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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that these people are evil and to chase them through the courts?

26 replies

AKMD · 04/05/2010 12:15

Background: We recently bought a house from a couple where the woman was bankrupt and their house was going to be reposessed if the sale fell through. We had to live at my parents' house for a while as they left the house in such a state - rubbish everywhere, sink not working, graffitied walls, chewing gum smeared over the radiators... lovely. Since we moved in, they call round every few weeks in search of post (which is mostly from debt collection agencies judging by the envelopes), which we have told them repeatedly that we return to sender. Their calling round makes me feel very vulnerable when I am home by myself, as they become quite threatening when I tell them no post.

A condition of the sale was that their non-functioning boiler was replaced. They did that before we exhanged contracts. On Friday, the boiler (central heating and hot water) stopped working. 2 different Gas Safe engineers have since inspected it and have condemned it, telling us that it is an illegal installation, very dangerous and we are incredibly lucky not to have been blown up . I am horrified and sickened that we were put in such danger by the vendors of the house, who were fully aware that we had a baby on the way. The boiler replacement is being done today and is costing us £1800. I am well aware that the vendors won't have that kind of money but I am so angry with them that I am pushing our solicitor to pursue them through the civil courts anyway, along with the engineer who checked the original installation for us before we exchanged contracts. AIBU?

OP posts:
EricPicklesFatNeck · 04/05/2010 12:17

walk away, we had similar . it is not worth it. just write it off and move on.

GypsyMoth · 04/05/2010 12:18

well no...yanbu

but i would worry that they will now come round to confront you about court action....maybe an injunction too?

whywhywhydelilah · 04/05/2010 12:19

YA definitely NBU that boiler could have killed you. Persue them and the disgraceful engineer who signed it off as safe.

emsyj · 04/05/2010 12:21

YABU because you will spend months (or possibly years) of your life on this and will get nowhere - you've said yourself they don't have funds to pay up, so you're on to a loser. All you'll do is end up worse off with a ton of legal fees to pay and a lot of stress.

Feel angry for a day or two and then move on.

traceybath · 04/05/2010 12:22

YANBU but walk away.

They have no money and sound like trouble.

You will end up wasting too much money and anger on them.

EricPicklesFatNeck · 04/05/2010 12:22

pursuing will achieve nothing though and will be upsetting.

Thediaryofanobody · 04/05/2010 12:23

YANBU but if she is bankrupt you won't get anything so save yourself the hassle, drop it and move on. Do not open the door to them and if they become aggressive call the police.

epithet · 04/05/2010 12:23

Couldn't you contact trading standards about the boiler engineer?

RustyBear · 04/05/2010 12:24

You may have more luck pursuing the engineer who checked the installation than the feckless couple.

MmeLindt · 04/05/2010 12:25

YANBU to be upset, they sound horrible.

But I would not try and sue them.

Don't boilers now have to be installed by a qualified engineer? Do you have a note of the person who installed it?

Hassled · 04/05/2010 12:25

Yes, go after the engineer - but going after the couple will just cause way more stress than it's actually worth.

TheCrackFox · 04/05/2010 12:26

They are bankrupt so you might end up with no money from them but a huge bill from your lawyers.

I would let it go and chalk it up to (a very shitty) experience.

dilemma456 · 04/05/2010 15:41

Message withdrawn

LaurieFairyCake · 04/05/2010 15:44

Don't instruct solicitors - it will cost you a fortune. Instead go on www.moneyclaim.gov.uk and file in the small claims court - it will only cost you about £40 to get a judgement against them.

however they don't have the money so it may not even be worth doing that.

Really sorry for you

SoupDragon · 04/05/2010 15:46

Walk away.

LynetteScavo · 04/05/2010 15:50

I would definately chase the engineer, what he has done is illegal, and if he's prepared to fit one dodgy boiler, he'll be happy to fit others.

ScreaminEagle · 04/05/2010 15:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

potplant · 04/05/2010 15:59

Can Trading Standards help you chasing the engineer? it wont help you get your money back there'll be some get out clause ie it was safe on the day I inspected it blah blah, but at least you know that they wont do it again.

notfromaroundhere · 04/05/2010 16:12

Have you been in touch with Gas Safe? Boiler installations have to have planning permission which is done via Gas Safe. I believe Gas Safe can compel the original installer to redo it and they (Gas Aafe) should inspect it. You should have the planning permission record as part of your sale (and your solicitor shouldn't have let the sale go through until it was received).

LaurieFairyCake · 04/05/2010 16:33

I bet it was not fitted by anyone who could be pursued - perhaps the owner fitted it? Did it come with a certificate?

LynetteScavo · 04/05/2010 19:06

I think notfromaroundhere is right...your solicitor shouldn't have let the sale go through without the Gas Safe certificate.

Spatchadoodledo · 04/05/2010 19:09

" I would definately chase the engineer, what he has done is illegal, and if he's prepared to fit one dodgy boiler, he'll be happy to fit others. "

This.

ConnorTraceptive · 04/05/2010 19:14

Unfortunately I think you should walk away - you will get nowhere.

TBH I think you have been ill advised to let them replace the boiler. It would have been better to get quotes and the reduced that from the asking price and had the work done yourself.

ConnorTraceptive · 04/05/2010 19:16

Or at the very least you should have paid for a corgi registered engineer to have inspected the work on your behalf.

notfromaroundhere · 04/05/2010 19:31

My DH and FIL are both gas engineers. Gas Safe took over from corgi a couple of years ago and it really is them you need to speak to in the first instance as tbh a registered engineer that leaves a gas boiler in the state needs investigating. If it has been installed by a non-registerd person and thus illegal then I would be looking into the solicitor's responsibility wrt ensuring you had the planning permission etc certificates. I know DH recently had a customer contact him about a boiler that he installed a couple of years ago in a flap as he couldn't find his cert and his house sale couldn't go through until he produced it.

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