Should we pay for half the boiler?

[BoilerGirl]

We were supposed to exchange on a property this week - our forever home. For context we have small children, toddler and newborn. The house is old and needs some work but is perfectly liveable whilst we save up to renovate.

Before we exchange we hear hours before that the boiler has now broken beyond repair and is not fixable therefore exchange is delayed. We assumed that our seller would replace and go ahead for exchange next week. Seller now saying they expect us to pay half of the cost of replacing the boiler as we are gaining a new boiler now and always knew the old one would need replacing at some point. Obviously this is an unexpected large cost.

YABU - pay your half of the boiler
YANBU - do not pay your half of the boiler, sellers should sort before exchange

You are getting a half price boiler - do you have any say in the replacement type?

Do some research

If you can afford half and it means you get to choose it, and the sale goes through as planned, I'd suck it up tbh.

ETA - because if you don't, they'll be picking the cheapest one going or doing the dodgiest of repairs.

Your solicitor would guide you on this - as you haven’t exchanged you can still negotiate. Maybe report this post to get it moved to Property/DIY topic as people are much more knowledgeable on there.

Our boiler died a week before completing. We (the vendors) replaced it because the house was being sold with a working boiler.

I would pay if it meant the possibly of loosing a sale. I think ours cost £3k so it would be around £1.5k. Someone I know pulled out of a sale (hadn’t got to exchange stage) because the house needed a new boiler ( picked up in survey?).

I agree with this. I think their suggestion is reasonable IF you are able to mutually agree a boiler you are satisfied with and the associated costs.

i.e. If they insist on putting in the cheapest possible model at the lowest possible price I would not want to pay towards it knowing that I'd likely have to replace yet again down the line. But if they are suggesting a legitimate like for like replacement with a good quality model then I actually think this is a good deal for you.

I'd pay to avoid further delays, you knew you'd need one soon, and it means you can get a bit of say in what they put in. No idea of the legalities of it though

I’d offer 25%. They were selling a house with a boiler that worked but needed replacing (at some point) now they are selling without a working boiler, so on them to cover really. The other way to look at it is if the boiler broke a week after completing would they look to contribute 50% to something they don’t own. I really doubt it. So it’s unreasonable to expect you to contribute an equal amount.

Also, if you replaced the boiler at a later date you may have opted to move it, as part of a bigger project. Which I doubt you have to option to do now, so you may still incur that cost at some point.

It's all negotiation, neither of you have to exchange if you are unhappy about the resolution so an agreement would be best.

I'd be wanting my choice of boiler and installer. Be aware thar it could expose some electrical issues that are needed to install the boiler to conform with latest regs

Surely if the boiler is broken, it reduces the value of the house and how much it will sell for?

So you're paying what you offered for a house with a working boiler..

And now that want you to pay half again for that working boiler.

Doesn't work out for you, certainly works out for them.

Id say they pay it all or you tell them not to bother and reduce how much they want for the house, and then you sort it later? Or they reduce how much they want for the house and then charge you half/full amount.

If you pull out, how much do you stand to lose in lawyers & surveyors fees, time of searching again and the possibility of not finding a new home at the same price, time of looking again...
It could make the cost of half a boiler seem cheap.

Boiler warranties are not usually transferable, so as well as having a say in the type of boiler, I would want my details registered with the company. Paying half and having these options might save you a lot of money in the long run.

Be guided by your solicitor.

They could have been really sneaky and just not told you about this before exchange.
I'd take the half price new boiler and be happy with it

We had our boiler serviced this week. They said new boilers were currently going for £3,500 including labour, if that helps?

I would go halves, you're getting a brand new boiler at half price. You'd have had to buy a new one anyway soon.

You could try reduce your offer instead, but I think that'll cause delays with paperwork and the mortgage if you're using one, so probably far easier and quicker just to pay 50%.

I would ask what their budget is, and if you can send your own plumber in to have a look and advise on boiler types / specs though, so you can choose the replacement together with your family and intended use in mind rather than the vendors.

Eta: sorry about the quote - I didn't click to quote anything!

I would ask them to drop the price by x amount and sort it as soon as you move in so you can pick the one you want

They certainly won’t be able to sell a house with no heating for the same amount - or live in it currently.

Id hold firm in the meantime.

and since they said it’s not fixable, I wouldn’t be accepting ‘it’s now fixed’ either

I would take the 50:50.
We moved into this house in the middle of a very cold winter only to discover that the boiler had broken. We couldn't prove that the vendors knew, so we just had to get a new one asap. At least your vendors have told you.

Don't agree to anything until you have had your own installer go out and assess. Don't pay anything up front but agree to take any of their contribution off the sale price. Get the work done yourselves once you are in. And repeat... get your solicitor/agent to negotiate all of this for you.

This needs to be done properly even if it delays the sale otherwise you could end up with a whopping bill at the other end.

I think it's fair. You'll get the benefit of a boiler that's probably more efficient than the existing one and it will be under guarantee for a while, so the only cost you'll have in the first couple of years will be an annual service.

My boiler came with a 13 year guarantee, if you get similar you'll probably under up better off in the long run.

I would absolutely ask the advice of your solicitor on Monday morning.

Depends on how much you want the house? play hard ball and you may lose it, as i know when i insisted on work being done by the seller, they pulled out out completely and decided not to sell....

You'll be getting a much more efficient boiler, a long warranty and the choice of model.... all for a 50% discount.

But i would get it all done in your name, for the warranty and installation guarantees.

Depends. Do you want to move or do you want to mess around negotiating and delaying things? If you want to argue the toss go ahead but consider if you want to just get on with it

If it broke a week post completion you’d be liable for the lot, I think id look at this as a gift horse. Plus you won’t have the hassle of a broken down boiler whilst you’re living there. You must have known the boiler was old and therefore needed replacing at some point.

So basically the boiler has already been on it's last legs and they've been nursing it along hoping it would survive long enough to become your problem.

Just for that alone I wouldn't be offering a penny towards replacing it plus I wouldn't be parting with any money to replace something in a house I do not even currently own.

But once they’re in they’ll have no hot water and heating in November…