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

I'd ask them to reduce the house price and you install the boiler yourselves, since they can still pull out. They are kind of right to ask for a contribution though, you were buying a house with an old boiler and now you're getting a new one. You're lucky it didn't break down the day you moved in.

Our boiler is entirely separate from our heating.

It's a reasonable compromise, neither of you expected this cost at this point. You could say no, they could then pull out just out of anger and then you don't have a house. Or you could say "we can't afford it but we are happy to proceed at a lower price as the house no longer has a boiler, then you get the house but still have to buy a boiler but now it's the full price. Or you just go for paying for half the boiler and get on with it. Houses are money pits and this seems like a pretty good outcome rather than moving in and it breaks a week later.

Ĥi OP,
Don't lose a house you love over this.

Please make sure that the boiler model that is installed allows you to adjust the temperature of water from the taps

I have lived in two houses where you could not adjust the temperature of water from the taps (only the temperature in the central heating) and it is very dangerous with children as the water comes out scalding.

Having no temperature control of tap water is more likely on cheapest models.

Our new boiler we have been able to adjust this temperature and it is vital for our child handwashing or putting the bath on when we haven't realised.

If you dont have this function you will very quickly want to replace your boiler or need temperature regulators fitted on all the taps as an alternative.

Not sure if you have the option but I'd be asking for money off to complete the exchange and doing the boiler of my choice when I move in.

That way, you make do when you move in (it is possible to live without a boiler, it's harder but it is possible) but you know you've got the boiler you want, and the job is to your standards.

Ask them for approx half the money of cost of the boiler you want. That's better than a cheap ass budget boiler they would put in.

We bought our house in the full knowledge that the boiler was ancient and likely to have to be replaced soon. 24 years later it is still going strong! So, is it possible to get the boiler independently checked, just to see if a repair is possible? If it isn't, then in your shoes, I would pay half.

If they are actually living in the property, surely they need to install a new boiler for them?

something to think about in your negotiation - you aflgreed a price for the property based on the premise that there was a working boiler (the seller would have said this in their replies to enquiries). At the moment, the negotiation assumes that the purchase price remains the same. Whatever you end up agreeing in relation to the splitting of the cost of the new boiler, bear in mind that the net position will need to reflect that that you would otherwise be receiving something ‘less than’ what you agreed a price for.

Given that you knew the boiler would need replacing soon anyway, I'd say pay half if you don't want to lose the house and the chain. But negotiate on which boiler and the fitter to make sure you're getting something suitable for your needs.
DS is currently buying a house. The vendor said the boiler has been serviced this year and was OK. But, we know it's likely 20+ years old (back boilers haven't been allowed since 2005), so we've said we'll pay for a new boiler for him once he completes, as regardless of it currently working, it's likely to be inefficient.
If it broke before he exchanges/completes, he'd still go ahead on the basis we know it's probably on it's last legs.

The boiler in our new house was condemned two days after we completed (the oggle of it done during our survey hadn't identified that the entire back of it had decayed). So we had to then instantly find several thousand pounds for an emergency replacement as we had a newborn as well.

Honestly OP it's an annoying situation you hadn't anticipated but if they'll give you some say over what type it's replaced with then I'd be happy you'll be moving in with a brand new warrantied boiler just as winter hits.

I sold my late DMs house a few months ago.
A couple of weeks before exchange I got the boiler serviced by British Gas who said it needed replacing! I told the EA and asked their advice. She said that it was up to me what to do - that I was under no obligation to replace it.
I did end up getting it repaired though, which I paid for.
Regarding asking for a price reduction, this would likely cause issues with the mortgage offer as a whole new mortgage would have to be drawn up. Plus, if you asked for a £3k reduction and then replaced the boiler yourself, you wouldn’t actually have £3k in cash as a result of the reduction unless you were going to pay cash only for the house.
I would tell the vendors that you would prefer them to pay half towards a boiler that you will get fitted once you move in. That way, you get to decide where it goes etc.

I would ask for a reduction and choose the boiler myself.

When we replaced a boiler recently it couldn't go where the old one was as regulations had changed so it had to go on the kitchen way rather than be hidden away in a cupboard. So might be best to get advice first in case it changes your mind.

The boiler needs replacing. They are willing to split cost of new boiler. I would ask them to pay you an amount on completion for this (pre agreed) and then you arrange the boiler of your choosing.

Downside: hassle of no boiler for existing owners until completion. You also move into house with no working boiler

Upside: you get the boiler you want, installed in a place you want that fits in with longer term house renovation plans.

Haha, you don’t own the boiler so no! Our boiler broke approx 3 weeks before selling and we wouldn’t have dreamt of asking the buyers to pay half. It was a bitter pill to swallow but it happens. It was still our responsibility after all 🤷‍♀️

I pulled out of a purchase because survey and heating engineer indicated the boiler was about £7,000, as it was end of life, and the oil tank needed replacing but also relocating due to current regs, another £7000. Vendor was unwilling to contribute. Walked away. Probably best for you to negotiate 50% of the price plus installation of the purchase price of a new boiler. Don't cut your nose off to spite your face. Or Lose the war for the price of a horseshoe.

But you could end up contributing up front and end up with the vendor pulling out. This needs to be a formal agreement, which @BoilerGirl has had properly assessed. The reality is if even they went ahead the chances of a new boiler fitted by their move date is highly unlikely. And as someone else stated further down the the thread - if it is a very old boiler - regulations may have changed and it may need further work rather than just replacing.

At the end of the day it is down to how much risk appetite someone has, and how much unforseen costs they can tolerate. But of all the jobs in a house, the boiler is one of the more expensive (assuming nothing structural shows up) so negotiating this properly is worth taking the time.

Personally I would be happy to front up the 50% split but I would be doing this on my terms, properly assessed and with a boiler and installer of my choice.

Or asking the vendor to stump up the costs of repair, which may exceed the cost of the new boiler but I would again want my own installer/heat engineer to be looking at the options.

I wouldn't want to pay them for it, if negotiate an appropriate amount of the sale price and sort it yourself when you actually own it. Better to choose your own and be responsible for the fitting etc. Much less messy. Also as a pp said. If they replace it then could reasonably whack in the cheapest possible with a shot plumber just to get through the sale

Also- at this time of year I'd be amazed if any decent heating engineer was available. I have family who are plumbers and Heating engineers and they are booked solid. I'd be wary of anyone who isn't tbh!

@BoilerGirl a boiler doesn't just die beyond repair. You would have known from your survey if the boiler was on its last legs.

Do NOT let the current owner install a new boiler. They will fit the cheapest one going!

I'd just ask for a £500 contribution for the inconvenience and then sort the boiler yourself once you have completed. Just get some oil radiators for hearing and the tank probably has an emersion heater for hot water.

I'd pay half so you can have a say in your boiler. Otherwise they'll put some shitty thing in

Or just ask them to take half the cost of a decent boiler off the price

The house needs to come with a working boiler! Which is how it was being sold! Absolute cheek to ask you to pay for half!

Not before exchange. They could pull out. They deal with the boiler as it's their house.

Our buyers paid (pre exchange!) to get our boiler serviced. Although it was oldish (25 years) it was in fine condition and had worked faultlessly for all that time. However the servicing company, despite giving it a clean bill of health put the wind up our buyers about it's age and probably inefficiency - no doubt with an eye on getting the replacement job. We didn't want to risk our onward purchase so agreed to a £2k reduction to cover half the cost of a supposed replacement. I bet they don't bother replacing it!

Sometimes these costs are worth settling for just to get the whole process over the line. The entire house selling/buying in this country is a deck of cards balanced on a knife edge!

OP, you need to discuss this with your solicitor as the sellers can pull out if the new boiler is installed before exchange. If it were me I would look to renegotiate the price.