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Buying a house with solar panels, vendor refusing to inspect
Landofwood
Posts: 765 Forumite
Hi All,
I am currently in the processing of buying a new home. All conveyancing enquiries have been satisfied except for 1 related to solar panels.
There are solar panels on the property which are owned outright by the current owner and they are clearly very tatty. My solicitor pushed for them to confirm that they are in working order and this was the response:
With regards to the solar panels, Mr & Mrs [Vendor] confirm that they have not lived at the property for over 7 years. The solar panels were for the hot water only, but to their knowledge they are working as their Tenants never advised otherwise, but they are not living there and have not tested them.
My solicitor then requested that they have the solar panels independently inspected, which they have refused.
Would it be reasonable for me to insist on an inspection at their cost?
Thanks all.
I am currently in the processing of buying a new home. All conveyancing enquiries have been satisfied except for 1 related to solar panels.
There are solar panels on the property which are owned outright by the current owner and they are clearly very tatty. My solicitor pushed for them to confirm that they are in working order and this was the response:
With regards to the solar panels, Mr & Mrs [Vendor] confirm that they have not lived at the property for over 7 years. The solar panels were for the hot water only, but to their knowledge they are working as their Tenants never advised otherwise, but they are not living there and have not tested them.
My solicitor then requested that they have the solar panels independently inspected, which they have refused.
Would it be reasonable for me to insist on an inspection at their cost?
Thanks all.
0
Comments
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The vendor doesn't have to do anything - their answer is valid.
If it is important to you - have them inspected yourself.0 -
What is the cost to inspect them?
is it a deal breaker to you if they are not working or need some form of fixing?
how far down the process are you of purchasing the house and what has been your financial cost so far...could you or would you be prepared to walk away if the vendor refuses to pay for an inspection.?
Hopefully in answering these questions you will get an idea of whether it is feesable to proceed or not.frugal October...£41.82 of £40 food shopping spend for the 2 of us!
2017 toiletries challenge 179 out 145 in ...£18.64 spend0 -
jbainbridge wrote: »The vendor doesn't have to do anything - their answer is valid.
If it is important to you - have them inspected yourself.
Any more than the vendor is required to have the house itself 'inspected' to confirm whether or not it's about to fall down any time soon. Normally, people who are buying houses pay for for one of those surveyor bods to check it out on their behalf, just to make sure.:)0 -
It is almost certainly a thermal solar setup, and thus maybe a nice-to-have extra....if they still work.
Some might see them as a carbuncle, spoiling the lines of the building, so would have them removed.
Either way, hardly a deal breaker.
You are nit-picking0 -
Some might see them as a carbuncle, spoiling the lines of the building, so would have them removed.
Absolutely, I can't bear the things; so I'm afraid that would have put me off buying the house anyway.;)A cunning plan, Baldrick? Whatever it was, it's got to be better than pretending to be mad; after all, who'd notice another mad person around here?.......Edmund Blackadder.0 -
You can ask but I imagine the response will be a "no"
If it is important to you, get them inspected at your cost.
You might want to ask a plumber whether it would cost any money to deactivate them and revert to a standard water heating system, if you move in and find they don't work.Changing the world, one sarcastic comment at a time.0 -
Can you not just go round there and turn the hot tap on, as long as no other form of water heating was in operation."Dream World" by The B Sharps....describes a lot of the posts in the Loans and Mortgage sections !!!0
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My solicitor recommended the inspection and advised that it should be at the vendor's expense, similar to how the boiler service is generally accepted to be at the vendor's expense.0
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Landofwood wrote: »My solicitor recommended the inspection and advised that it should be at the vendor's expense, similar to how the boiler service is generally accepted to be at the vendor's expense.
Or the buyer can pay the £80 to have the boiler inspected....not a deal breaker on a property purchase.
Maybe reduce the offer accordingly, the vendor and only say yes or no."Dream World" by The B Sharps....describes a lot of the posts in the Loans and Mortgage sections !!!0 -
Landofwood wrote: »My solicitor recommended the inspection and advised that it should be at the vendor's expense, similar to how the boiler service is generally accepted to be at the vendor's expense.
Not sure what planet your solicitor is from. Inspections of any sort to satisfy the buyer are normally at the buyers expense.0
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