Buyers coming around with builder 'to check utilities '

[Yellowmelon1988xx]

Currently selling our house, nearly at the end of the process ( we hope )

Just had the EA asking if they can come around eith buyers and s builder/ trades man as they been advised by their solicitor to do so

Is this normal practice? When we last told our house it was during lockdowm so this didn't happen

All the searches etc have come back

Slightly worried now

Honestly, I would say no. You are practically at the end, they can wait until they own it. A couple of people I know who have done this, it has been used against them to drop the price just before exchange. I would say that the house is full of boxes, you are going away and it’s just not possible.

It’s a good idea to do so especially if you’re planning work. I’m considering solar panels/ heat pump on my house for example so have needed to consider fuse board, water pressure and connection to the grid.

Checking what utilities,? The agent would gave specified on the particulars that they are not tested. What do they want to look at

But then you wait until you own the place surely? It's still the vendor's home until then. Unfortunately waiting for builders' availability, waiting on reports and quotes etc is just something you have to deal with on your own time when the property actually belongs to you.

No way I'd allow this, OP. It's intrusive and you're busy.

Thank you for your replies

I've now had a list of enquiries raised

Asking if I'm willing to pay for electrics to be tested ?! Is this normal for me to be expected to do this?? Also wanting me to pay for the boiler to be serviced , we've had no issues with the boiler at all, so unsure why I would pay for this?

Just say no

@MissMoneyFairy unsure what they are planning on looking at tbh, they've already viewed the house a few times, and as far as we are aware it's not because they are intending to extend etc

They are planning on asking you to drop the price. They're looking for a reason.

It might not necessarily be anything sinister, some people do everything their solicitor suggests and many would suggest this.

Just say no to the viewing if you want, and no to the requests to pay for electrical and boiler surveys etc.

Have they had their survey done already?

Have they had a proper survey (not the mortgage one), or an electrical / gas inspection?

Have you exchanged yet?

I think it's pretty standard to have an electrical and gas inspection as a surveyor doesn't look at those. Sometimes people might have a builder instead of a surveyor, or to have a look at something that the surveyor highlighted in their report. It would e normal to do that before exchange on case there's something expensive wrong. If a seller refused access for that I'd assume the know there's a massive problem and are trying to hide it.

If all the surveys and inspections have been done, and this is just working out of they can fit in a downstairs loo or build an extension then that's a bit different but I wouldn't necessarily refuse access for that either.

@Yellowmelon1988xx I would suspect that these are comments in the surveyors report, e.g. “we can’t confirm that the electrics have been tested”, “we can’t confirm the boiler has been serviced”. Those comments are in there for the surveyor to protect themselves, but unless anything has indicated that your electrics or boiler are in a seriously bad state, the buyer should just accept them as they are. You are not obliged to accommodate these requests, and if they are going to walk away over them, then they are a bit nuts in my opinion.

While in the process of buying my house, I did ask to come in with an electrician. I suspected (correctly) that the wiring was around 60 years old and wanted work to start straight after completion - I knew this when I offered, so I wasn't using it to get any money off, but did want quotes in advance.

Boiler servicing - have you had a service done in the last year? If so, I would just provide the details of that. I wouldn't expect the vendor to get a fresh service done. Again, I arranged for this once I'd taken possession. Although I did ask to see the heating functioning during the visit for an electricians.
I would not have asked for the vendor to pay for a new service.

Send them a copy of your annual boiler service report to placate them and they can pay for the electrics to be checked once they own the property

As pp mentioned, getting an electrical and gas inspection is pretty normal imo. But asking you to pay for it isn't.

A builder, I'd refuse if you're close to the end and they've viewed multiple times tbh. Gas and electric inspections I'd be fine with, but they pay

I asked the vendors to service the boiler and to have the electrics tested as neither had been done for quite awhile.

They paid to have the boiler serviced but refused to pay for an electrical test, so I paid to have one done prior to exchange.

Turns out it needed a new consumer unit plus the kitchen needed rewiring due to the husband cocking it up when he replaced the kitchen (supposedly he was a builder).

I got a quote for the work and they knocked £2.5k off the asking price.

I wouldn't pay for a buyer to get an electrical or gas inspection. I'd just say no and offer to send them the latest inspection I've had done.

As a buyer I'd expect to pay for those myself if I want them.

It's normal to provide proof the boiler has been regularly serviced. It is for the buyers to pay for electrical testing. Unless you had a full rewire fairly recently then it's highly unlikely the electrics will be to regs, but it doesn't mean they're unsafe. It sounds to me as though the buyers are planning work to the house. I'd decline to have the electrical testing done, certainly not at your cost. If they are going to knock the place about they'll be rewiring in places anyway.

>Also wanting me to pay for the boiler to be serviced , we've had no issues with the boiler at all, so unsure why I would pay for this?

Because most home owners get theirs done annually.

>Asking if I'm willing to pay for electrics to be tested ?! Is this normal for me to be expected to do this??

No, not normal, but as you can’t produce boiler service documentation, they are suspicious about the standard to which you have maintained the property.

I think the boiler should be serviced yes.

Anyway, sounds like they're about to pull out and are just looking for an excuse.

I took the plumber round at one property as bathroom needed putting upstairs and just wanted him to see where it would be going and rough idea of what work he'd need to do.

Sellers perfectly OK with it.

It's pretty common these days for the buyers to demand a boiler service certificate.

@ByCupidStunt would they really pull out this far into the process, when they've already paid 'some' fees for solicitors etc

I am not sure how a "builder" will be able to check the boiler, plumbing, gas appliances and electric.

Which is what most people would designate as "utilities".

Yes - People pull out right up until exchange. It's awful, but that's the system we have.
(*Assuming you're in England)

Boilers should be serviced annually so just send them your latest one. My electrics were from 1950s when we moved in and cost about 3k to update how old are yours?