Buying a house - checking electrics, gas etc.

adonis10

I understand that it is the responsibility of the buyer to check this but is it something that I need to do through my solicitor or contact the seller to enquire?


I assume that we are not unreasonable to want to see relatively recent central heating certificates etc.? How about the electrics (wiring etc.) - what checks should be done here?


Sorry for the dumb questions, but I've only ever bought a new(ish) build flat so not needed to know before.

HappyMJ

adonis10 wrote: »

I understand that it is the responsibility of the buyer to check this but is it something that I need to do through my solicitor or contact the seller to enquire?


I assume that we are not unreasonable to want to see relatively recent central heating certificates etc.? How about the electrics (wiring etc.) - what checks should be done here?


Sorry for the dumb questions, but I've only ever bought a new(ish) build flat so not needed to know before.

No checks are "required".

If you wish to undertake your own checks before you make an offer then that is up to you to arrange and pay for them.

If the property has had a tenant there should be a gas safety certificate which a seller would most probably be more than willing to offer a copy to you. That certificate though only states the gas installation was good on the day of inspection. Things change especially with gas that might make the installation unsafe. The certificate may have expired too. If the tenant has left there is no requirement for it to be renewed.

Electrical safety checks are rarely done when preparing a property for sale. Your own electrician can give you a report on them. It's fairly easy to do this kind of thing yourself if you are competent enough. Just looking at the consumer unit should give you an idea on the state of the electrics. If it's a modern one with RCD's then there's a good chance the electrics will be okay and if it's an old one with manual fuses then there's a good chance you'll need to spend a couple hundred replacing a few cable runs at some point in the future. That may have already been priced into the asking price.

davidmcn

You can check yourself whether stuff works (on a second or subsequent viewing). If somebody lives there, then things probably do work because generally people don't want to e.g. sit shivering with a broken boiler. You can send in your own specialists to inspect if you like but I suspect it's overkill (e.g. electrics are never going to be up to current standards unless it's just been rewired). And even if certified as in perfect condition, budget for the possibility of things breaking down next winter!

pinkpiglit

As everyone has said, it's up to you to arrange and pay for, including certificates. There is no onus on the seller to do any of this.

Cakeguts

Anything that you want to know about in the property like the condition of the wiring or the boiler or any other part of the property is up to you to get a survey or check done and pay for them. The seller doesn't have to provide you with anything or pay for any surveys or checks to be done.

adonis10

Cakeguts wrote: »

Anything that you want to know about in the property like the condition of the wiring or the boiler or any other part of the property is up to you to get a survey or check done and pay for them. The seller doesn't have to provide you with anything or pay for any surveys or checks to be done.

Does a general building survey include such checks?

marksoton

adonis10 wrote: »

Does a general building survey include such checks?

No.......... Not properly anyway.

adonis10

marksoton wrote: »

No.......... Not properly anyway.

Didn't think so.


I shall add another to the list of "pay me £200 to sign a piece of paper" that is building by the day!