About to complete on sale - but now boiler has stopped working

fluffymuffy

Selling a relative's empty house, because they've gone into a home. Buyers are moving in this week. But now the boiler has stopped working. We'll try to get someone out to look at it (and are prepared to pay whatever it takes) - what happens if we can't get it fixed in time for the move?

user1977

Which country is the property in? What's happened (if anything) contractually with the buyer so far?

fluffymuffy

England. Contracts exchanged.

fluffymuffy

I am a well-known person in the area, and don't want my reputation trashed. I will try my very hardest to get it fixed. But if not then what? Should I offer to pay for the repair if it's next week or later in the month? What if a new boiler is needed - it shouldn't be because I had it serviced and work done on it in the last year to keep it in good shape.

user1977

I think the norm is that you're to hand over the property in the condition it was in at exchange. Hence the recommendations here to buyers about having another look immediately before exchange, particularly if it's been a while since they last viewed. Not the usual Scottish position of warranting that everything works (though even that tends to be watered down if you're selling somebody else's vacant property).

canaldumidi

fluffymuffy said:

England. Contracts exchanged.

Was the boiler working on the day of Exhange? If yes, you need to fix. If no, you don't.

I am a well-known person in the area, and don't want my reputation trashed.

Then ignore the legal rights/wrongs and try to get it fixed. If you can't by Compketion, contact the buyers and tell them the date your engineer will be visiting at your cost to fix it.

Thrugelmir

Hopefully the buyers performed their own due diligence. Advise the buyers ASAP. While trying to arrange an inspection visit. 

jonnydeppiwish!

I would get it repaired or offer some cash towards a new one.

theartfullodger

Exactly the same thing happened to myself & sibling on sale of my late brother's house.  We got it fixed, at our expense, prior to completion - & provided copies of invoice & certificate, obviously.  Had that not been possible we'd have naturally declared it to the purchaser via solicitors & attempted to arrive at an agreement about how much we knocked off the price (or, I guess, accepting they wanted out & ultimately starting the whole sale process again).

Would have done exactly the same thing, even if imagining either of us might be a ""well-known person in the area "" .  Excuse my OaP stupidity, but please, what difference would that make to doing the right thing? 

Best wishes to all.

Slithery

fluffymuffy said:

I am a well-known person in the area, and don't want my reputation trashed.

Well known for what?

Being a decent person or being a career criminal that fixes people 'problems' for them?

youth_leader

As a buyer I'd be pleased to hear you had arranged for it to be repaired, I hope it can be.  Just before I completed my boiler started making horrible noises, I had to buy a new oil pump and it worked perfectly afterwards.