Gas safety check/certificate?

davidmcn

jefaz07 said:

greatcrested said:

jefaz07 said:

Irishpearce26 said:

Can you give us an example of any insurer which has such a condition? I've never seen it on a proposal form or mentioned as a reason for rejecting a claim.

If you have an specific boiler warranty or cover they won't pay out if if hasn't been maintained or installed within regulation standards. I don't have any particular examples on home insurance apart from being asked when ringing for a quote if my appliances have been installed by a gas safety accredited engineer and if they are maintained. Im assuming that if an appliance was deemed as fault any insurance provider may want to see certification etc.

The maintenance bit of this is correct. My dads boiler needs serviced every year to keep his insurance valid. Not sure who the provider is but it isn’t stand alone boiler cover. 

That will be a breakdown policy eg British Gas Homecare which can extend to cover electrics, plumbing etc)

Yes, annual servicing required (which they do) but NOT the original installation certificate.

Buildings insurance will NOT be invalidated by lack of boiler servicing, service records or installation certificate. This is scaremongering.

Okay..it’s not scaremongering and it’s not a breakdown policy. It’s his house insurance. He doesn’t need separate breakdown insurance because I’d fix it for him. They also don’t service his boiler because I do. For the sole purpose of keeping his insurance valid. 

So perhaps you should stop assuming as you’re way off the mark. 

So...which buildings insurers have this as a condition?

jefaz07

Irishpearce26 said:

greatcrested said:

The maintenance bit of this is correct. My dads boiler needs serviced every year to keep his insurance valid. Not sure who the provider is but it isn’t stand alone boiler cover. 

That will be a breakdown policy eg British Gas Homecare which can extend to cover electrics, plumbing etc)

Yes, annual servicing required (which they do) but NOT the original installation certificate.

Buildings insurance will NOT be invalidated by lack of boiler servicing, service records or installation certificate. This is scaremongering.

Hardly scaremongering as I have no gain whether the OP buys the house with or without certificates, they asked for opinions and we are offering them. If its not important why is the conveyancer apprehensive in progressing without the certificates.

Pretty sure if the boiler was not commissioned by a certified installer warranty is void 
https://community.screwfix.com/threads/boiler-not-commissioned-and-thus-not-getting-the-warranty.144461/  
 

If a new boiler hadn’t been commissioned as per the MI and or registered then yes, they could void the warranty. 

I’ve known of manufacturers let someone fix the issues found and ‘re-instate’ the warranty. 

In this instance my dads boiler is about 16 years old, so no certificate to be found...but I give him a service record. 

Buying a house,  a service isn’t essential. Although I have just done one of these inspections on Sunday for a friend of mine. He’s the seller and just got me to do it to smooth the overall process. 

Irishpearce26

I haven't said any insurers have this as a condition I said check T&Cs if there is any wording around regulations etc which in the event of something major happening could be a problem. I was asked when gaining a quote about certification was in line with industry regulations that's why I mentioned it but I haven't seen anything specifically in any premiums. 

As I've said before im sure its not a big deal and will come good im just offering my advice on the subject.

proformance

greatcrested said:

* Original Installation certificate may have been lost or not passed to current owner. And there's no legal requirement to provide it to a buyer. And if the install was more than a few years ago, it proves very little and has little value anyway

* Lack of certificate will not invalidate a buildings insurance policy.

* I very much doubt it would invalidate a boiler insurance policy eg of the kind British Gas offer for breakdowns

* It probably would invalidate the boiler manufacturer's warranty - though this would in any case expire after ,,,3? ...maybe 5 years

* Maintenance servicing is not a legal requirement, nor is providing maintenance certificates to a buyers a requirement, though obviously where they exist it makes sense to provide them. My father went 25 years without getting his boiler serviced till I started helping out as he got older and insisted he got it done. Boiler had worked fine all that time.

* no certificate of any kind will do more than describe condition on that date. It won't guarantee against future breakdown or reliability. To obtain the best reassurance of reliability/safety, have an up-to-date inspection done.

As for

Crazy these types of things aren't checked as part of the building survey!

That's like going to your GP and being referred to a cancer consultant at hospital:

"Crazy these diagnoses aren't checked as part of the GP examination!"

Really good post !
But GPs do offer some types of cancer screening, however basic!

greatcrested

proformance said:

greatcrested said:

* Original Installation certificate may have been lost or not passed to current owner. And there's no legal requirement to provide it to a buyer. And if the install was more than a few years ago, it proves very little and has little value anyway

* Lack of certificate will not invalidate a buildings insurance policy.

* I very much doubt it would invalidate a boiler insurance policy eg of the kind British Gas offer for breakdowns

* It probably would invalidate the boiler manufacturer's warranty - though this would in any case expire after ,,,3? ...maybe 5 years

* Maintenance servicing is not a legal requirement, nor is providing maintenance certificates to a buyers a requirement, though obviously where they exist it makes sense to provide them. My father went 25 years without getting his boiler serviced till I started helping out as he got older and insisted he got it done. Boiler had worked fine all that time.

* no certificate of any kind will do more than describe condition on that date. It won't guarantee against future breakdown or reliability. To obtain the best reassurance of reliability/safety, have an up-to-date inspection done.

As for

Crazy these types of things aren't checked as part of the building survey!

That's like going to your GP and being referred to a cancer consultant at hospital:

"Crazy these diagnoses aren't checked as part of the GP examination!"

Really good post !
But GPs do offer some types of cancer screening, however basic!

Indeed but I know you get the point...!

proformance

greatcrested said:

proformance said:

greatcrested said:

* Original Installation certificate may have been lost or not passed to current owner. And there's no legal requirement to provide it to a buyer. And if the install was more than a few years ago, it proves very little and has little value anyway

* Lack of certificate will not invalidate a buildings insurance policy.

* I very much doubt it would invalidate a boiler insurance policy eg of the kind British Gas offer for breakdowns

* It probably would invalidate the boiler manufacturer's warranty - though this would in any case expire after ,,,3? ...maybe 5 years

* Maintenance servicing is not a legal requirement, nor is providing maintenance certificates to a buyers a requirement, though obviously where they exist it makes sense to provide them. My father went 25 years without getting his boiler serviced till I started helping out as he got older and insisted he got it done. Boiler had worked fine all that time.

* no certificate of any kind will do more than describe condition on that date. It won't guarantee against future breakdown or reliability. To obtain the best reassurance of reliability/safety, have an up-to-date inspection done.

As for

Crazy these types of things aren't checked as part of the building survey!

That's like going to your GP and being referred to a cancer consultant at hospital:

"Crazy these diagnoses aren't checked as part of the GP examination!"

Really good post !
But GPs do offer some types of cancer screening, however basic!

Indeed but I know you get the point...!

Yeah I do, it was a super helpful post!

GixerKate

When I sold my last property I didn't have a gas certification as it was an old back boiler, I did however provide the last two service certificates to show that it had been maintained.  The price agreed reflected that it was an old boiler.

I was asked to provide the certificate and just said it wasn't available. 

Having an old back boiler didn't cause any issues with insurance btw.

Madmel

I've owned my own home since 1991 - different houses along the way - and never bothered with a boiler service.  If selling up and someone wants one, they are welcome to pay for it.  However, it would have to be done at a time convenient to me if it was to happen before completion.  I have had buildings and contents insurance since 1991 from a number of different providers and it has never been a condition of the insurance.  My current boiler was installed in 1993.  It is an oil one.  There was an electrical issue a couple of years ago so the expert came out to look at it.  I had already checked up the prices for replacements but he simply fitted a new printed circuit board and said it had many more years of life left.  A new one would possibly be marginally more efficient, but in his opinion, it was not worth changing.

I am not sure what "home insurance" referred to by a PP is.  The OP should take out their own buildings insurance cover from the date of exchange and holding such insurance is normally a condition of a mortgage.  It is their choice whether or not to hold contents insurance, although I have always had it.  

Irishpearce26

I think my comment about the certificate and insurance is getting lost in translation. I was referring to in the 'probably unlikely' event that the boiler malfunctioned and burned the house down the insurer may request the commission report to ensure that it was installed correctly. I was just playing devils advocate. My comment about maintenance and warranty still stands true as other have confirmed. Im not sure how old the boiler is, it could even have lapsed its warranty anyway.