First time buyer - advice re boiler concerns

joanie_mac

I am a first time buyer currently looking at flats and have found a 2 bedroom flat with a private garden I really like. I went for the second viewing with my Mum last night and am considering putting in an offer but I am unsure of how to go about it as I have some concerns regarding the boiler.

I took pictures of the boiler and sent them to my cousin as he's been a plumber for a number of years and he told me that it looks to be a 10+ year old Worcester boiler which will be out of warranty and that the pressure gauge was at 0 suggesting there could be a problem.

His advice was to wait till offer had been accepted then get the solicitors to enquire about the service history etc. While another person has advised me to get this info before the offer and possibly even arrange a 3rd viewing and ask for the heating to be switched on to check it.

What does anybody suggest? Would the latter be risking putting the seller off me as a buyer or is it better to be safe than sorry? From what the estate agent has said, the vendor had it on the market for too much and has only just reduced the asking price after rejecting a couple of offers. It sounds as though she may be a bit stubborn so I don't know if it's better to get an offer accept and then let the solicitors handle it? Any advice would be appreciated as I do not have any experience with this kind of thing!

Thanks!

Niv

You can ask for the latest service documentation, they do not have to provide it / have it serviced so you could end up at square one on that - no harm in asking though.


If it has not been serviced you could request it is and a copy of the results given to you - again the seller is not obliged to do this.

If you are getting nowhere with the seller then make your offer on the assumption that the boiler is broken and needs replacement. Then when (if) you buy the place you can investigate further and if it is serviceable you will have saved a few quid.

G_M

Worst case a new boiler will cost £2K - £3K (less if your cousin installs....).


I would always do a basic check when viewing: hot water in the taps? Radiators get warm? OK - at least it works!


Additionally once your offer is accepted you could pay an engineer around £80 (or your cousin £0!) to inspect it, and if it is condemned/on its last legs, try to negotiate £2K off the rice.


But either way, the boiler should not influence your decision to buy the property. In the scale of things its a minor potential cost.

ReadingTim

Two grand tops to replace.

I have a Worcester Bosch boiler installed before 2006 (when I bought the place). It hasn't been serviced once in the 12 years I've owned the house and hasn't had a problem whatsoever - you're worrying about nothing.

foxy-stoat

If it works then it works, put an offer in based on what you see - any boiler thats a few years old will be out of warranty anyway- you want a warranty on a house purchase buy a new one.

SmashedAvacado

you could make your offer on the assumption that the boiler is in full working order and indicate that you will be getting someone to take a look at it pre-exchange. That will stop it from being a surprise to the seller that you consider it might be an issue. if the market is strong in your area then perhaps this is not a good move - as it might be better to wait until the seller is more invested in your sale going through and then you can ask for an allowance or price reduction to deal with the condition of the boiler

need_an_answer

You have to remember that probably whatever property you buy will never be perfect in terms of your ideal place with everything functioning as it should and decorated just the way you want it.

You seem quite clued up o what to look out for but potentially a little risk adverse.

A boiler that's 10 years old isn't new by any means but neither does that mean its on its last legs and will need a replacement straight away.

I would make your offer to the vendor and see where that takes you.They can accept or reject it then its up to you if you are prepared to go higher.

What you have to remember is that you are not buying a new property and things wont come with a guarantee for the next 10 years so you will need to budget accordingly for running repairs and upgrades as you own the property.

I would put the boiler in that type of category,it works but you may need to be mindful of it needing an overhaul or replacement in the future.

foxy-stoat

SmashedAvacado wrote: »

you could make your offer on the assumption that the boiler is in full working order and indicate that you will be getting someone to take a look at it pre-exchange. That will stop it from being a surprise to the seller that you consider it might be an issue. if the market is strong in your area then perhaps this is not a good move - as it might be better to wait until the seller is more invested in your sale going through and then you can ask for an allowance or price reduction to deal with the condition of the boiler

Hardly worth it, if it were me and I was selling a £150,000 property and someone offered £145,000 subject to a boiler check - I would say check it all you want a day before exchange, if it is proved that there was a fault on it that could be fixed for £500 and offered £500 less then I would say so what, you are not going to pull out of a sale because you need to spend £500 on the boiler. They would of spend more than that doing searches and you have already got £5K off the asking price.

datlex

When I moved in here, the previous owner had been confused by how to use a boiler so all the controls were taken out and it was just a case of switch it on when needed. It was actually a very straight forward fix- I now have a portable controller that I can use when needed.

jonnygee2

The age of the boiler is okay. I think your offer might need to reflect the fact the boiler is towards the end of its life.

However I would want to know why the pressure gauge is zero. I'd probably ask the EA to ask them if they know why, and get an engineer to check it out if they aren't sure.

Even if it won't affect your offer price, I would want to know if I was walking into several thousand pounds of repairs or not. If it doesn't work, you may need to drop your offer so that you have the cash to fix it when you move in.

boliston

the pressure might just need a top up - i sometimes have to top mine up and it's a 2 minute job - i'm surprised the system does not display en error message if it's really 'zero' bar - mine is normally set at 0.5 bar when cold