Indemnity insurance on boiler fitted less than 12 months ago

MrBog

We're buying a house with mortgage and the boiler was replaced less than 1 year ago.
We're nearly at the point of exchange and we just found out there is no completion certificate for the boiler installation
I've looked online and seem to find conflicting information on this. Can the sellers actually get indemnity insurance for it or are we royally screwed? 

sheramber

check if it has been registered  
 https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/notifications/landing-page/

MrBog

Thanks, it hasn't. I already checked 

MrBog

Funny thing is they do have an inspection certificate which all passed and to be honest for me that's good enough, but because we are buying with mortgage I'm pretty sure our solicitor will insist on Building Regs completion certificate, or indemnity insurance which I don't know weather they can buy 

princeofpounds

If the gas technician was GasSafe registered (as they all basically are if legitimate) then they should have registered the boiler installation as Sheramber notes, and self-certified compliance with building regs, so the sellers would be entitled to a building regs certificate.

https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/gas-safety-certificates-records/building-regulations-certificate/

That will be the simplest way to resolve it, most likely. So no, you are not royally screwed, but you should let the vendors sort their problem out.

They should not contact the council unless they are sure it has been registered, as that would make indemnity impossible.

As for indemnity insurance - most policies will not cover work done within the last 12 months as the risk of enforcement action by the local authority still exists as a material threat. However, a quick google search did throw up some people a few years back claiming they were able to get a policy but at a higher price than would be normal. But it's not the way to sort it, assuming it was a legitimate installation.

MrBog

As for indemnity insurance - most policies will not cover work done within the last 12 months as the risk of enforcement action by the local authority still exists as a material threat. However, a quick google search did throw up some people a few years back claiming they were able to get a policy but at a higher price than would be normal. But it's not the way to sort it, assuming it was a legitimate installation.

Thank you! Would it be worth to wait and see if the solicitor picks up on the lack of the building regs. certificate? 
They are sending the gas safe inspection certificate and the solicitor might just think it's the one she needs, or will the lender get forwarded all these and it might get picked up at that stage and delay things even further? 
To be honest at this stage I just want the whole thing to be done with and not have a major delay because of it. 

princeofpounds

Is this 'Gas Safe inspection certificate' from the installation or a subsequent inspection? Why didn't you mention that there was some Gas Safe documentation already?

If the the boiler is Gas Safe registered that may be enough to satisfy the solicitor because it means the vendors are entitled to a building regs certificate even if they didn't receive one. The other question is whether the inspection certificate implies registration - that I don't know.

MrBog

It's from a subsequent inspection. It looks like below: 

Iwishiwish

I recently had this issue in the house I’m selling. I had central heating system and boiler put in in 2015, the company has since dissolved. I found a local gas engineer who came checked it all out and registered it with gas safe and now I have the building regs etc, took me under a week to resolve and get sorted and cost me £170 which I was happy to pay as in the gas safe register the owner is also responsible for making sure this had happened. I had no idea until it was all infront of me. It’s also the person who fitted the boiler their legal obligation to have it registered correctly. 

So it is do-able and is speedily too 

MrBog

That's very reassuring, thank you. I was thinking it's a lot more expensive and time consuming. I'll tell the vendors to sort it then. 

HampshireH

MrBog said:

It's from a subsequent inspection. It looks like below: 

Ask for the installation certificate to evidence when it was installed too.

And if you buy make sure you install as co2 alarm.

Can't the owner just make contact with the engineer who installed and ask them to forward the document to them. It will mean he either can or can't find it and it he can't will be able to then log it correctly