Gas and electrics: service before exchange of contracts?

Alanland

Apologies if this has been covered in other threads, I did a quick fruitless search.
I am in the process of buying a 12 year old property, survey has come back fine except to recommend servicing boiler and electrics - basically there is no service history for the gas boiler (12 years old) and the electrics have never been checked.

I want to get the boiler checked but would people generally advise on a property of this age that the electrics should be checked (my solicitor seemed surprised I was considering it). Also, would the buyer always pay for this - I would like to ask the vendor to pay as they did say when we were looking around that they get the boiler serviced every year (why lie??? why??) but would rather pay £80 myself and keep things smooth rather than have endless solicitors letters backwards and forwards if I did ask them.
Thanks for any replies, I find people on here invaluable - so much better than real live people!

Lavendyr

IMHO you've already answered your own question - £80 on servicing the boiler or hassle & £s on solicitors' letters and causing a stir with your seller? I'd choose the £80 myself.

Richard_Webster

Surveyors always play safe and tell you to get the central heating and electrics checked.

In the real world most people never have their electrics checked. Obviously by not doing so they take a risk, but that's the way it is. has your surveyor raised any actual concerns (e.g. obviously very old wiring) about the electrics or is it a merely precautionary comment?

Service history for central heating is more problematic. Some people have a regular maintenance contract with a large national set up. This gives some piece of mind but tends to mean that the work is rather impersonal by gas engineers who are part of a large organisation with standard procedures etc and the need always to use the "right" spares. Many people establish a relationship with a local CORGI engineer and he comes and does the service every year (without any continuing contract) but nobody keeps records of it! So your sellers are not necessarily lying. I think it would be reasonable to ask for the certificate provided on the last service.

Alanland

Richard_Webster wrote: »

Service history for central heating is more problematic. Some people have a regular maintenance contract with a large national set up. This gives some piece of mind but tends to mean that the work is rather impersonal by gas engineers who are part of a large organisation with standard procedures etc and the need always to use the "right" spares. Many people establish a relationship with a local CORGI engineer and he comes and does the service every year (without any continuing contract) but nobody keeps records of it! So your sellers are not necessarily lying. I think it would be reasonable to ask for the certificate provided on the last service.

This is what I thought - they said they get it checked each year, it's just the wording in the contract says they don't know when they had it last checked - it would have made more sense to me if they said annually but had lost certificate (I know that could still not be true but at least it would be consistent).

cattie

They may well get it checked every year, but unofficially with either somebody they know or a local corgi guy who works on the side for a small charge & doesn't give out certificates. Some people do do this & are happy as long as their boiler is checked & they know it's in good working order.

If you're that bothered about the boiler working then ask that they put the heating on during a visit & you can check out the hot water too while you're there.

A 12yr old boiler isn't going to be as efficient as a modern one, just bear that in mind.