Wary About Buying re: Boiler Installation Certificate & Other Issues

dunroving

It could be one of two scenarios:

1) A lot of this work was done "on the cheap", with mate's rates and equipment that has been sourced dubiously, bordering in illegally (e.g., a nearly-new boiler being obtained from a job where the homeowner has more money than sense and just wanted a new boiler). If his mates were moonlighting, they may not have wanted to be "official". In this scenario, the upside is that you may be getting all of these upgrades relatively cheaply (i.e., he didn't pay much and may be including them at a cheap rate in the asking price). In this scenario, if you get a gas safety check and everything looks fine, you are good to go.

2) As others have said, the lack of certs, etc, may be a sign of something more serious, e.g., safety corners being cut, or underhand, e.g., it was fitted more recently, with old kit.

It may just be that your builder seller has a cavalier attitude - he knew the freehold was being applied for, knew there was no reason to expect it to be refused, so to all intents and purposes it was (or would be, by time of sale) freehold. I think some people are just like this - it's not exactly lying, just short on detail.

dunroving

It's not clear (I don't think) - is/was he actually living there for three years? Context is important here. If this was his own residence, it seems less likely the work has been botched. If he bought it as a fixer-upper-seller, that's slightly different.

maisie_cat

m0bov wrote: »

If he got the work done by "mates" you'd have to assume corners got cut and its not safe. You can get your own inspection done, the windows not so much a problem. If your serious about the house then get a gas safe inspection done.

Not necessarily unsafe, but certainly not compliant, I've seen rubbish certificated work and perfectly safe uncertificated work. The main reason for no certificates is likely to be cash in hand work, and a certificate is an audit trail.
I would check with local building control to confirm that the worked was lodged, or gas safe as it will also be recorded there.
Personally i would not buy unless he can get the work signed off, otherwise you will have the problem when you sell.

crafterholic

Thanks for your replies.

The seller had previously admitted that he got the paving in the garden as 'surplus' from a building job he did, so I'm starting to think you are correct about it being a slightly second hand boiler when he bought it. He clearly has got everything 'mates rates' and possibly some second hand, but unfortunately we've paid a lot of money for it and he's getting a handsome profit (he bought it for near 180k less only 3/4 years ago).

He said he bought it as a wreck as a fixer-upper and has been living in it himself.
It's just a case of whether we want the house enough to take a risk I guess. So tricky! Don't you just wish people would be up-front?

Smodlet

crafterholic wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

The seller had previously admitted that he got the paving in the garden as 'surplus' from a building job he did, so I'm starting to think you are correct about it being a slightly second hand boiler when he bought it. He clearly has got everything 'mates rates' and possibly some second hand, but unfortunately we've paid a lot of money for it and he's getting a handsome profit (he bought it for near 180k less only 3/4 years ago).

He said he bought it as a wreck as a fixer-upper and has been living in it himself.
It's just a case of whether we want the house enough to take a risk I guess. So tricky! Don't you just wish people would be up-front?

All I can say, crafterholic, is trust your instincts. None of us are there, we cannot see what you can see. Best of luck.

anselld

crafterholic wrote: »

Oh dear, I thought everyone would say I was over-reacting!

I certainly have questioned a lot of things about what the seller has told us in light of later revelations, but I think because we really like the house I may have just tried to downplay things in my mind, especially because the (one time) we looked around we thought it looked nicely done. Of course, you never can tell what lies beneath.

We are visiting the house again later this week to try and set our mind at ease a little bit.

Thanks for your advice so far.

You are over reacting.

Why would a builder wish to bodge his own house that he is living in? Far more likely to bodge the new build site he is working on and be experienced enough to know that the paperwork is just a tick box exercise.

Paperwork is nice to have, but it is no substitute for expert inspection of any work to ensure it is installed correctly.

Doozergirl

You've been round it once. Go again. And look carefully at the finish.

Have you commissioned a full survey? There's no reason why not to.

If you do know a builder, then that would also be a good idea, they can spot things immediately and won't be as much as a survey if they say it's been poorly done. You can always commission a survey after that point if things aren't too bad.

I don't think there's any excuse for not having certififactes when you are in the trade. I wouldn't ever dream of not doing things properly - either for myself or anyone else. Good builders do not cut obvious corners like that.

Is it on rightmove? Sometimes there are things that are obvious from the photos. I would look for you if you wanted to post here, or PM.

walwyn1978

Nobbie1967 wrote: »

Re the boiler, maybe it was secondhand when he installed it, hence the warranty having expired, or the warranty never existed as it hasn't been properly installed and registered.

Did you say you'd had it checked already? We're any observations about the installation made?

My main worry would be how much hassle this will be to sell on without certificates, but maybe by then you'll have replaced the boiler anyway.

Have you had the electrics checked? May be a few more issues there...

That's my guess re the boiler too - if you don't service according to the manufacturer guidelines th warranty is voided. It does smell like trouble from what you've said so far...

Doozergirl

I've had a look at the house and from the photographs it's mint. No visual evidence of corner cutting, in fact, quite the opposite.

Obviously, it's no replacement for a survey, but I know do know my houses and know a developer's mind and I think the OP just needs to do plenty of checks to make sure all is working as it should. I suspect that the builder did it for himself.

crafterholic

Thanks...that's very reassuring