Moving home and your boiler

Selling your home

When selling your home, you should be prepared for potential buyers to ask questions about the boiler - such as how old is it, when was it installed, who installed it, have you got the Gas Safe certificate, is it a combi boiler, does the property have a hot water tank, etc. Boilers can be pricey appliances to replace and a buyer would want to know that it’s in full working order. If it isn’t, they may ask for some money to be knocked off the overall price of the house. You should expect your buyers to ask whether the boiler is working and for proof that it’s been serviced regularly throughout its lifetime. 

Can you sell a house with a condemned boiler?

A boiler that has been condemned could be quite dangerous, as it can leak gases such as carbon monoxide. It is not illegal to sell a house with a condemned boiler, however it would be illegal to hide this information from a buyer. You must notify them of this issue and, as a result, they may put in a lower offer, with a view that they will need to arrange for a new one to be fitted.

You would need to decide whether it’s worth spending the money to have a new boiler installed or lose some money on the house instead. This choice is ultimately yours, however a new boiler could make your home more desirable to potential buyers, and could even increase the value of the property. 

Does a new boiler add value to a house?

People are forever looking for ways to add value to a property, but the reality is that lots of these additions cost money. If you spend too much, you may not make a profit at all and the work may not have been worth the effort.

However, according to research by GoCompare, not only could a new boiler add value to your house, it’s also the most profitable home improvement. A new boiler can cost anywhere from £2,000 to £3,000, however Go Compare estimated that it could add value of around £8,000. This means that, if your boiler is a few years old, it could be worth spending the money to get a new one.  

Does a surveyor check the boiler?

When you’re buying a home, it’s really important to find out what type of boiler is in the property, how old it is and when it last had a service. A boiler can be costly to replace and you don’t want it to break a few short months after moving in, so getting this information is crucial.

As you go through the purchasing process, you can ask that the solicitors request certain documents from the sellers. These can be anything from planning permission documents to prove that work was completed with the correct permissions, to window installation certificates. You should make sure that you request the relevant installation and Gas Safe certificates for any gas appliances in the property, including a boiler. This should show when the appliance was installed, and by whom, as well as whether it has been registered as Gas Safe.

If the boiler in the property you’re buying is under warranty, you should get proof that it has been serviced every 12 months by a suitably qualified engineer. If a service was missed, the warranty could be void and any issues would fall to you as the new homeowner. You may also want to consider taking out additional cover for your boiler. This can usually be added on through your home insurance and will cover you against any breakages. 

Buying a home

When someone buys your home, they will likely want to have it surveyed. A survey generally checks that the house is structurally sound and may also look at things such as the quality of insulation. It provides advice around things that should be fixed or looked at as priority, as well as other potential problems that could be fixed in the future but aren’t a pressing issue.

A surveyor, or structural engineer, is very different to a gas engineer and they likely don’t have the qualifications to test a boiler. Instead, they may provide the general age of the appliance and recommend that the buyer has the item tested by a heating engineer. If this is the case, you may be required to arrange to have the appliance inspected and pay for the service. 

Does my house have a heat pump?

If you’ve looked around a potential new home and haven’t been able to find the boiler, it could be that the property has a heat pump instead, especially if it is a specialist build. If this is the case, the unit may be located on a wall outside the house, the estate will show your around the property or you might be able to find the information online prior to viewing. 

How to remove an old boiler

Some people move into a new home and want to replace the boiler almost immediately. It may be that the boiler is in an awkward place, such as the kitchen or bathroom, and the new homeowners want to move it into the loft. Alternatively, it could be that the system is old and could do with updating. Whatever reason you have for purchasing a new boiler, the old one will need to be removed somehow.

A suitably Gas Safe registered heating engineer should remove your old boiler. An engineer will know exactly what to do and can remove the boiler in the safest manner possible. Once it’s been taken out, the new one can be installed either in the same position or in a different part of the house, depending on your preferences and budget. 

What to do with an old boiler

In some cases, the heating engineer who installed your new boiler may be willing to take the old one away to be recycled or stripped for parts that could potentially be reused. This would be helpful as a boiler is classed as commercial waste, and therefore you couldn’t take it to your local tip to dispose of it.

The only other option would be to pay for a company to take it away for you. Most of these companies dispose of the boiler in an eco-friendly manner, recycling as much of the appliance as possible. 

Sources:

1. www.boilerguide.co.uk/boilers-energy-things-consider-move-home
2. www.pat.org.uk/heating/12/2019/how-much-value-does-a-new-boiler-add-to-a-property/2820/
3. www.sellyourhousedirect.com/blog/faq-can-sell-house-condemned-boiler-fc/
4. www.hasslefreeboilers.com/moving-house-boiler-checks/