Buying a House - Contracts Signed - Boiler Has just broken down!

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uptomyeyesin

Registered User
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Hi all,
Going through the process of buying a house, we have both signed contracts and agreed a date to move in, end of this month.
Solicitor just called me to say the sellers boiler has broken down.
They want to split the cost with us.
Has anyone experience of a similar situation and how it panned out?
Our engineers report didn't pick up on any issue but said it was installed in 2003.
 
Don't let a €1,000 issue derail a more than €100,000 sale.

You knew you were buying a 14 year old boiler, so it was always going to have a limited future.

If the vendors are willing to pay half that seems reasonable.
 
I agree it seems reasonable however your decision to buy the house included a provision for heat, if there was no heat when you viewed then you would have asked if the seller was going to replace the system if not, perhaps you would have walked.

The advantage you get by paying half is in having your say and choosing the right boiler for you, most modern and efficient, if the seller replaces then expect the basic boiler to be installed which may not be to your liking at all.
 
Sounds fair to split the costs if the boiler is being repalced with a new one. It could have broken down just after you moved in.

Make sure you are all agreed on a repair or a replacement and you get details\invoice of work done etc and agree the price beforehand with the supplier\fixer.

If it was just being fixed I don't think I would pay half the cost.
 
Depending on the existing boiler and what it is replaced with, you might want to replace the controls at the same time. That would be at your cost, but it would be cheaper getting it all done at the same time than having the boiler done now and the controls later.
 
I would look into any grants available to you before agreeing to go ahead. Check out SEAI website.
 
Similar thing happened to me a number of years ago but we were the one's selling. It was an old boiler that just gave up the ghost. It can happen. I offered the purchasers €500 at the time towards the replacement. They were happy enough as their solicitor told them I had no legal obligation to tell them at all. And the first they would have known is after moving in.

Moral obligation to tell them though is far different and I would not have been happy to stay quiet about the boiler. Moving into your new home is supposed to be a happy occasion for people and I felt that could have taken some of that away from them.

If I was in your situation, I'd take the money and do sone investigation on a new boiler or heating system. Good luck
 
Hi all
Thanks for your replies, they have helped us decide what to do and hopefully will help others too. We are coming to an agreement with the sellers to share the cost.
 
you can get €700 grant for upgrading the boiler from seai! taking the cash and sorting the boiler yourself would probably save you a few euros.
 
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