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Original poster

Seller's estate agent being difficult about boiler repairs- advice needed

115 replies

QuintonMan · 03/08/2021 16:22

Afternoon everyone,

We are FTB expecting our first child in February and are currently in the process of purchasing the following house: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/107992601#/?channel=RES_BUY.

When placing our initial offer, we negotiated down to £257,000 and then increased the final offer to £260,000 on the proviso that the likely faulty boiler would be replaced by the seller if found to be faulty (home buyers survey confirmed this).

From our POV we need essential services to be working ready for the baby in the new year and would struggle to replace the boiler and also undertake the necessary repairs/renovations.

The seller undertook electric and gas safety checks, replacing the electric consumer unit which was appreciated.

However, we are now in a position where the estate agent on behalf of the seller is challenging the request to service and replace the boiler. She is stating that because the boiler is '" gas safe" (but not serviced) this was the only requirement.

We would be open to paying for the service ourselves if necessary but are firm that the cost of replacement is met by the seller and that we have an agreement regarding the model used.

I'm conscious that we are now very close to exchange and this is the final hurdle. To go back to the market would likely cost us at least 10-20k more on the mortgage for similar quality of the house (due to price increases) and I would like to avoid this If possible.

Is possible, does anyone have advice on how best to proceed in this situation?

Thanks!

OP posts:
Crazycatlady83 · 03/08/2021 17:30

If you are being financed by a mortgage, and you reduce your offer, you will be delayed moving because your mortgage offer will have to be reissued.

Marmitemarinaded · 03/08/2021 17:31

C. £4K

Say you’ll revert to offer minus the increase for the boiler

And then sort it yourself

Marmitemarinaded · 03/08/2021 17:31

Always baffles me the massive drama surrounding new boilers.

Done and dusted in less than a day.

C. £4K for after 12 years of use

Shrug

PlanDeRaccordement · 03/08/2021 17:34

Gas safety certificate = boiler isn’t faulty. The home survey probably flagged it up as potentially faulty . But there is no way the seller would have gotten a gas safety certificate if the boiler were not serviced and faulty.

It doesn’t really matter if it’s old, it can still be serviceable. It’s more something you should plan to replace for energy efficiency reasons later on.

Echoing other posters, I wouldn’t walk away from the sale. Your proviso was “if the boiler is faulty” and it turns out it isn’t currently faulty.

FurierTransform · 03/08/2021 17:35

I may have missed it but what's the actual issue with the boiler - is it broken/not working & the house has no heating??

titchy · 03/08/2021 17:37

So a gas-safe engineer has certified the boiler as fine, but a surveyor, who knows sod all about boilers has condemned it? Unlikely... your dw is just being twitchy.

Carry on with the sale. Replace the boiler if you want when you move in. If it's been checked and has a certificate it's fine.

ChicChaos · 03/08/2021 17:39

We would be open to paying for the service ourselves if necessary but are firm that the cost of replacement is met by the seller and that we have an agreement regarding the model used.

If you want the vendor to pay for the replacement, they get to choose. What does the survey actually say, because they can be quite vague and it's not unknown for FTB to interpret surveys as disastrous when it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Ideasplease322 · 03/08/2021 17:39

I assume you are first time buyers?

Have your parents moved recently? First time buyers being advised by out of touch parents are the worst.

It was odd demanding the vendor replace the boiler. I would never ask for works to be done by the vendor, particularly something like a boiler. I would want it done myself, so I know who installed it (to get them back out of there is a problem) and could decide on things like controls and position.

I think you have overcomplicated this and painted yourselves into a stubborn corner.

A boiler can be quickly replaced, I replaced mine recently and it was done in a day. Is there a particular reason why you couldn’t manage this yourselves?

You need to decide if this is worth losing the sale over. You aren’t buying a brand new house. Boilers break, that’s part of home ownership. You need to learn how to cope with repairs.

2bazookas · 03/08/2021 17:41

Have your solicitor deal direct with their solicitor. They will easily settle this between themselves.

Cut out the estate agent.

ChuckMater · 03/08/2021 17:42

Is there anything wrong with the boiler?

Summerbubbles · 03/08/2021 17:48

I am currently selling a property and if you were my buyer I would be tempted to just relist, they have a safety certificate that proves the boiler is safe and functional.
In the current market as a FTB I wouldn't risk losing a lovely house for the sake of £2-4k and then have to pay £10-20k more for a different house (that may also need a new boiler!)

Summerbubbles · 03/08/2021 17:49

You can also take out boiler cover in case of boiler breakdown.

jessycake · 03/08/2021 18:04

I think your partners parents have done you no favours , it would have been much easier to get in and change the boiler yourselves. Vendors naturally just want to sell the house at the best price . The estate agent will only be reflecting the wishes of the vendor .
You can push for exchange at the lower price , if he wont budge you will have to work out whether the property is worth the price as it is and how much has already been spent of fees etc

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 03/08/2021 18:06

You need to set out precisely what your agreement on price versus boiler was, plus what exactly your survey says about the boiler.

But if it is serviced and certified by a gas safe engineer, it’s fine.

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 03/08/2021 18:07

Also - you actually want to replace it yourself, if it needs replacing. Then you will benefit from any warranties and guarantees, be able to do cashback on the credit card you used to pay for it if it goes wrong, et cetera et cetera.

AyeRobot · 03/08/2021 18:12

They'll put in a shit boiler if you get them to do it. Not all boilers are equal.

Losttheequipment · 03/08/2021 18:18

I think FTBs coming from renting sometimes expect to be provided with a perfectly functioning house, complete with all sorts of guarantees. Buying isn’t like that, you are being offered the opportunity to buy the property as it is, not some upgraded version of it.

In a buyers’ market you might get somewhere with asking for something to be fixed in order to secure the sale. But that’s not the case here, the vendor can just choose to market if you mess them around.

Losttheequipment · 03/08/2021 18:20

This is why some people try to avoid selling to FTBs!

titchy · 03/08/2021 18:24

@AyeRobot

They'll put in a shit boiler if you get them to do it. Not all boilers are equal.
They could get Gav, Pete from the pub's cousin's mate to fit a second hand one they've bought off EBay for all you know.
Wombat64 · 03/08/2021 18:30

Move in, get a good boiler installed. The boiler here was replaced by a previous buyer, as part of buying the property. It then fell through, so we got a new but poor boiler. Much better to get a good one with a decent warranty.

mumwon · 03/08/2021 19:59

we had a boiler replaced & like pp it took a single day
Try having 2 dc under 7 & a new baby when an extension is being built - I have vivid memories of this - new boiler is nothing
Surveyors (who are not experts on electrics or gas boilers) usually say "check gas/electrics, because (a) they need to be checked, (b) they look a bit old" Its a safe guard for THEM - They always say something like this (has bought & sold quite a few houses). You have had a gas safety check, which means there is no gas leaks & it must be working after a fashion otherwise they couldn't check it!

HappyThursdays · 03/08/2021 20:36

I don't think this is only a FTB thing. We've just sold 2 properties and bought 1 and on the 2 we sold, the buyers solicitors (not FTB) insisted on boilers serviced with documentation and a NICEIC electric check. Didn't happen last time we sold!

But yes I wouldn't even leave the seller to change the boiler and if it's got a gas safe check and passed it will even be fine to move in and do it later! Boilers can last a very long time - just because it's old, doesn't mean it's not functioning!

Ideasplease322 · 03/08/2021 20:45

I moved house recently, new boiler was out in last year. It seems like a good enough boiler, but the installers made a bit of a mess, and the power switch is in the oddest place,

I will get it fixed when I put a new kitchen in, but I really don’t understand why you are insisting that a stranger manages this. They won’t give a crap about convenience and aesthetics.

m0therofdragons · 03/08/2021 21:11

I’d insist on a service but not replacing it -survey will have told you it’s old; many boilers last 20 years and surveyors cover themselves.

Boiler for our 4 bed detached home was 4K and done in one day so not really that disruptive at all.

daisypond · 03/08/2021 21:17

But the boiler has a gas safety check. It’s not faulty. I’ve never had my boiler serviced and it’s going strong after 25 years. I’m fact, the gas plumber who looked at it once said not to have it serviced as no doubt someone would muck it up somehow.