Problem getting new BER cert on house

cooperguy

I bought a house a few years ago that had a BER rating of C3. This was achieved by the last owner dry lining the walls, adding attic insulation and pumping the cavity.

I am now looking to sell the house but I don't have the documents from the last owner that shows exactly what's in the cavity etc.

Since I bought the house I changed out the windows/doors, bought a new condensing boiler, added a thermostat to the heating and added a stove to the open fireplace. I had hoped the house may reach a B3 level but with no way of showing what the previous owner did this won't happen.

Is there any way around this? I have the old ber cert but apparently you can't use that as a baseline. It has the assessor number on it but there doesn't seem to be a way to figure out who that assessor is based on the number? Would the original assessor potentially have documents he could stand over for the last assessment and go from there? Any help/guidance is greatly appreciated!

cooperguy

Am I really the only person to come across this problem, or am I missing something obvious?

Falling

Hi,

Not in the exact same situation but recently had a BER assessor out for a SEAI grant approval. Still awaiting the result but a couple of things I did find out:

-I had the previous BER cert, which I'd downloaded from the national register. Apparently very useful! I also had receipts for anything I've had done (e.g. new door and panels), which apparently is also good to have.

-He said that basically if the previous assessor has done the job right, he should be able to pull down the supporting documentation. So, presumably the previous owner would have supplied receipts, invoices etc. and they would have been attached to the 'house file'.

He did also say however, that it's not always the case but there should be documents available to the assessor that are associated with the house. This was news to me so maybe that'll help?

The Ging and I

The organisation who the BER testers (SEAI ?) are attached to will have the contact details of the assessor and his ratings of your property.

Its a complete sham imo. Thermal photos would be a better solution.

Falling

Yeah, the assessor we had was measuring the depth of walls and all that kind of stuff to see if it differed from the size of standard building materials used at the time, in which case it'll have been lined etc.

Seems insane that there's not one readily available database with all upgrades noted, thermal photos and anything else associated with one address.

At least that way, people would have an idea of what they're paying for and not arranging for assessments and upgrades, only to find out a certain upgrade has already been done.

Madness.

Biker1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118751225#Comment_118751225

Thermal imaging wont tell you the manufacturer, type and thickness of insulation in the building fabric. GDPR has made a bollocks of trying to access information so SEAI may not release the assessors name.

The Ging and I

Thermal imaging will tell you if it is working and show any weak areas of insulation. I had it done years ago and found it very helpful. I rang SEAI and they gave me the name of the original assessor as I had installed newer more efficient windows and I wanted the rating adjusted.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118757597#Comment_118757597

thermal imaging is very useful tool to determine specific upgraded / alterations required to your specific house.

that is not what the BER system is for. The BER system is a comparison tool for comparing like with like dwellings.