Testing boiler as part of purchase

mangog

Hi all,

I'm in the process of buying a house and following a home buyers report I decided to have the electrics and boiler looked at too, as they are not covered by the survey. I thought this was a completely normal thing to want to do, but it seems to be causing some confusion with the companies I've contacted for a quote regarding the boiler. One told me they couldn't inspect the boiler because we're not the owners of the house, and another wants a list of all the gas appliances in the house. I'm just asking them to inspect the boiler, and the sellers are taking the gas oven etc with them (which I've told them) so I'm not sure what more I can say.

Am I asking for something silly? I thought this was something lots of buyers arrange in case of any issues that could affect the purchase. I don't want to ask the sellers to do it, that doesn't seem fair - as it's me that wants to know! And it would be arranged at a convenient time via the Estate Agent. Maybe I'm just asking for the wrong thing...?

Thanks!

need_an_answer

I suspect that the company that asked for a list of appliances possibly intend to quote you for something similar to a gas safety check (cp12) which is the requirement on an annual basis for a rented property,and probably the closest they can do to the inspection you are asking for.

That normally costs in the region of £70 and I would liken it to an MOT type test where it gives a snapshot at a given day.

It by no means is an exhaustive check although it will determine that all gas appliances are in reasonable working order. Presumably you would need to tell them how many radiators the property has as the GSC will establish that those are at least functioning in a basic form too.

It is also similar to the check that someone like BG will offer as part of their annual homecare service.

Opting for a CP12 type check will list each appliance tested that is linked to the gas supply and then also give you recommendations based on the findings again similar to an MOT with advisories and potential faults that could need rectifying.

Rambosmum

It's not that common a thing to do re the boiler.


It's a standard caveat on all surveys.


If the house is lived in you can assume it's working. There's nothing to say that you get it checked and it won't break the next time the heating is turned on.


Personally I wouldn't bother. If the property is occupied, my offer would have been made taking in to consideration the age of the boiler. And I'd get it serviced once I moved in.

mangog

Ahhhhh, that makes sense! They didn't ask about radiators specifically but that must be what they mean by gas appliances. Thanks so much!

So it is called a gas safety check then? That's what I've been asking for but I wondered if I was using the wrong phrase. That's reassuring!

jonnygee2

What exactly do you want to check?

A gas safety check is normally only done for lettings I doubt it would uncover anything that will affect the purchase, which is why it isn't standard practice to get them done. As Rambosmum suggests, I think it's better just to check how old the boiler is - if it's very old budget to have it serviced or replaced.

mangog

Great, thank you Rambosmum! I've had conflicting advice from people about whether it's worth it or not and I originally wasn't going to bother, as they sellers live there, but then someone I know who recently bought a similar house told me I should. The boiler was installed in 2007, is that old for a boiler?

mangog

Thanks jonnygee2 - I just thought it was good practice to get the boiler tested for any imminent problems, but it sounds like I've misunderstood! If it's not necessary I'll happily skip it!

Would you say the same for the electrics? We've got a friend who's an electrician and he said he can pop round and test the fuse board etc for £50. Worth it? I really just want to be prepared for any upcoming costs I need to budget for, or if there's something really major, look at negotiating on the sale price.

Browntoa

10 year old for boiler is average , if a good make then should last for many years assuming parts remain available , depends of if its been maintained . Ask the seller for copies of last annual service ( if it's been on a repair contract then normally it's done every year )

PasturesNew

I'll be selling mine later this year - and I plan to have the boiler serviced and probably the electrics checked ... I think it's rude not to either do it, or to offer it as a seller, if it were ever asked about.

mangog

Thanks Browntoa. It was last serviced in 2015 so it's been a little while. We have the paperwork for that and the installation (CORGI certificate). I'll check the make and do some research!

mangog

That's really interesting, thank you PasturesNew. I assumed it was on the buyer to make those sorts of checks. Steep learning curve!