What now post survey?

[Citygirlrurallife]

We’ve had an offer accepted on a house that we knew looked a little tired and we anticipate also doing some major work on. The survey came back with nothing massive but we need the electricity, gas and water pressure tested and we asked the sellers to also provide details on when the boiler and wood burning stove were last serviced and cleaned.

it also has solar panels and a battery that aren’t working but consequently claims to have an EPC of A and we were under the impression they were getting them checked out and fixed. The survey said they def needed maintenance as they, like the roof, are covered in dirt and and moss.

sellers have come back basicaly admitting to not having maintained anything, and saying any additional tests we need to do and everything is being sold as is.

so fine, we’ll arrange for a gas safety etc but re the solar panels at a minimum, in my opinion either they need to get them fixed or we need to chop a big chunk of asking as a) it certainly does not have anEPC of A if they aren’t actually working and b) it could be really costly for us to have them repaired or replaced

i do want the sale to happen as quickly and smoothly as possible so need to find the wording that isn’t antagonistic but is it right to say ok well we need £15K off (that’s what the current cost of replacing panels would be let alone the battery) and anything else after getting things the boiler, roof (which does need some repairs following survey), wood burner serviced and repaired too?

i think they’re motivated to get this done too (ongoing divorce) but clearly they haven’t given the house any TLC in a long time and don’t intend to do more than they have to

Check what feed in tariff you'll be inheriting too. If theirs is one of the older systems, installed pre about 12 years ago, you'll be netting 60p per Kwh with it working, so well worth fixing, as depending on orientation and location, you could be receiving £1800 a year or thereabouts. If it's more recent (which I think it will be being with a battery) you may find you don't get such a good FIT but the battery helps, and the more recent panels are more efficient. May just be a simple issue to fix - I suggest get an electrical survey with an electrician who knows all about solar (hen's teeth to find one, sorry). Worst case scenario you'll need a new inverter - these cost between £500 & 1500 roughly. However most inverters come with typically 5 or 10 year warranties, so it's worth asking how long the solar has been installed and is the inverter covered by warranty and seeing if they can get it fixed under warranty. If they're divorcing they might not have thought of this. Unlikely to be the panels as there's less to go wrong, and invariably they have 25 year warranties (because they don't go wrong). I think best to assume they will work and it's inverter and/or wiring. Could even be as simple as a fuse tripped - we lost 3 hot days generating last summer as I didn't notice it had tripped as no other electricals affected and that was when the hot water ran out! The other issue could be rats or squirrels have chewed the wires.

Hopefully that helps give an idea of what could be wrong and how much to offer below asking as its not working.

I am skeptical that a tired house with a wood burning stove has an epc A. Not even most new builds have that, and secondary heating such as stoves actually bring the epc rating down.

What age is this house?

You virtually have to have a wind turbine in your garden and every improvement known to man to achieve an A on older houses.

Feel free to PM me the sale advert and full address so I can find and read the epc if you like. I have spent a lot of time weeding out bullshit ones over the last few years.

Your expecting to do some major work ,know the house is tired and your worried about when the stove was last cleaned out 🙄

I’ve never heard of anyone having the water pressure tested ? If it’s low what do you expect the sellers to do about it ?.

@Ariela and @KievLoverTwo thats all really helpful, thankyou. Yeah I was a bit 🤔about the EPC but I assumed it was pretty much based on the fact that it has solar panels, a battery and double glazing? I’ve already asked them for installation paperwork, warranties etc but have more research to do so Thankyou

@Diyextension all the additional checks and certificates were recommended by our surveyor (we’re FTB so very green to the process) and my parents had a chimney fire only last year with their wood burning stove so I think, as with the solar panels, if the house is marketed to have one it should be working and in good condition in case of fire risk?

the work we need to do is (as far as we know) mainly cosmetic but then taking down a wall in one room to make a bigger space, not totally rewiring or putting in additional heat sources hence my thinking we need to know all of that actually works….

My concern would be if they haven’t been bothered to maintain the obvious, what’s lurking. Surveys really don’t uncover the full picture. I expect the house is mostly held together with duct tape and expanding foam.

I would definitely ask if the solar is still covered by warranty (maybe phrase when was it installed and is it still covered by warranty so you get the age of it) and can they check/get it fixed.

If they say no warranty, and no to fixing, then I'd have an electrician with solar experience survey it and recommend what needs to be done.
A rating can be achieved if not working - they don't actually test it just indicate its presence, you just gain points for double/triple/secondary glazing, loft insulation and the like. A big con IMO. Masses of critical articles eg https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/is-it-worth-challenging-our-epc-rating-btwp0r7sr (oh did I mention IMO EPC certs are not worth looking at - what you NEED to know is 'what do you spend on oil & electricity per year' )

That’s my fear too @instantpotnoodle