Dangerous boilder in new house

lincroft1710

If the fumes were discharging into the loft then they were probably escaping outside through a hole or holes in the roof or soffits.

Eps01purple

The exact words from the survey were:


Our limited inspection of the system revealed no evidence to suggest any serious defects but we would nevertheless recommend that a test and overhaul of the installation be undertaken prior to purchase and that a regular maintenance contract be placed with an approved heating engineer.


So yes they have recommended a gas engineer looks at it but there was a serious defect. The flue goes into the loft and not out the roof! Surely they should have picked up on that. They engineer who was here today said it was obvious it was there.


It's just ruined the whole thing for me now. It's taken months to complete, even though it was a no chain sale, as the vendors have been stalling til the end of school term. And now this! We spent all that money just to get something that's broken.

AdrianC

Eps01purple wrote: »

The exact words from the survey were:

Our limited inspection of the system revealed no evidence to suggest any serious defects but we would nevertheless recommend that a test and overhaul of the installation be undertaken prior to purchase and that a regular maintenance contract be placed with an approved heating engineer.

There y'go, then.

So yes they have recommended a gas engineer looks at it

Which you ignored.

but there was a serious defect.

Which they saw no evidence of on what they freely stated was a limited inspection. But, then, they aren't qualified boiler engineers in the first place, hence the recommendation you decided you didn't need to follow.

It's just ruined the whole thing for me now.
We spent all that money just to get something that's broken.

Melodrama won't fix anything.

Pixie5740

You still haven't said what type of survey was carried out but I'm guessing it was just a bog standard valuation survey and nothing more.

Why would a surveyor who isn't gas safety registered know about gas safety legislation? Hence why it was recommended that you have the system tested and inspected by a qualified engineer but you didn't.

You weren't buying a brand new house, things have a limited shelf life. I bought a flat last year and only when moving in did I discover that the tight !!!!!!! who used to let the flat out didn't have a proper front door but just a flimsy interior door which explains why the fat !!!!!!! was always standing in front of the door when I came to do the viewings, besides it never occurred to me that a property wouldn't have a proper front door. Lesson learned.

Edit: Is it possible that this electrician/GS engineer you had out is angling for additional work and making out like this is a bigger job than it really is? Get a few quotes and second opinions.

lincroft1710

Did the surveyor even go into the loft?

Even if they did it is not in their remit to check a boiler installation, they are not qualified to do so.

Ithaca

Eps01purple wrote: »

The sellers said on the form that they didn't have any paperwork about it but that it was in full working order. As I said the survey never highlighted it.

Surely they should have picked up on that. They engineer who was here today said it was obvious it was there.

If it was so obvious how come you didn't spot it?? The survey is there to check the structure of the house mainly, not the internals. And likewise your solicitor is more interested in the legal title / registration for the house... they are not really there to check the fixtures and fittings are fit for purpose (a working boiler doesn't impact your ownership of the house).

And to the average homeowner the boiler could well have been in full working order, in that it provided hot water and heating when needed... an unsafe flue won't necessarily impact the boilers day-to-day operation and probably isn't obvious to non-professional gas engineers (or, apparently, to potential buyers).

I know it's your first purchase, but for example the No. 1 piece of advice on the Which "What to check when buying a house" website is "get a gas and electrical safety check". And it's No. 44 on the MSE checklist, so the advice is out there.

And are you sure you need a full new system? A new flue and some other tweaks might be all that's needed... a pain, sure, but a couple of hundred £££ would probably sort it.

LEJC

The crucial wording on the survey that you should have picked up on were


we would nevertheless recommend that a test and overhaul of the installation be undertaken prior to purchase


If you had acted prior to completion and done this the potential to get it fixed by the vendor or at their expense would have been possible...sadly because you overlooked this recommendation thats why it may cost you money to fix going forward

Spies

Why can't you just get the flu repaired? Surely it doesn't require a completely new system?

hazyjo

A surveyor is no more qualified than you to spot a problem like that. I presume you viewed the property. Did you look in the loft? As above, did the surveyor?


As Spies says, surely it's a case of fixing the flue, not replacing the entire system.


Did the previous owners get the boiler serviced regularly? If not, they probably won't have known about it either (presuming they're also not gas/boiler engineers).


Jx

cajef

The last property we sold we were asked by the buyers solicitor to supply copies of the last service by a qualified engineer, we also requested the same for the house we bought.