Log burner issues when selling property

[CCSS15]

Hi

Hoping other people can share their experiences or give advice.

We have a log burner which was installed in 2005 and has a HETAS certificate. Our buyers have had a full structural survey done and they have been advised by the surveyor that a chimney sweep is needed and if a stainless steel flue liner is not fitted this should be done.
The surveyor also recommends an air vent and carbon monoxide checking unit to be fitted in the room and extension of the hearth. These issues have been highlighted as they are not meeting current standards.

They want us to arrange for this work and pay for it. Weve lived in the property for 7 years and used the log burner frequently with no issue - obviously we don't want to pay the thousands this will cost

Providing the appliance was correctly fitting to the regulations at the time it was fitted, this is all you need to do.

You meet the regulations at that time. Not today. You don't start retro fitting things to bring your house up to the latest spec.

Check that your appliance met these regulations on the date it was fitted. Then gently tell prospective buyers this. Say they are free to make whatever improvements they like once they own the property, but you are selling it as it is.

They can't go around demanding upgrades before they move in! This appears to come from people who are fairly new to buying and feel everything should be compliant with current regulations. You are not letting it out you are selling. The home report is a guidance list of things the new owner has to consider. Not you!

Thousands? We just DIYed a new hearth, repointed brickwork, new lintel, carbon monoxide detector and bought a unused showroom log burner from ebay with stainless steel flue ready for a fitter. Got an installer to sweep and fit burner to flue without scaffold signed off all to regulations and paid him £300. You need to find an installer that is happy for you to supply parts and you need to be able to follow hearth regs depending on your burner ready for install. Fairly straightforward to do hearth and repointing but took a few weekends. Even without diy it shouldn't be thousands, the plastering was most expensive bit of the job.

Agree with others - you could offer to remove the log burner, you could tell them it’s up to them to do whatever they want to do with the flue etc after they move in, you could sort it out yourself. I’d be opting for 1 or 2

If your chimney doesn't leak smoke it wont need a liner, mine hasn't got one, but chimney was smoke tested before the fire was installed

They can ask and you can say no, you have no obligation to do it. Similarly, our buyers solicitors wanted our boiler serviced at our expense, we said no as we knew it was fine and up to date, they were welcome to pay for that if they wanted to. Solicitors and surveyors are good at making things sound essential when they aren't. They can do it when they move in if they don't wish to pay before.

Just disconnect the flue on top of the stove and tell them it’s not in use and just for show .
Then if they want to use it it’s up to them to get it all checked……….simples

Personally I'd tell them it works fine and you are unwilling to do any of those things, but that they are welcome to have the chimney inspected if they want.

I would say you are going to remove it and take it with you if it's going to cost you money as you can use it in your new place. Watch them quickly back down, if not sell it on eBay.

That depends on the construction of the house and chimney.

We had one fitted which was hetas appproved. Company we used said nothing about needing building regs approval as well. Post sale our buyers tried to come after us for cost checking and of sorting lining, venting etc. (They’d very openly said in both viewings they weren’t keen on the burner and would prefer a gas fire, so were obviously trying to get us to pay for the change).

Our solicitor told them to bog off, as sale complete and they should have done due diligence. So they turned on their own solicitor for a payout instead! Now I’m aware of this I’ll make sure any future installation we do goes through all fitting checks. Carbon Monoxide alarm is a complete no brainier to have though.

It only needs building regs approval if not a HETAS fitter. Someone we know got Joe Bloggs general handyman to fit theirs cheaply and was then trying to get a HETAS fitter to sign it of to avoid paying for building control approval. Funnily enough they weren't successful. They were very grumpy that no one would do it.

It won’t cost thousands 😂

Chinney Sweep: £50-£60 it’s only fair to clear out your muck before you move.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm: cheap from Amazon and basic common sense tbh

Hearth: strict building regs apply to hearth sizes otherwise there could be a fire

Air Vent: Can’t comment as not sure he means in brick or trickle. but quite simple to do either way.

Basically just follow the building reg rules and it won’t come back and bite you later on. and stop being dramatic

👍🏻

This all comes down to how much they want to buy and how much you want to sell. If there was a lot of interest in your property just say no. Tell them it meets the regulations in place when it was fitted. A sweep and a CO monitor should be less than £100 combined so either tell them that or say you are willing to do these two things as a concession.

A sweep and a monitor are not expensive

If HETAS signed it off then presumably they were happy without it having the chimney liner?

In terms of the air vent, we dont have one, ours is only a 5kw stove so its not required

As for the sweeping and insurances, Ive never been asked on house insurance whether we have a stove, how would your insurance know this?

As @Loobyloo68 says, a liner is not always necessary.

We were advised not to use one as we have a nice straight chimney in good condition. Putting in a liner would have narrowed the space and made the draw worse.

Our chimney sweep always comments on how nice and clean it is

Well you should already have a carbon monoxide alarm installed (in the right place!), and you should get a chimney sweep/safety certificate yearly anyway…