Building survey: small red flags, what to do?

[lockdownguru]

First-time buyer here - I have a building survey completed recently, and it looks good except for some small items, such as re-sealing of gutter joints. I did a quick investigation, and these items will take a few hours to resolve altogether with a few hundred pounds.

Should I ask the vendor to fix these beforehand? What is the ”unwritten tradition” for such small but essential items coming from the survey?

Thanks!

I've never asked for minor things to be done post survey. Neither have I agreed to do them!

I wouldn’t worry at all about something like that personally. Things get brought up on these surveys that don’t really need doing. They aren’t things that would affect the value of the house.

I see, thanks - what about gas/heating servicing? It appears that the owners never had a maintenance of the boiler or a gas certificate (my landlord does this every year strictly). Is it fair to ask it to be done to ensure the boiler is in good condition? I had horrible experiences with boilers during my previous rentals..

Sorry for the naive questions as I’m an FTB!

I would ask for the gas safety certificate yes-I thought this was a requirement when selling.

It’s not-I was wrong but you can ask for one. You may need to pay for it.

Yes I think it’s fair to ask for the boiler to be serviced by a professional before you buy it.

Not something I've asked for, but the last property we bought was empty, so we asked to see it working so we knew whether we could move in (with young DC).
I ended up having to have the boiler fixed before the sale went through, so my gas engineer did a cert for the sale. I had previously told them I didn't have one (had it serviced just over 12 months ago, but didn't keep paperwork) and nothing was queried.

Thank you, everyone, will then only ask the boiler to be serviced by a professional.

You can ask but the vendor is under no obligation to do it.
Gas and electric certs. are for rental properties. They are not a requirement if you are buying. I have never bought a house which didn't need something doing. Ongoing maintenance is all part and parcel of house ownership.

Our vendor didn't have a current service certificate for the boiler. To check it was in good condition we had it inspected by a gas safety engineer (the kind that does the rental check) and a written report. We didn't want to, and i don't think would have been allowed to, pay for a service as we didn't own the property.

It had never been serviced (8 years old). We had a full service a day after we moved in.