OT: Is it worth getting boiler serviced before house sale?

NT

In message , snipped-for-privacy@thanks.com writes

Interesting question (and answers). This is my ninth purchased property, since 1975, and I don't recall ever being asked, or asking about boiler servicing.

My only surprise was a maisonette in Stoke Poges, purchased in 1976. Full gas fired central heating but on moving in, I discovered the boiler timer was clockwork. Worked perfectly except the occasions I forgot to wind it :-(

In message , snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes

Better than mine:-)

The farmhouse gas supply was bolted to the roadside brick wall of what had been the *brewers grains store*. When we demolished this to extend the house the supply and meter housing was temporarily secured to a fence post.

The new building did not have a suitable wall within reach so, rather than involve National Grid, a double brick *buttress* was constructed and the meter re-secured:-)

No, but you have somebody (or their professional liability insurance) you can sue for malpractice if so. And having gone through the registration process will potentially filter out a certain subset of cowboys (not all, of course).

Indeed, and that's what a sensible buyer should do. This is more about not putting off the buyers, or making them having to think harder about a field in which they have no experience (thinking about, say, a FTB who has no experience of maintaining gas appliances before).

Theo

I'm not sure anyone you employ to service your boiler would have insurance which covers a subsequent owner of the property? And is it common for a buyer of a property to sue the previous owner if something like a boiler subsequently goes wrong?

Houses are generally bought as seen. Mine was anyway.

Yup. With any such purchase it's as well to have it inspected by your own expert. Not rely on something provided by the seller - unless an official document.

This is what surveys are for - to raise issues the purchaser may not have thought of.

Yes. But you pay for the survey and have a claim against the surveyor (in theory) if anything goes wrong he said was fine.

This isn't the case if the previous owner paid for a survey.

In a sellers market, you say no.

The purpose of a survey in the majority of cases is to reassure the mortgage lender that they if push comes to shove, they will get their money back. i.e. most surveys are "valuation" surveys, and contain little of use on anything technical. They are normally full of cop outs when it comes to electrical or gas appliances - suggesting that a specialist be engaged if you want a report on them. (much the same applies if you go for the "home buyers report" style survey as well).

They will be asking for energy efficient certs next!

Yes, well as a true d-i-y'er you no doubt do your own survey, conveyancing and legal searches.

In a round about way. When I bought the current place I discussed the options with the surveyor. In the end we agreed he would do a basic valuation survey but with customisation to get a bit more useful information out of it. So basically I told him the bits I had no interest in him looking at (plumbing, heating, electrics) since I could assess those myself. I was not particularly fussed by low level dampness of the kind you might find with a resistance meter if you go poking the plaster (it was a Victorian place with solid walls - so what do you expect?). However I was keen for him to look out for structural problems, issues with drainage and non trivial building problems. The report he produced was quite good with plenty of information about the building history and construction, and some useful advice on maintenance required.

If one can be bothered to spend the time, those are actually quite DIYable.

They also seem to be for the FUD of lenders.

Searches are easy & quick. Survey also if you know what you're looking for.

NT