When moving house, there are so many things to think about and that’s before thinking about the packing! Changing contact information for your providers, forwarding your mail, enrolling with a new doctor or school, settling pets in…. it goes on! But have you stopped and considered, if on move-in day, you switch the heating on and it doesn’t work, and there is no hot water? Did you check the boiler?
When buying or selling a property, once an offer is accepted, many people settle for a basic survey. This provides the mortgage company with a value for the property and highlights any visible problems with the property. The Surveyors are not usually gas engineers and as such cannot test appliances such as the boiler and hot water system. They tend to add a one line along the lines of ‘specialist tests are recommended for gas and electrical installations’.
Firstly, when viewing the property, simply turn the taps on. Check the water pressure and the hot-water tap. Feel the radiators to check that they are hot, if it’s winter time.
Ask the owners about the heating and water system, when was it installed? Can they provide any certificates or warranties. Did they have the boiler serviced annually? Do they have the certificates? If, however, the boiler system is over 10 years old its unlikely they will have a certificate as the regulations have changed.
If they can’t provide any information on the system, it could be worth you asking the vendor if you can pay to have the boiler serviced. It is better to find out at this stage, if there are any problems with the heating and hot water system and what sort of costs you are looking at. If problems are found with the system, you could potentially use this to negotiate on the price.
Carshalton Boilers engineers are Gas Safe registered. Engineers conducting the boiler service follow a comprehensive checklist, ensuring the highest standard of checks giving you peace of mind. There are 3 sections:
• Visual inspection, checks for ventilation, signs of leaks
• Boiler checks & safety (dismantling and reassembling) and then testing the boiler in operation
• Wider system checks – radiators and valves, measure flue performance, check gas supply and the programmer.
To book a boiler service or for further information please call us on 0208 3958060 or visit our website for further details: http://www.carshalton-boilers.co.uk/services/servicing-breakdown/
