Boiler issue during buying stage

MrTrevor

Hello,

me and my partner are currently in the process of buying a house. We were let in the house briefly last week to take measurements and we noticed that there was only paperwork regarding the boiler's service for 2015. We messaged the vendor to ask if they could provide us with the paperwork for the services since then and she advised it may well not have been serviced since 2015. (The vendor did not live in the property but was renting rooms out to tenants)

We asked if this could be serviced before we moved in and she responded to say due to the amount she had accepted for the house this was to include bits and bobs that needed doing. (The house needs a complete re-paint, carpet/flooring and bathroom renovation)

We are unsure on what to do from here? Does anyone have any advice? We don't know if we should ask our solicitor about this or if this is fair from the vendor's side? We are first time buyers so just looking for advice

alex_163163

If you are concerned, ask the vendor if they will allow access for an engineer that you have hired. A boiler service is £60 - might be best to just organise it yourself if the vendor won’t.

Soot2006

What do you want to achieve?


- safety? money off? etc



The house I bought has a boiler not serviced for about the same amount of time. Decided it wasn't deal-breaker on the house as was expecting some repairs and renovation, so bought the house and had boiler checked after moving in, just for peace of mind. The seriously leaking roof has annoyed me a lot more than a broken boiler would have. An old boiler eventually needs fixing/replacing ... (I guess the same is true for an old roof, but it was still annoying!)

G_M

If the vendor was letting the property to tenants, then by law she should have had an annual gas safety inspection on the boiler. Ask for copies.

That is not the same as a 'service' but at least it proves the boiler is safe (or was on the date of the inspection.)

But ultimately it's up to you to check what you are buying. If you want the boiler checked, pay a gas enginer for a report in the same way that you (maybe?) paid for a surveyor to survey the building.


ps - until recently when I got involved due to his age, my dad had not had his boiler inspected or serviced since he moved in. That was around 35 years..........

RelievedSheff

It isn't a deal breaker. Get it serviced when you move in.

MrTrevor

alex_163163 wrote: »

If you are concerned, ask the vendor if they will allow access for an engineer that you have hired. A boiler service is £60 - might be best to just organise it yourself if the vendor won’t.

Yeah i think we are going to have to do this - we are very early on in the buying process at the moment so will probably have to wait until exchanged contracts point until we are able to do this. We just want to ensure it's safe before we move in as there is no carbon monoxide alarms either.

MrTrevor

Soot2006 wrote: »

What do you want to achieve?


- safety? money off? etc



We want to achieve safety more than anything really as there aren't any carbon monoxide alarms either so i guess we are just worried it won't work or something when we move in or its dangerous and to have reassurance that its in working order as the property is empty currently

hazyjo

Just buy an alarm and take it with you.

AdrianC

If the vendor won't budge on getting it serviced, won't/can't provide the back safety certs, and won't budge on price, then you have a decision to make.

Swallow and move forward... or walk.

As has been said - a service costs peanuts.

greatgimpo

I would pay for a service, then if it's on its last days, at least you'll know before you get a bill for a replacement and it then becomes a moot point.

Bexgrossman

A boiler service isn’t a big issue. As the house is a HMO (?) you can be sure the boiler is working fine.

Arrange to get on monthly service/payment plan with a boiler company and if any issues happen down the line it will be included in the £22 a month

As others have said, it’s a HMO, they are strictly regulated.