Seller incorrectly completed the TA6 form

[Optimist2020]

Hello wise Mumnetters, after some advice . Me and my partner recently (end of July 25) purchased a property. Within 5 weeks we noted issues such as the upstairs toilet being incorrectly fitted leading to waste water leaking on the bathroom floor and a new floor, floorboards needing to be replaced.

I turned on the central heating and the two radiators in the living room , hall way and downstairs bathroom do not come on. I contacted British Gas whose engineer viewed the property and advised that the pipe work has been incorrectly fitted and therefore the radiators do not work.

I checked the TA6 form and the sellers ticked that the central heating was in good working order and the heating system report is to follow. I have searched my emails and can’t find the heating system report and notified my conveyancing solicitor of the issues and awaiting their response.

Has anyone experienced anything similar ?

I’m tempted to obtain a heating system report as we have been in the property just over 2 months and I feel the incorrect pipework and lack of radiators working downstairs would be an issue the former owners would of been aware off. Not sure If id be successful in a small claims court ?

You don't know that. If OP gets a report from a qualified engineer saying that the system has been installed incorrectly and that the downstairs radiators could not work, she has a case. The seller saying it was in good working order at the point of sale will get them nowhere in the face of an engineer's report that clearly shows it wasn't.

There’s a lot of opinions on here from people that appear to have no legal knowledge whatsoever.
prh47bridge is very kindly giving free legal advice, it’s up to the OP who they take notice of.

After the summer it could just be an airlock. More common in microbore. Just get it serviced, balanced and checked by a local plumber. Can’t imagine why you would need to replace pipes, it makes no sense.

Yes but it would need the system to have never worked and given the pipes seem to be from the 1980s and a new boiler installed 5 years ago it seems near impossible that is the case

@FancyCatSlave , I’m now aware of this and if you read my previous posts you’ll see that I’m contacting a heating engineer to “getting it repaired and move on”.

I’m calling a heating engineer out on Monday @bigfire . Some
sharp opinions on here but if there a way I can get it fixed before winter sets in I prefer this option. I’ve learnt so much about Microbore - never heard of it until I posted.

British Gas are complete cowboys. They are still trading on their name from yesteryear. Get in an independent corgi registered fitter. Ideally put some feelers out and find someone by word of mouth locally, imho word of mouth is always the best way to avoid shoddy work / being duped / left with half done jobs (i learned the hard way).

Only it’s highly unlikely that any heating engineer is going to write such a report particularly as 8mm was at one time standard.

Your advice isn’t particularly practical and will cost the OP far more than sucking it up!

If they think the installation is incorrect and the heating could not have worked properly, get them to write a report. The same with the upstairs toilet - get a plumber to write a report saying it was installed incorrectly. Armed with these reports, you will have a case to recover the cost of fixing the problems from the previous owner of the property. Ignore those saying you don't have a case. If the seller misrepresented the state of the property on the TA6, you do have a case.

Yes, 8mm was a standard at one time. That doesn't mean it was correct for this installation or that the previous owners would have believed the system was working correctly.

My advice is not in any way impractical. If the sellers misrepresented the state of the property on the TA6, OP will be able to recover the cost of fixing the problems, any costs involved in getting reports about the problems and her court costs from them. That will cost her a lot less than sucking it up.

Usually in the report sent to you by your solicitor there would have been a note advising you to get a heating and electrical report as they seller (and your conveyancer) is no expert in these matters, and they are not legal points (and you’re paying a conveyancer to do the legal work). I know that doesn’t help you now but I’d double check the report you received.

Heating and electrics can be very expensive to fix, so I always advise clients to get these double checked prior to completion.

I hope you get is sorted out, especially with the turn in the weather.

Only if she succeeds in her claim will her costs be made good.

You are advising her to commission reports etc that will cost money whilst her house remains cold and her loo leaks. Theoretically it could all work out as you say. Quite likely however it will be a waste of her time and money and cause considerable stress.

Given the OP seems to think the radiator problem is caused by airflow (!) it’s quite possible the heating engineer she called wasn’t very good in the first place.

What do you want to happen? The sellers pay to replace your heating pipes? Just upgrade to 15mm and chalk it down to experience. By the time you’ve done small claims and all the stress you may as well fix the issue.

Also it’s a fault with your solicitors, but good luck with nay come back in them.

@reversegear In an ideal world, the seller would pay for our insurance excess, costs for the replacement botched toilet which has caused the leak and caused us to claim off lour insurers . We have had 3 separate plumbers (British Gas, independent , insurance company ) all say the leak is caused by the botched toilet fitting.

With the heating , it may be that the system needs flushing or a new pump and it’s possible it could have worked over the 6 years they were living here.

I’d also like to slap the previous owners across the face for leaving carpets that smell of cat piss!

None of this will happen and this is our forever home so Will just get this fixed but the winter weather starts .

If the carpets need replacing anyway it's the perfect tine to get the pipework sorted.

Microbore systems were poor from brand new. imo.