Cavity Wall Insulation and Documentation during house sale

wire_twerp

Hi there
I would appreciate your advice regarding documentation for CWI and house sales. We bought our house in 2014 and received no documentation regarding CWI. The survey at the time found all internal and external walls to be in good order with no evidence of damp. We are now selling our house, and as far as we know, and from the buer's surveyor's comments to us, the same is still true. The buyer has raised one or two other issues from the survey but the CWI isn't one of them.
We live in a Zone 1 unexposed area.
We have no guarantee certificate and no building regs approval. I have searched every database (such as CIGA) and found no evidence of a guarantee. I suspect that the insulation was installed before 1990. The buyer's solicitor is requesting documents (don't they always?)
Given that two surveys in seven years have suggested no CWI related problems, and we have no evidence of damp/mould/condensation problems in the house (plus it heats up like a back stage party at an Aerosmith gig), is it likely that the buyer's will want a CWI survey done? Should we pre-empt and get one ourselves?
How else might we proceed?
First time poster so please go easy! Thank you.

davidmcn

I've rarely heard of anybody even contemplating such a survey. And it sounds like your buyer has already had an opportunity to tell you if they were concerned - so what's caused you to be concerned about it? Your buyer can't (normally) rely on a survey you commission anyway.

AdrianC

You think the insulation was installed 30+ years ago. What are the chances any guarantee would still be valid, even if the guarantor was still in business?

The buyer has had a survey, and is happy with the results pertaining to the insulation.

The answer to the conveyancer's question is simple - no, we have no documentation.

wire_twerp

DavidMCN - thank you - I suppose I'm concerned because we don't have evidence that the installation was done by a "competent person" (or even the date of it). But your points are helpful, thank you. I'm less concerned about the guarantee as the companies go out of business so fast.
Adrian, I'm only surmising about the date from the lack a BCN and no guarantee but you're totally correct.
The house's EPC rating is B
My other question is does CWI done under a government grant come with an installation certificate? Should I contact OFGEM?
Thanks for your comments.

Doozergirl

You don't need building control approval to add insulation.  

If it was 30 years ago then I think it's safe to assume the person was competent.  

I'm not even sure why it needs to be mentioned on the forms, so why would a solicitor be expecting documentation? 

I'd chill out and stop thinking about it all together.  If you're specifically asked for documentation, you just say you don't have any.  That's the end of it.  

davidmcn

wire_twerp said:

DavidMCN - thank you - I suppose I'm concerned because we don't have evidence that the installation was done by a "competent person" (or even the date of it). 

If it was installed decades ago then it's ancient history. I presume you don't have evidence that the rest of the house was constructed by competent persons?

Chandler85

I had to buy an indemnity (well increase the value) to keep a buyer solicitors happy about CWI that was installed about 10 years before we moved it.  Our solicitor made them buy a indemnity for it then.

wire_twerp

davidmcn said:

wire_twerp said:

DavidMCN - thank you - I suppose I'm concerned because we don't have evidence that the installation was done by a "competent person" (or even the date of it). 

If it was installed decades ago then it's ancient history. I presume you don't have evidence that the rest of the house was constructed by competent persons?

LOL! Good point.

Thanks for the comments everyone. The buyer's solicitor, I think, is quite keen on ticking boxes/covering his donkey. 

Doozergirl

wire_twerp said:

davidmcn said:

wire_twerp said:

DavidMCN - thank you - I suppose I'm concerned because we don't have evidence that the installation was done by a "competent person" (or even the date of it). 

If it was installed decades ago then it's ancient history. I presume you don't have evidence that the rest of the house was constructed by competent persons?

LOL! Good point.

Thanks for the comments everyone. The buyer's solicitor, I think, is quite keen on ticking boxes/covering his donkey. 

Don't be intimidated.  Sometimes it's those ones that know the least.  Use your solicitor for advice too, hopefully they're decent! 

wire_twerp

Thanks Doozergirl.