Brought house then discovered it wont heat properly and the seller hid damp

guest1943

The seller had purchased the house last February and put it on the market 6 months later.
I then purchased it.
Enquiries were raised.
The seller filled out the Law Society information form (TA6)
Where it asks "Is the boiler/heating system in good working order?"
the seller ticked yes 
I moved in and finally put the heating on.
The boiler was serviced and working but even set to the maximum temperature not one room 
will get above 13.5C -14.5C
I measured with a digital thermometer.
There is a hive digital that gives the temperature incorporated in the system.
I have had it looked at.
The radiators that the developer has put in are not adequate to heat the space ie not enough BTU.
She would have deffinately known that it was cold as she moved in February.
The term "heating system" includes radiators.
Also she had damp hidden in the bathroom.
With regards to the heating surely this is misrepresentation?
Had I known that the house doesnt get warm I would have never have brought it.
She should have given honest information when answering.
Minimum temperature threshold for homes in winter should be 18C.
It's affecting my health both mentally and physically.
I can't afford to have all new radiators put in.
Wanted to see if anyone had some advice.
Thank you.

RHemmings

Can you get a heating engineer in to check the system and given a written opinion that the heating is not working. 

If so, then you can informally approach the other solicitors with it, and ask them what their client is prepared to do to fix the problem. Point out that the form said that the heating was working properly, and you have a professional opinion confirming that it is not. 

The damp is more difficult to deal with. Others will be along soon. 

user1977

It sounds more like the heating is working, it's just not as powerful as you'd like. I don't think that gives you any remedy against the seller.

Emmia

In terms of tackling the damp, do you have good extractor fans and ventilation in the places that generate moisture - like bathrooms, kitchen etc. have you identified the cause of the damp? 

If the extractors aren't powerful enough, then you probably need to get them switched for more powerful options - go for ones with a humidistat that will keep extracting whenever the moisture level is too high.

DullGreyGuy

guest1943 said:

The seller had purchased the house last February and put it on the market 6 months later.
I then purchased it.
Enquiries were raised.
The seller filled out the Law Society information form (TA6)
Where it asks "Is the boiler/heating system in good working order?"
the seller ticked yes 
I moved in and finally put the heating on.
The boiler was serviced and working but even set to the maximum temperature not one room 
will get above 13.5C -14.5C
I measured with a digital thermometer.
There is a hive digital that gives the temperature incorporated in the system.
I have had it looked at.
The radiators that the developer has put in are not adequate to heat the space ie not enough BTU.
She would have deffinately known that it was cold as she moved in February.
The term "heating system" includes radiators.
Also she had damp hidden in the bathroom.
With regards to the heating surely this is misrepresentation?
Had I known that the house doesnt get warm I would have never have brought it.
She should have given honest information when answering.
Minimum temperature threshold for homes in winter should be 18C.
It's affecting my health both mentally and physically.
I can't afford to have all new radiators put in.
Wanted to see if anyone had some advice.

Buy and selling within 6 months is an immediate and big red flag

So the system is in good working order but is just insufficient considering other factors like insulation. Working and being sufficient are two different matters. 

When did you buy it? Presumably it was recently given you are posting this now not months ago? Did you not note it was cold when you were viewing? Did you not think to do more checks?

Did you have a damp survey done to check for damp in the bathroom? What did it say?

House buying is very much buyer be warned, if something is important to you then ensure its properly checked by experts before buying as there is very little comeback after you've signed the contract.

[Deleted User]

There's nothing there that's close to actionable. Find out why your radiators are not getting hot. It could be as simple as trapped air - five minutes to fix. Unless you live in a country pile, or a house with no roof, it's impossible for the radiators to be heating properly and the house remaining at under 14C.

As for damp, I don't see how you can 'hide' damp, as it's readily detectable no matter whether it's been painted or papered. When I moved into my current house the downstairs bathroom had damp; I took out the bath and shower and there was an inch of water on the floor due to a long standing leak. The damp had risen up the walls to waist height and you could stick your fist into the plaster and grab a handful like plasticine. Fixed the leak, ran an industrial dehumidifier 24/7 for a week and it's sorted. That's houses for you.

ThisIsWeird

Hi Guest.
Do the radiators get 'hot'? For how long can you keep your hands on them?

FreeBear

[Deleted User] said:

There's nothing there that's close to actionable. Find out why your radiators are not getting hot. It could be as simple as trapped air - five minutes to fix. Unless you live in a country pile, or a house with no roof, it's impossible for the radiators to be heating properly and the house remaining at under 14C.

A poorly balanced system could mean that some radiators are not getting sufficient water flowing through them.

Cold draughts coming in around windows could be sucking up all the heat.

And if the radiators are woefully undersized for the flow temperature, they will never put out enough heat to get the place up to temperature - Cranking up the boiler temperature will help in this situation at the expense of reduced fuel efficiency (assuming it isn't already at max).

Flugelhorn

definitely sounds like the heating system is "working"  just not as hot as you might want. you say "the developer" put in the system - how old is the house? do other people have similar problems locally?

Mark_d

It sounds like the boiler/heating system were in good working order.  Whether the heating system was appropriate for the house is a different question.
The house not getting warm could be down to a number of factors outside the heating system.  For example draughts, poor insulation.  Did you check the EPC?  Did you have a full survey done?

Robin9

Any chance of the floor plans that were on Rightmove ?

How old is this property ?  You talk of "developers"  - to me that implies a very recent build