Seller won't let me check Aircon

[Dingdong99]

We're buying a house that has air con which is pretty old as I can see it on the particulars from the previous owners

The seller said that it works fine but hasn't had it serviced for a while and cannot send any kind of service report. Perhaps they've never had it serviced

I've asked to send my engineer over to service it but they won't allow it. So I've asked that they organise a service and send me the paperwork. I think they will say no to this as well

They've been cagey about some other things as well but this does worry me

Is this a reasonable request? I feel we have been more accommodating with our buyers as we're also selling our house

Just because it’s a reasonable request doesn’t mean you can make them accede to it. I’d just assume it didn’t work, and if it mattered that much to me reduce the offer by whatever I thought it’d cost to repair/replace

Reduce your offer by the estimated cost to remove and replace it.

As the posters above have said; reduce your offer.

If there are other things you're worried about (with significant costs attached - in the thousands) get estimates for them too and also knock that off unless they will commit in writing through their solicitors that the things work/don't need repairs etc.

Give them fair warning that if they don’t comply you will have to reduce their offer by the amount it takes to have the system completely replaced.

They will either get it serviced or say they are no longer selling.

Sound like you are dodging bullets here.

They've also been a bit odd about the boiler

My surveyor noticed that it had very low / almost zero pressure. They claim that was due to not having topped it up since the last service

They then serviced it but I asked that my boiler guy also check it out (as I was worried that the pressure loss might be due to a leak on the UFH which would be unlikely tbf, but catastrophic if there was a leak). They wouldn't allow this either

Run

How many times ahev you asked to send someone over? It seems a bit much on top of viewings, surveys etc to keep asking to send tradesmen as well

I'd be out.

Agree with this, sold as seen. I can't remember getting all these certificates with our 1st house you rolled the dice and dealt with it once in

Do you have large cash reserves to fix all the things they haven’t maintained?
And do you love the house?

Cos I would be walking, if not.

I've asked twice - once for the boiler engineer. Once for air con engineer

I'd be gutted if we moved in and there was a leak or not working air con

How far have you got with the purchase? - have you exchanged yet?
With the boiler service, have they told you it was serviced or have you seen a service engineers report?

Either walk away now, or force the issue. Drop the offer by £20k and advise them they have until noon on Friday to accept the revised offer or your withdrawing completely.

Yes we've seen the boiler service report which was fine. Altho that doesn't test for leaks on the UFH system

They said they didn't want us to send someone in as they'd turned the heating off, and as they might damage it

...but you've said it's pretty old so I expect the house price reflects that.

If it's a fixer upper, it will have been valued that way.
I'd have been a bit pissed off tbh if my buyers kept sending workmen round as it means they'll have to stay at home to let them in (when they probably work) or pay out for it to be done.

I'm with the 'sold as seens'.

We haven't exchanged yet

They did say we could send people in after exchange, but not before. Which felt odd

They work from home so access isn't too inconvenient for them

Another thing is that they have confirmed to the agent that the air con works fine, but not to my solicitor as he's asked in one of his enquiries. I doubt it's legally binding if they say it's working to my lawyer, or maybe it is? Either way it's not an experts opinion

What are you meant to have boilers topped up with? Is this something with certain types of boiler as mine has been topped up with anything in 20 years.

WFH doesn’t mean that access isn’t an issue. They are at work.

Not odd at all; from their perspective there’s only downside to allowing further inspection of the property before exchange (when you can reduce your offer of walk away).

You can’t make them give you access so if you’re not prepared to pay the price you have offered assuming these things are broken then either reduce your offer (to reflect the expectation that you will need to fix them) or walk away.

Your radiator header tank should be dosed with sludge inhibitor as part of the boiler service.

By topped up I mean repressurised as it has almost zero pressure

Interesting to see the different responses. I'm also flitting between my thoughts on it and can't make my mind up

It's an expensive house and all meant to be pristine

Same. Whilst I understand why you want the checks OP, I do think it's too much. They've told you it works, they've had a boiler check, and now....you don't believe them?

They're probably worried you're looking for ways to reduce your offer or pull out.

I don't think many people would want workmen round messing with £1000s worth of appliances without owning the property. You always take risks buying properties, you have to have an element of trust.