Should I renegotiate offer?

Scotbot

I had a full survey done. Seller has had gas check but not electrics. The survey raised an issue and recommended an electrical check which I am getting done. Surveyor said he is not an electrician so can't advise. I suspect this is a legal requirement but if it helps having a full survey would not have answered your question. I would get the check done before revising your offer. The seller may not accept but if you don't ask you don't get.

Lack of building regs is an issue and will come up when you try to sell it. So assuming you buy it get the building regs certificates retrospectively.

hazyjo

Scotbot wrote: »

I suspect this is a legal requirement.

It's not a legal requirement to have an electrical check (if that's what you're saying). No idea about Scotland (asked earlier, not sure where you are).

davidmcn

hazyjo wrote: »

It's not a legal requirement to have an electrical check (if that's what you're saying). No idea about Scotland (asked earlier, not sure where you are).

Different regulations but still not a legal requirement in Scotland.

ReadingTim

• The testing certificates/evidence of checks for the boiler and electrics are entirely optional - you want it, you pay for it.
• The PP/BR issue is a red herring /irrelevant has you're not going to be ordered to know the conservatory down. If you're worried, get it sorted retrospectively, but whether something has a piece or paper or not has no bearing on the likelihood it'll fail, fall down etc.

If I was the seller and someone tried to knock ten grand off the price for that, I'd tell them to jog on. What would you do OP if the seller told *you* to jog on?

Scotbot

hazyjo wrote: »

It's not a legal requirement to have an electrical check (if that's what you're saying). No idea about Scotland (asked earlier, not sure where you are).

Sorry I wasn't clear, I meant it's a legal requirement that to carry out an electrical check you need to be a certified electrician. A surveyor can't do it as part of the survey.

I am in England

seashore22

We've just had an extension built which is considerably more substantial than a conservatory with central heating and open to the house and didn't need planning permission. We did get it rubber stamped by the planning authority, but didn't need to do this.

The rubber stamping was a lawful development certificate.

Browny137

ReadingTim - the BR issue is not irrelevant at all, “a piece of paper” would at least prove that the conservatory was built by a ‘professional’, otherwise what’s to say they didn’t do it themselves?

seashore22

So, if the conservatory falls down after you've bought it, the £10,000 reduction in price will make it all ok then?

Wouldn't it be better to walk away if this worries you so much.

Browny137

Thanks for the replies everyone, it’s been interesting seeing what you have to say. I must admit I am a bit surprised that the ‘norm’ seems to be if you want something checked, do it yourself. IMO this undermines doing anything properly, why bother getting a new electrical installation tested if it doesn’t matter anyway?

I think I will probably go back to the seller and push a bit on the fact that it was sold as “finished to a high standard” and that my offer was on the understanding that everything was correctly tested etc, maybe they will make some allowance.

Either way I don’t think it will stop us buying, I just feel a bit frustrated that we are paying top money for the house and there are things missing that I assumed were basic.

Browny137

Seashore22 - I think you’re missing the point tbh, I don’t think it will fall down, the price reduction would reflect the added risk on a number of ‘minor issues’ that I was unaware of when we first made the offer. Obviously I don’t know the ins and outs of PP, I am only going on my solicitors advise that this conservatory SHOULD have had PP.