No paperwork for new boiler?!

Zeebs90

Hi Everyone, me again!

Hopefully someone can help/advise here.

We have received all of the draft paperwork for the house we are buying and the PIF states a new boiler/heating system was installed in September 2015. Then the report letter from our solicitor states she has confirmed with the seller that a new boiler was installed in September 2015 however she has no paperwork for this, which seems very odd to us as we understand that when a new boiler is installed you should receive a building regs certificate?

In the pack of documents however is a commissioning checklist for a gas boiler system which is dated September 2014.

My question is when a new boiler is installed is anything else required other than this checklist? Could it be that the engineer just put the wrong year on by accident?

If the seller doesn't have the relevant paperwork would you still go ahead? I really don't want to lose the house over this - could we just get the boiler serviced after completion?

marksoton

Zeebs90 wrote: »

could we just get the boiler serviced after completion?

If you're worried about it ask that you get it serviced before exchange.

Cheeky_Monkey

Personally, I wouldn't be paying out for a service on a boiler that's only 8 months old after completion.

In my experience, when a new boiler is installed, the GS registered installer records the checks he/she makes on it in the Installation/Service Manual and leaves it with the boiler.

If the seller doesn't have that, I would ask them whether they have lost it or were never given one in the first place - which, IMO, is highly unlikely.

Edit: Sorry, I obviously didn't read your OP properly. So you do have the check list in the book. Yes, it could be possible that they put the wrong date on it (although unlikely) but even so, the seller should still have something else apart from that, not least a guarantee for the boiler itself and presumably the invoice from the installer.

beck1980_2

We are in the process of selling and had a boiler installed 4 years ago. First thing our buyer's sol did is ask for documentation. We provided the commissioning checklist and yearly service certificates. Then they asked for the building regs certificate :-o we were never given one and were unaware we needed one. We contacted the company who installed it and they arranged for a replacement certificate to be sent out to us from the gas safe people.

Turns out they'd registered it correctly but the certificate didn't arrive at us and, as we didn't realise we should be looking out for it, didn't chase it up.

Zeebs90

Ok thanks for the replies. I've emailed our solicitor for some clarification but hopefully the seller can contact the person who installed it. We were hoping to exchange the end of the week but unlikely it will happen now it seems!

theartfullodger

It could be entirely innocent: or not. I would ask for (or go round & get,,) the serial number then check with manufacturers as to when it was made.

Worst case would be it was installed by a cowboy with boiler off the back of a lorry..

If no sensible paperwork in your shoes I'd require a full service & GSC, if necessary paid for by me, before proceeding just to check there's no horrors..

glasgowdan

I wouldn't worry...it's a small issue in the big picture. Don't delay a purchase due to it! The boiler works and is quite new, a piece of paper won't make a difference to this. If it does break down, repairs don't cost the earth.

Cheeky_Monkey

I'm afraid I don't agree glasgowdan. Without any paperwork, it might have been installed 'illegally' by someone who is not GS registered and thus no Gas Safe Certificate.

That might sound a bit far fetched but who knows these days! I just find it very hard to believe that they have got no paperwork at all for such a recent installation.

Plus the fact that, at only 8 months old, it would still be within the guarantee period so wouldn't necessarily cost anything to have it fixed if needed.

Zeebs90

Yes Cheeky-Monkey I agree, I just can't understand why there would be no paperwork if it was all done correctly fairly recently. Hopefully it is just a misunderstanding and can be sorted quite easily.

Anyone have any idea how much getting a gas safety engineer to have a look at it/issue a gas safe certificate would cost?

theartfullodger

About £60 if there are no problems: Could be (potentially..) £1k or more depending on what he finds.

As i suggested earlier, you want a service & GSC to feel comfortable. But, your choice, your money, your risk

AnotherJoe

There is a central site where you can get a certificate reissued, I had to do this when the person who installed a boiler in my BTL put the wrong address in (they put mine instead of the BTL).

After they corrected the address I got a new certificate from the central register. There may have been a small charge.