“We are selling our house, the buyer is requesting we have our boiler serviced with a certificate of proof of work. Could you send me a quote please?”
This was an e-mail we recently received and it’s quite common that people have to get their house in order (literally) in the lead up to a house sale. If the boiler servicing is up to date and you have a documented service history then this shouldn’t be an issue for you, however if it’s been a while then it’s a really good idea to get the boiler serviced.
Legally you have no obligation to have the boiler serviced. If your buyer asks you to, it’s really down to whether you want to as a gesture of goodwill and you may want to consider whether it will impact their decision to buy the property. If the boiler is quite old or hasn’t been serviced for a long time it would offer them peace of mind to know that it was in good working order and therefore they weren’t likely to face any imminent unexpected costs should it fail.
Where the law is less straightforward is in relation to the Property Information Form which you do have to complete as part of the selling process. You are obliged to provide accurate and honest information about a range of aspects of your property’s state of repair. If you are aware of any issues with your boiler and don’t declare them on this form then your buyers could well have a case for recompense should that boiler breakdown which could potentially be a claim for a new boiler. Even if you weren’t aware of issues, they could try to argue that you must have been if the boiler breaks down soon after purchase of the property. A recent service could demonstrate that all was ok with the boiler at the time of sale and that you had taken all reasonable steps to ensure this.
Of course, a service could flag up potential issues with the boiler and you would be obliged to declare this. It’s then up to you to decide whether to get it fixed or just let the new buyers know. You still wouldn’t be obliged to get it fixed but they may insist you do, or negotiate a reduction in price, as condition of sale.
This does demonstrate the value of having your boiler serviced every year as this wouldn’t be an issue plus, if you’ve maintained the manufacturer’s warranty on the boiler by having it serviced, this can be a good selling point for potential buyers.
If you’re on the other side of the debate, and you have recently bought a house where the boiler doesn’t have a service history then we really would advise getting it serviced as a priority. This will ensure that it’s in good working order as well as being safe, for your peace of mind.
If you have any further queries, or would like to book a boiler service please call us on 0333 577 0151 or complete the enquiry form to the right.
Complete the form below and one of the Plumbcare.com team will get back to you as soon as possible.
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