service, but it could break down tomorrow it's just a risk you have to take.

By all means get the service/certificate done, the plumber can tell you what the reckon to the state of the boiler whilst they're at it (giving you a vague notion of how likely it is that it will break down tomorrow) but you're not going to get a guarantee of a working heating system for the next X years.

Thank you. And points taken.

But please see the bold. So in reality I'm not being bat crap crazy really.

Yolina

marksoton wrote: »

But please see the bold. So in reality I'm not being bat crap crazy really.

My boiler's about 25 years old and still working like a champ. I had the pump replaced earlier this year as that was on its way out - cost me about £150. I wouldn't change a boiler based purely on age, but I'd certainly have the money stashed away for a new one when it does eventually need replacing.

Any boiler can break down the very next day - even a brand new one

Chanes

Pay for a an engineer to check it for you, it should put your mind to rest. We had/have our boiler serviced annually but it comes as part of the contract to maintain it and cover for breakdowns. I would share your unease about the lack of service for a gas appliance and really don't care about it not being legally required or whatever. gas appliances can blow a house to bits and if they had an unqualified person fit it or fiddle with it or they can leak carbon monoxide and kill people.

Davesnave

As above, get it checked for safety and see if there's anything in the engineer's report that gives you leverage.

If it's condemned, then you are quids-in. If not, then the seller is likely to gamble that you're already on the hook and won't let go for the sake of a boiler which is working. This is, assuming there is nothing remarkable about the purchase price or the market where you are: factors which could also have a direct effect on a vendors actions.

marksoton

Yolina wrote: »

My boiler's about 25 years old and still working like a champ. I had the pump replaced earlier this year as that was on its way out - cost me about £150. I wouldn't change a boiler based purely on age, but I'd certainly have the money stashed away for a new one when it does eventually need replacing.

Any boiler can break down the very next day - even a brand new one

Yes i appreciate that, and going forward obviously all costs will be mine and mine alone. But at least by insisting on some sort of check i know i'm not being sold a complete mess from day one.

Kynthia

I still don't understand where the idea that the vendors have been less than candid has come from and how limited building insurers is relevant?

If you want the boiler checked then get someone to check it. It's 11 years old though so it might need replacing at some point so have sone money set aside in your savings. Not many houses are sold with a new boiler and not many homeowners service them regularly. That's not suspicious but part of the realities of buying a home.