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Property/DIY

Should we be paying half for this?

16 replies

suzexxx · 21/06/2013 09:52

We're currently in the process of selling our house and had hoped to be moving by the end of the month as the chain we're in is quite simple. We're moving to an empty house and have a cash buyer for ours. The buyer for our apartment is an investor and is going to rent the place out. He's had an extensive survery done and yesterday we found out he'd been the one stalling the sale. He came round for a viewing yesterday and brought the survey with him and said he wanted us to have an electric certificate, gas certificate and a boiler service before he signed as these things were picked up in the extensive survey. The boiler was brand new in 2010 and we haven't had it serviced since new. I didnt realise we had to do these things in order to sell the house. The buyer has said he'd pay half of the cost and we've looked into all of these things and its quite expensive and may take a while. We just havent got the extra cash to pay for these things he wants and i assumed that if you want these checks then you pay for them yourself. We havent had an extensive survey done on our place just because we cant afford it all. Do you think we should politely ask him to pay for these things? Im just scared that he'll pull out of the sale and we'll loose our house.

OP posts:

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Sunnyshores · 21/06/2013 10:05

Those certificates are what the investor/landlord needs to rent out the property. they are not what you need to sell. Should imagine they would cost total £400 - if nothing is wrong, if there was something wrong then I would have thought an "extensive survey" would have spotted it.

He's not going to pull out over a few hundred quid, he's just trying it on, so I'd politely decline.

pigglepaggle · 21/06/2013 10:08

When purchasing a property the buyer pays for the survey. If the surveyor recommends further reports ie electrical inspection, timber/damp survey it is up to the buyer to pay for them.
However, when renting out a property the landlord should have gas and electric inspections with certification. Just make sure you're not footing the bill for his landlord's certificates.

Jan49 · 21/06/2013 11:03

Those are things he needs for renting the house out, not things connected to selling the house. How about compromising and saying you'll get the boiler serviced, which costs around £60-£70 I think. You should have had it serviced annually from when it was installed really for your own safety.

Of course, he could choose to pull out if you refuse. But he may also just want to get the boiler, gas and electricity checked and what he's suggested is a way of getting those done. I don't think any of these things take long. A boiler service is a half hour visit from a qualified person, the others similar I think.

The surveyor probably just said he was unable to do checks on the gas, electricity and boiler and recommends the buyer to get these checked. They mostly say things like that.

lalalonglegs · 21/06/2013 11:14

Gas safety inspection is £70, combine it with a boiler service and call it £120. Electrical inspection is £100 so you're probably looking at £300 if there are a couple of minor parts and tweaks needed of which you pay half - it's annoying, yes, but not worth delaying a sale for.

rovercat · 21/06/2013 19:00

You'll need to check this with a letting agent or gas safe engineer but I think you have to get a new gas check certificate for each new tenancy regardless of whether one is still current (they run for 12 months). So you could say that there is no point in you having a gas safety check done as he'll have to pay again anyway when he lets it!

LIZS · 21/06/2013 19:06

It is not an legal requirement afaik but the questions are often asked on the solicitor's paperwork. British Gas, for example, would do a one off service for a small fee but the fitter may do one cheaper so might be worth going back to him . It won't cost much to do this and at least he is offering to pay towards it as he'll benefit more. If you can't afford this , I'm not sure how you are able to afford to move .

WeleaseWodger · 21/06/2013 20:01

You have to have a valid gas certificate (most do them at start of new tenancy but you don't need them for each new tenant, just need to have a valid one and they must be renewed annually). You don't need electric certificates.

Every survey will always flag up electrics and gas in red (unless a new build.) The surveyor won't ever put anything other than further tests by someone else needed etc because it's a question of liability. Nothing else. An investor would know this and is just chancing it. Politely say no. If he threatens to pull out over a few hundred quid, he was going to pull out anyway for a different reason.

CaterpillarCara · 21/06/2013 21:19

I thought you were supposed to service boilers annually?

BimbaBirba · 21/06/2013 21:32

I got a gas certificate for the house we're selling and paid for it.
We already had a recent electrics certificate (as it's a new build)!otherwise I would have been happy to pay for it.
AFAIK buyers' solicitors often ask the vendor to provide gas and electrics certificates at their expense. I thought it was standard practice.

LadyKooKoo · 21/06/2013 21:40

We sold our last house in March, about a week before we exchanged he asked for the gas to be checked (new central heating in 2007) and an electrical safety check (complete rewiring in 2007). I told the EA to explain to him that it was the buyers responsibility to sort these things out and if wanted them done, he could pay for it. Your EA should do the same.

Doilooklikeatourist · 21/06/2013 22:01

We had a gas safety check done before our sale .
I thought it was normal for the seller to do this ?
Would you move into a house without a safe gas check ?

suzexxx · 21/06/2013 22:02

Thanks for the replies everyone. The buyer put us in an awkward position as he asked us about these things whilst on a viewing so we didnt talk via the estate agent. We're moving on a very tight budget and every last £1 has been accounted for so we dont have extra money to use. We have got certificates of checks done on these, but not from this current year and the boiler was new 2010.

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orangeandemons · 21/06/2013 22:06

We are in the process of selling ours. We have signed contracts but not exchanged. We have been asked to provide all the things you have. We too had no idea until now, but it is a legal requirement apparently. It isn't up to the buyer to pay for it, you are expected to have these things.

I wasn't very impressed either

LadyKooKoo · 21/06/2013 22:23

It is not a legal requirement unless you a are a landlord. Recommended checks for residential properties (that you live in, not rent out) are annual for the boiler and every ten years for the electrics. If the buyer wants them, get the buyer to pay. You are paying your EA 1000s of pounds, get them to explain it if you feel awkward.

suzexxx · 21/06/2013 22:26

Think we will get the estate agent to explain. We're having a gas check on the new place, but it never once crossed my mind to ask the vendor to pay for it.

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orangeandemons · 24/06/2013 17:49

Ours came up on the survey, so we have had to provide them.

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