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crafterholic
Posts: 19 Forumite
Hi!
We're fairly far along in buying a house that has been fully refurbished and extended in the last 3-ish years by a guy in the building trade. There have been a few issues along the way which have unnerved us FTBs a little (e.g. house was listed as freehold but he only started buying the freehold title once our offer had been accepted, and that's only just completing now...yet he's trying to chivvy us along).
The main problem we have been having is getting certificates. When we ask who installed the new windows/boiler etc. we get answers like 'Mike did that, Steve did that' - basically the owner's mates.
We have requested a boiler installation certificate multiple times and finally he said he has lost it. Also lost the manual, and the windows certificate. So he is offering an indemnity policy (although we are planning to have work done in the house very soon which would void this policy so it's next to useless).
Seems like whoever put the boiler and windows in (i.e. the owner and his mates) were not qualified. So no FENSA certificate, and, more importantly, no boiler installation certificate.
We enquired with the council and the boiler was not registered so a duplicate copy of the certificate cannot be obtained. And today the owner point blank refused to get it registered in retrospect.
As FTBs, it's hard to tell how serious any of these things are. We have had a gas safety check done, but we're going to have to sort out any problems and get the boiler registered in retrospect ourselves - will this cause problems for us if we do it after we buy the house? Or should we not bother and then hope anyone who buys this house in the future doesn't ask for a certificate?!
The boiler was installed 3 years ago, and that type of boiler could have a warranty up to 7 years, but the seller says the warranty has expired.
All in all, there are a few warning signs that have made me more wary. Whenever we question anything to do with the work the seller has done, he becomes defensive even though we're not being accusatory. Should I just let it go and just buy the (400k) house?
Thanks in advance for any help and advice
We're fairly far along in buying a house that has been fully refurbished and extended in the last 3-ish years by a guy in the building trade. There have been a few issues along the way which have unnerved us FTBs a little (e.g. house was listed as freehold but he only started buying the freehold title once our offer had been accepted, and that's only just completing now...yet he's trying to chivvy us along).
The main problem we have been having is getting certificates. When we ask who installed the new windows/boiler etc. we get answers like 'Mike did that, Steve did that' - basically the owner's mates.
We have requested a boiler installation certificate multiple times and finally he said he has lost it. Also lost the manual, and the windows certificate. So he is offering an indemnity policy (although we are planning to have work done in the house very soon which would void this policy so it's next to useless).
Seems like whoever put the boiler and windows in (i.e. the owner and his mates) were not qualified. So no FENSA certificate, and, more importantly, no boiler installation certificate.
We enquired with the council and the boiler was not registered so a duplicate copy of the certificate cannot be obtained. And today the owner point blank refused to get it registered in retrospect.
As FTBs, it's hard to tell how serious any of these things are. We have had a gas safety check done, but we're going to have to sort out any problems and get the boiler registered in retrospect ourselves - will this cause problems for us if we do it after we buy the house? Or should we not bother and then hope anyone who buys this house in the future doesn't ask for a certificate?!
The boiler was installed 3 years ago, and that type of boiler could have a warranty up to 7 years, but the seller says the warranty has expired.
All in all, there are a few warning signs that have made me more wary. Whenever we question anything to do with the work the seller has done, he becomes defensive even though we're not being accusatory. Should I just let it go and just buy the (400k) house?
Thanks in advance for any help and advice
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Comments
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If he got the work done by "mates" you'd have to assume corners got cut and its not safe. You can get your own inspection done, the windows not so much a problem. If your serious about the house then get a gas safe inspection done.0
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I would walk away. There are just too many suspect things, including the freehold. Developers like this are a nightmare to deal with, buying or selling. Buy something else from an owner occupier.0
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As above. If you know about these serious issues, have you asked yourself what else might be wrong that you are not yet aware of, OP? I second the suggestion to find somewhere else to buy from a responsible seller.0
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Oh dear, I thought everyone would say I was over-reacting!
I certainly have questioned a lot of things about what the seller has told us in light of later revelations, but I think because we really like the house I may have just tried to downplay things in my mind, especially because the (one time) we looked around we thought it looked nicely done. Of course, you never can tell what lies beneath.
We are visiting the house again later this week to try and set our mind at ease a little bit.
Thanks for your advice so far.0 -
If you can find a builder to come with you (personal recommendation, not yellow pages if at all possible) it might be a good idea. It is amazing what a good one can spot and should cost you no more than a few pints. Good luck.0
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Re the boiler, maybe it was secondhand when he installed it, hence the warranty having expired, or the warranty never existed as it hasn't been properly installed and registered.
Did you say you'd had it checked already? We're any observations about the installation made?
My main worry would be how much hassle this will be to sell on without certificates, but maybe by then you'll have replaced the boiler anyway.
Have you had the electrics checked? May be a few more issues there...0 -
Multiple losses of paperwork, especially for a boiler, which is new? sound very suspect and some clean paint and wallpaper can cover a multitude of botched work.
I'm sure one of our neighbours who is a qualified plumber, running a building business, would know how to install a boiler, but he works legally and employs a certified gas engineer for relevant work.
You could check the model of boiler with the manufacturer to see how current it is. (I guess it may be a WB as you mention 7 years, but it's 5 years generally with an extra 2 if fitted by a WB accredited worker, so if installed, new, 3 years ago, should still be in warranty .)0 -
in our purchase, we received an indemnity policy as they couldn't produce a certificate. Everything else including the survey report (comprehensive) didnt show anything wrong... should we be worried?0
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Nobbie1967 wrote: »Re the boiler, maybe it was secondhand when he installed it, hence the warranty having expired, or the warranty never existed as it hasn't been properly installed and registered.
Did you say you'd had it checked already? We're any observations about the installation made?
My main worry would be how much hassle this will be to sell on without certificates, but maybe by then you'll have replaced the boiler anyway.
Have you had the electrics checked? May be a few more issues there...
The owner provided an electrical installation certificate, and a gas safety certificate that the boiler was safe and no problems were brought up.
Just raises questions about how someone in the building trade could not get these certificates in the first place - he can't claim naivety - and then they've ended up lost despite it being a new extension/refurb. Just overall it gives me the impression the owner is hiding something...0 -
Even if the boiler did have more than a 3 year warranty, it will have been rendered null and void by a) failure to register it with Gas Safe, and b) by not having an annual service. It's reg is now of no concern to you, as you just want to know that it's working safely, which a normal service will establish.
PS: the council have nothing to do with boiler registration, that is done by Gas Safe.No free lunch, and no free laptop
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