Should the seller get the boiler serviced?

[Teenagerantruns]

So we are finally after many years of renting buying a flat.
We are 5 months in even though it is a short chain its taking forever.
We asked our seller to get boiler serviced as she has never done this and its old, she is refusing and im not sure why?
Flat prices have fallen since we offered, there is the same flat for sale in the block we offered on at £ 10k less, although it needs more cosmetic work
We love the flat we offered on but won't have money to replace a boiler straight away.
So what would you do? We can walk away our landlady is going to sell after we move and not bothered when we go.
We would lose about £600 in solicitor fees and survey.
We are cash buyers.

I've bought (and sold) 6 times. Never required the boiler to be serviced (all but 2 were old properties). It definitely isn't standard. But you can ask.

Why do you think that the vendor not having the boiler serviced automatically means you will have to get a new boiler? Having it serviced is unlikely to make much difference to that outcome.

When we moved to our current house the boiler had been serviced recently but within a few months it had developed an intermittent fault which couldn't be fixed and we had to get a new one.

I would not pull out of a purchase due to lack of a boiler service.

£10k??

Barely half that

Our solicitor advised us, we hadn't picked up the fact that it hadn't been serviced for 3 years! He said it was a Safety issue. He is a very good Solicitor and we have used him 3 or 4 times and obviously know him and his work well. The added bonus is he doesn't do mortgage work, i.e. not on the various panels. He phoned us at 10.30 one Saturday morning to advise us re the boiler!

My seller didn't. Although she assured me that she'd had it serviced regularly since she'd got it, and came with the receipt of the most recent service.
I got it serviced myself within a few weeks of moving in.
I get mine serviced yearly - in fact the bloke came and did it yesterday! He asked when he arrived if I was about to move out, or had just moved in... He seemed a bit bemused that I just wanted it to have its annual check-up! I'm wondering if the yearly service is becoming less and less of a thing?

I know my sister and her partner NEVER had their boiler serviced... They just waited until it conked out completely, and then had to get a brand new one...

Late back to thread, im actually happy to pay for it, bit boiler is 10 years old just seems weird she won't agree

I just think its werid she won't let us service it..

I absolutely realise boiler could break down the day we move in, but would just like to know its working atm

Not i. The slightest bit weird

it could open a pandora box and lead to renegotiations. So if you aren’t legally required to… why take the risk

She definaltly wants to move , she is ready to go on her dream home, we however can wait if we want. Only 3 in our chain and been going on since may

Could you just ask her if, as far as she is aware, fully functioning. But make clear it’s just a question

Well how she responds to this issue if you make it a deal beaker will tell whether she really does.

In that case I definitely wouldn’t agree to a boiler check!!

We sold earlier this year and the buyer asked for it to be serviced (even though it had been regularly serviced and the last service was less than a year old). We just had it serviced as in the grand scheme of things what’s another £100? The only reason I wouldn’t want to consent for a service is if I thought there was something wrong with it!

You should know when it was last serviced. Indeed perhaps this should be something that has to be declared as part of sale particulars when advertised.

Of course, if only we had proper regulation of house sale/purchase, or at least what happens in Scotland.

It's not being picky but it is a safety issue if it hasn't been serviced for over a year, let alone 10. You need to know that there isn't a gas leak on your first night in the new home.

Well she says it is , but how do we know she's not lying?

My boiler is 30 years old. Still works fine & I haven’t serviced it for at least 10 years. I’m about to replace it not because there’s anything wrong with it but because being so old it’s just not efficient anymore If the boiler is at least 10 years old I can’t see the point really as you probably have to replace it anyway at some point soon? I definitely wouldn’t lose the sale over it either as a buyer or a seller. It’s basically a non-issue in my opinion.
Mine will cost about 4K to replace with the top of the range boiler. To give some context, I have 16 radiators in a five bed house. So I can’t imagine replacing a boiler in a flat will be mega expensive?

There will be a certificate stamped and signed by a Gas Safe Engineer. This should be provided along with other home paperwork.

My boiler is serviced every September. If I sold the house, I'd just stick to that schedule. No need to do it more often.

In OP's case, I'd want the vendor to have it serviced, so if it has a fault, that can be factored into the price.

I agree with this. She's happy with the boiler but is probably concerned issues would arise if it were serviced now, especially as its an unknown if its not been regularly serviced.

I'm not sure I'd lose a property we loved over a boiler service, especially when you can't rely on a service meaning the boiler is still working when you move in

Depends if you want the house really.
how much is a boiler service, like £100? Just pay if you’re that arsed and want to move things on. Or do it yourself when you move in, and get monthly cover. A service doesn’t guarantee it’s not gonna break and no service doesn’t mean it is going to break.
doesnt seem like a hill id want to die on but its up to you

Well exactly she could be
but she’s not going to budge
and I wouldn’t either

so ball in your court

There are plenty of reasons to have it serviced regularly. For example if it is an indoor boiler, it could silently be leaking carbon monoxide gas and you would never know.

You and your family would be dead !

Does she not need a gas safety check as part of the sale? Im sure we did