Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my house buyer is wrong?? Help!

81 replies

Namechange11122223333 · 02/09/2019 08:54

Name change for this as completely outing.

We moved house 7 months ago. Between accepting our buyers offer and actually completing the sale, our boiler packed in. We obviously had it fixed, all seemed well. Now 7 months down the line, the buyer has contacted me to say the boiler has broken again, this time it needs replaced and I will be hearing from her lawyer! According to her I didn't have it repaired properly.

She obviously thinks that there is liability on my part to pay for if she is going to involve her lawyer. Is she right? We have savings but obviously did not count on paying £2/3k for a boiler for a house we don't even own anymore!

We're in England if that helps.

OP posts:
Panicmode1 · 02/09/2019 08:55

No, not your responsibility. Caveat emptor.... She should have had it checked before she bought the house and sorted any repairs/compensation out before completion......

hardyloveit · 02/09/2019 08:56

This happened to our friend who bought a house - the boiler packed up after a week and the oven broke the day after she completed. There was nothing she could do - her solicitor said.

As it's been 7 months I'm pretty sure your not responsible but someone might know more

ThePants999 · 02/09/2019 08:56

If it worked for 7 months, she's going to find it incredibly hard to prove negligence on your part, which is basically what she'd need to do to establish your liability.

Needbettername · 02/09/2019 08:57

Tricky but I don't think you have to pay. I guess it depends if the repair you did was done by a qualified boilerman.
Guessing it is a old boiler and they should have spotted this during viewings.
I would consult lawyer of your own.

Embracelife · 02/09/2019 08:57

Ignore
Presumably boiler was old?
It s 7months later.
Not your problem
If lawyer writes then seek legal advice

myusernamewastakenbyme · 02/09/2019 08:57

She hasn't got a leg to stand on..tell her to jog on....you are not responsible in any way shape or form.

Todaythiscouldbe · 02/09/2019 08:57

Not your responsibility at all. Old boilers break down.

steff13 · 02/09/2019 08:58

I wouldn't think you are liable. It's her house now. These sorts of repairs are part and parcel of owning a home. Maybe you could give them the name of the company that repaired it, and she could contact to see if there's any sort of guarantee on the work.

Aderyn19 · 02/09/2019 08:59

If it worked for 7 months then you left her with a working boiler. I don't see how she'd prove you were at fault.

Original poster
Namechange11122223333 · 02/09/2019 09:00

It was an older boiler but I never tried to hide that fact - it's not even in a cupboard it just sits in the kitchen. I had it repaired by a Gas Safe Engineer and passed a copy of the invoice on through my lawyer at the time. I was honest that there was a problem and had it fixed properly as far as I knew. I feel terrible but it's honestly not like I tried to pull a fast one on her - I honestly thought it was fixed!

OP posts:
HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 02/09/2019 09:03

Nope not your responsibility at all. Stuff breaks, its no bodies fault, it's just one of those things that happens whether we like it or not.

You got it fixed in between selling and completing which was the fair thing to do. She cannot expect to keep running back to the sellers every time something goes wrong, what happens if in 7 more months the toilet breaks will that be up to you to fix too? It's a very odd way of looking at life to always assume someone is to blame.

noeyedeer · 02/09/2019 09:03

Not your problem. We moved and the boiler
in our new house broke down a few days later. Our problem, not the seller's.

ElBelle · 02/09/2019 09:03

I also think you are not at all liable.
Any concerns would have been raised by a survey and if she wanted more detailed inspections on appliances that was her responsibility.
We were in her shoes in our last house..... 3 months after moving in discovered the boiler I. Our newly purchased house was leaking carbon monoxide...... we had to suck it up and replace. Just bad luck! (And very annoying)

Mummyoflittledragon · 02/09/2019 09:03

She paid x price for the property, which contained an old but functioning boiler. I would have thought that satisfied your legal obligations. Is the fault even the same as the one you had fixed? She’s just ranting imo.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 02/09/2019 09:05

Not your problem. Don’t pay.

She’ll find that out herself if she pursues it.

SingingLily · 02/09/2019 09:05

According to her I didn't have it repaired properly.

It was repaired well enough to carry on working for seven months. Even if it was only repaired well enough to carry on working for seven hours after completion, it would still not be your problem.

You handed over legal ownership of the house and everything in it to her on completion. It's her boiler now.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in her lawyer's office when she rings and demands that they do something.

Macca84 · 02/09/2019 09:06

She's a CF! Her solicitor would laugh her out the door. I'd tell her to jog on and not give it another moment's thought.

fluffygal · 02/09/2019 09:07

Weird- my boiler broke 3 months after buying my house- didnt even cross my mind to contact the old Owners! Definitely not your concern.

CAK111512 · 02/09/2019 09:07

Our boiler went wrong within a week or two of moving in. It was clearly faulty before we moved but what could we do? Nothing but sort it ourselves.

Not your house anymore, not your problem.

Original poster
Namechange11122223333 · 02/09/2019 09:09

Thanks everyone. That's what I thought but just needed reassurance as I was panicking slightly!

OP posts:
Boom45 · 02/09/2019 09:09

It's her house and her boiler, got bugger all to do with you. Block her and ignore it, you won't be hearing from "lawyer"

Passthecherrycoke · 02/09/2019 09:11

Of course it’s nothing to do with you! In fact you would’ve been a total idiot to replace a boiler in a house you’re selling. WHAt a stupid woman

NChangingAgain · 02/09/2019 09:13

When we moved into our place a couple of the integrated appliances which they said worked in fact didn't - we didn't bother to chase them for anything as we knew there was probably nothing to be done as it was our house at that point. At least your boiler was actually working and continued to do so for months! Don't think she has a leg to stand on.

MarieG10 · 02/09/2019 09:14

@Namechange11122223333
Ignore people telling you to speak to a lawyer. At £300 an hour you will soon be better off replacing the boiler for them

If you have legal insurance (many do as part of car or home policies) then phone the helpline if it reassures you. However, you have no legal liability at all. You had the boiler fixed and used a Gas Safe engineer. Even if you hadn't told them, you are not liable. British Gas class any boiler over 10 years old as end of life and on restricted parts anyway so if they had done their due diligence they would know

It's what's called a 'try on'. Even if they did take legal action it would have to be in the small claims court which will cost you nothing in legal fees as you just go and state your case. The judge would laugh them out of the room (and I have seen stupid people try this but get laughed out)

missbattenburg · 02/09/2019 09:16

Tell her to jog on. She's an idiot and if she wants to pay a lawyer to tell her that, then it's her business.

I honestly thought it was fixed!

It WAS fixed. It's worked for seven months! Now it's broken again only this time it's legally hers so the break is her problem.