House with no guarantees/warranties

Jd843

Hi
I've just had the property information form back on the house I am buying, and in the section on guarantees and warranties, the house doesn't have any.
So no damp proofing, timber treatment, electrical work, roofing or central heating warranties/guarantees. 
As a first-time buyer, I am not really sure what to do with this information. Is there anything I can/need to do about it? Can the solicitor help or is this outside the scope of their work?

Alter_ego

Finding a house with all those warranties, and them being transferrable to you would be very rare. Get things checked out (survey) before exchange, then any certificates would be yours

Look up  caveat emptor if it's new to you.

newsgroupmonkey_

If it's not a new house, I wouldn't expect any!

greatcrested

Either there are new(ish) works or appliances which have warranties, or there are not.

If there are not, then you'll be unable to claim if those works eg damp proofing (if any) or utilities break down.

Either accept that or walk away!

I've lived in my house for 20 odd years and any warranties that existed when I moved in have long expired. So what? Should I sell up and move to a house with warranties? And if I did, what do I tell my own buyer?

As a first-time buyer, I am not really sure what to do with this information.

Bear it in mind if anything breaks down

Is there anything I can/need to do about it?

Well, there are certain insurance, breakdown, and warranties you can buy eg British Gas Homecare (not that I recommend..)

Can the solicitor help or is this outside the scope of their work?

Outside his scope other than to ask the seller if they exist and then inform you of the answer.

davidmcn

Perfectly normal, generally speaking the only time you can reasonably expect a guarantee is if you're buying something newbuild (or under 10 years old) in which case it will generally have an NHBC (or similar) warranty against any major problems. If any recent work of the types you list has taken place (has it?) then it's nice to get guarantees, but certainly not compulsory.

Falafels

You don't say what condition the property is in, or how old it is. This is relevant. Having guarantees doesn't mean that nothing will go wrong, just that if something does, then the issuer of the guarantee will fix it; if the company has gone bust then you have no redress anyway unless it was insurance backed. Older properties are more likely to have ongoing maintenance issues than modern ones.

When I sold my house, I had warranties/guarantees for all the above, apart from the electrics. This was because something had already gone wrong, and I'd had to deal with it in the case of roofing and central heating; the timber guarantee was for 30 years as of 1995, however, and I've no idea if the company that issued it was even still trading. My purchaser asked about the electrics; I could only say that it had a modern consumer unit with an RCD - but that I'd had no reason to think there was anything wrong with the system, and that the guarantee had run out in 2013. She was happy with that.

If you're buying an older property, it's prudent to have a survey done in any case; if you're worried about individual issues such as electrical work, you can commission your own safety check. 

macman

They are neither expected or required. If you want such warranties, then buy a new house.
Consumer protection on a new property is limited to the vendor needing to be truthful, which is the purpose of the SPIF, as the answers are in writing. Beyond that, it's up to you to ask the questions. The vendor does not have to reveal any defects whatsoever unless prompted. And even then, the usual answer is 'don't know, the buyer should rely on their own enquiries'.
Your own survey should reveal any major issues with the property.

Hasbeen

Jd843 said:

Hi
I've just had the property information form back on the house I am buying, and in the section on guarantees and warranties, the house doesn't have any.
So no damp proofing, timber treatment, electrical work, roofing or central heating warranties/guarantees. 
As a first-time buyer, I am not really sure what to do with this information. Is there anything I can/need to do about it? Can the solicitor help or is this outside the scope of their work?

First time buyer. If you want all that then go for a brand new build. 

If older property then everyone else gets a survey to find any major problems.

Older properties allow you to put your own ideas into action re rewire / heating / upgrades etc. You fix and learn / improve as you go along.

scottishblondie

If it's a "second hand" house there won't be any warranties etc.  Even if the vendor has had work done recently, the warranties are usually not transferable to a new owner.  So unless the house has been recently renovated on a large scale, I wouldn't worry about it.  

theartfullodger

I've bought 4 like that.  Only proceed if you can afford a gamble.

& Only if you'll be happy with an unexpected bargain - or complete lemon.

[Deleted User]

What were you expecting?  Unfortunately it is true that you have more guarantees if you buy a £30 electric shaver (or any consumer goods item) than you do when you buy a house costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.  Its just how it is.  Even the NHBC guarantee on new builds isn't the cure all people assume.

But you do a lot more with a house than a shaver, and you can do many of them yourself (no innuendos intended before people start deliberately misunderstanding lol), make it yours.