Help me think - 90's property potential issues?

[RacheltheRabbit]

Hi

DD is going to look at a property tomorrow that is being sold by that Crown as the owner died with no relatives.

There's no electricity to the property, so we can't check things work, and obviously there's no one to ask.

What should we be looking out for? Obviously if she decides to buy she'll have a survey, but I can just see a report full of "unable to check" coming back...!

We've thought;

Assume the boiler needs replacing. We can't check it, don't know when it was last serviced, and it's the original.

Assume loft insulation isn't up to standard.

I don't think it'll need rewiring since the 90's, but check to see if there's a note on the consumer unit as to when it was last checked.

Anything else anyone can think of?

Thank you

If it has no electricity I am guessing it's unheated so damp and broken water pipes could also be problems

Slightly weird but if it has aertex, there may be an asbestos risk. Honestly, I thought I was being wound up by contractors but apparently, it really is a thing!

I own a fair few houses of this vintage and yes, boilers, bathrooms, kitchens, all coming to the end of their lives, if still original.

You can get an EICR done if need be and there's been lots of updating to the regulations, so it'll recommend any changes to electrics. My last lot of buyers got one done and we split the cost but you'll have less flexibility, I suspect.

Thank you, lots to think about.

All of these things are manageable, but it comes down to finances.

The EICR ranks things into categories, so required, recommended, etc. My ftb also instructed a plumber! I was a bit 🙄 but the estate agent thought it was fairly normal.

The other thing you could do is get a survey done or visit with a builder, if you're really worried.

Hi @RacheltheRabbit. We bought a house built in the 90s (designed to look like a 70s house of all things!). A lot of things if they've not been replaced will now be coming up to the end of their lives and maybe that will have been accelerated

Things we've needed to replace:
Windows which were aluminium framed and starting to leak

Kitchen & bathrooms were very dated, laminate peeling off units, oven not getting hot etc.

Consumer unit - have not had a full rewire but to redo the kitchen and add extra sockets etc. the main circuit board needed to be upgraded. There were nowhere near enough sockets (but strangely a phone point in every single room and a couple in the hallway) so I would factor in some electrical work.

Boiler was already replaced and so was the tank because of a previous leak but would definitely check

Flooring/carpet was very worn and we had to replace the horrible tiles in the kitchen.

There was cavity wall insulation but we needed more insulation in the loft.

Ceilings were reskimmed, we didn't want to touch the artex just in case of asbestos and builder told us it was fine if we just skimmed over. We also removed the coving at the same time and skimmed over the top of the walls because with newer houses the ceilings aren't high and it just makes you think the ceiling starts even lower.

However I would say that we could have lived with these things for far longer if we'd needed to. While they were shabby, other than the windows, everything was still usable so if it's a long term home then it can be done over time.

Accelerated if it's been empty I meant.

Thank you. She's going to look tomorrow so we'll put a checklist together!

Parents in Law have a similar age house and have had to do all their windows and doors. The boiler was also not up to standard (as you mention) and the electric box needed updating.

Our house is a 90s build. Some things to consider/work we have done:

Doors, windows likely coming to the end of their life.
Hot water cylinder started to leak recently so was replaced.
Our boiler had been replaced in 2018 so useful to check.
We have also replaced soffits, fascias and guttering
Plug sockets - most rooms in our house only have a couple so DH is adding more

We have replaced our internal doors as well as our bannisters and coving.

90s decor has a definite feel and original kitchens and bathrooms will need updating in time. If there is artex it shouldn’t necessarily have asbestos in it if the house was built in the 90s, not all artex does. On the plus side our house has much bigger rooms and a bigger plot than some of the newer builds we looked at, a 90s house isn’t considered old and will likely have some insulation vs a period house. The build feels more solid than some new builds which are just thrown up.

Asbestos is more an 80s thing - there's three types, with chrysolite (white) used with artex for ceilings. An issue if you want to drill into them or disturb them in anyway - skimming over contains it but obviously you'd need to not then drill into the smooth layer in the future.
Something that nowadays seems to be picked up on surveys.
It was fully banned in the UK in 1999 (white) and the other versions in 1995. Had to look into this when we found it!

We have a late 90s house and tested for (unlikely) asbestos in artex. Cost about £500 to do which we did post offer. Came back clear but worth it for piece of mind.

Have a look at the pipework going into the radiators, there was a time when a lot of microbore (thin) pipes were used, not a deal breaking issue but it can be a pain if they get gunked up.