Condition of a £1m + property that has been rented out?

[BreakfastAtSquiffanys]

Property changed hands about 10 years ago, and has been rented out for the last 4 or 5 years, managed by a reputable local agent.
Can i make any assumptions about the age / condition of the boiler? I know it has to be serviced every year but could it still be 30 years old?
(this is a property we are interested in viewing, looking to buy)
I believe it's currently having some end of tenancy cosmetic improvements

You can’t assume anything. But if you are spending that much on the house, you should be able to fix the boiler if needed.

Out of all things to worry about, this really isn’t that big a deal, surely? And no, you can’t assume anything!

Yes and could still be working absolutely fine.
what an odd question! particularly before viewing it.

how old is the house?

what other concerns?

for 3000sq ft poorly insulated old house a boiler will cost around 3-4k. The real expense arises if you need new pipe work and radiators to benefit from the boiler upgrade, but that’s probably optional.

Just ask at the viewing, the agent should know.

Does it matter? A new boiler is going to be a few thousand pounds. Just replace it if it’s old.

Btw I don’t think there is a legal requirement to service it yearly. You just need an annual gas safety cert

Yes, you can assume it is worn out and needs replacing.

If not, you will have a nice surprise.

If renewing, and it is middle to large home, or has two bathrooms, consider upgrading to an unvented cylinder. A combi will be less suitable.

Why are you bothered about the boiler?

If it was rented legally then the landlord would have to had a gas safety check every year so you know the boiler was fully functional and safe from the last date of the last check which should be within obviously the last 12 months. But there are hundred other things.

I would worry less about the boiler and more about the hot water tank and pipes… we are in a hard water area and our tank was basically a solid block of calcium carbonate when we moved in! And the water pressure was poor upstairs so we had to have some work done for that.

I would assume the worst and set aside £10k for a new boiler + doing plumbing repairs including getting system/pipes flushed and radiators overhauled etc. it might not be a “day 1” job but probably a year 1 job.

Have you checked out the gutters properly? We had to do all those too as hadn’t been looked after by landlord

Not sure why any of your descriptions are relevant. £1m plus property? That means nothing. Rented out? So? Other than having to have regular checks it doesn’t say anything about the age or condition. If it was a £200k house lived in by one owner for the last ten years it would make no difference to your question. But whatever, NEVER assume anything.
I bought an ex rental for just under £1m. The boiler looked brand new, but it was ten years old (now 15 as I’ve been here five years). It has had a few tweaks to it, but it’s still functioning fine so no plans to replace it yet.
My surveyor was worried about the extension roof and how the tiles had been laid, but there’s been no issue in the last five years.
Go view the house. Worry about the details once you’ve had an offer accepted.

If there are tenants currently living there then you can probably assume that the boiler works and they’ve done the annual gas safety check. As for how old it is, you would need to ask the agent. People don’t typically rip out a functioning boiler just because the house cost £1,000,000+ but it could have gone last year and been replaced- you have no way of knowing and nor does anyone here!