House sale agreed, issue with boiler

vinniem

Hi all, asking for a friend here. Basically house sale agreed price etc and contracts ready for signing in next week. Purchasers allowed into house to measure up etc and have now said oil boiler not in great shape and will need replacing. The oil boiler is working and fully serviced, but yes would need replacing in next year or two imo. My view is purchasers should have brought this up and discussed/adjusted offer before going sale agreed? So what's the situation here? Can buyers ask for this after they agreed on purchase price and contracts about to be signed or are they simply chancing their arm because no one wants a sale to fall through at this late stage? Although purchasers have more to loose if sale falls through!

vinniem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853077#Comment_119853077

Agreed!

Wildly Boaring

If contracts not signed then I don't see it as too late to bring up.

Now, I have seen fairly shook looking oil burner last years on normal annual servicing.

Had an old firebird in my last house and the whole front was rust and muck when we bought. Got a proper service with new some parts, cost me 300 or 400, took the front off myself cleaned and painted. After that a normal annual service it's still going fine 10 years on. My point is, these are simple devices, if it works it works. Who's to day it's going to have to be replaced soon.

Anyway a sale is a negotiation. Purchaser wants a few quid off, it's not "chancing their arm". Interest rates are rising, secondhand sales are slowing, they know they might keep a few grand in their pocket here. Up to the seller to decide where they stand

A2LUE42

They can ask. But I know what my answer would be. It was up to them to have a survey and offer what they wanted based on that.

In the current market, it would be crazy for a purchaser to derail a sale over something like this.

From a seller's point of view, the price is agreed upon. If the buyer wants to withdraw, they can put the house up for sale again and in all likelihood, it would have a higher sale price.

Have they actually looked for a reduction in price?

Tefral

Id be inclined to offer them €500 in cash post deal and let them deal with themselves.

Other wise id be taking the line of a survey was done, house is sold as seen, withdraw if you want or not...

vinniem

Have they actually looked for a reduction in price?

Yes they initially wanted brand new boiler 😂😂 then looking for few grand off asking price.

Squatman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119852760#Comment_119852760

ten years ago 3-400 would have bought a new grant boiler. think it was 700 when i bought a new one 2 years ago

Trigger Happy

A few grand off the asking price? They are taking the piss. If they want to pull out then let them - they would be nuts to do so.

And dont be offering them cash post deal...not in this market and not for a non-issue like an old boiler.

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119852794#Comment_119852794

I'm sure they'd get a brand new boiler in a brand new house.

As mentioned they can ask but be prepared because if there were a couple of offers seller may just go back to estate agent. Seller may already be looking at options if they asked for a few grand off. 🙈

vinniem

Thanks all, great replies exactly what I was thinking. The sale agreed price is the sale price, no negotiations after offer made and contract signing imminent.. If you don't do a proper survey etc then you have no comeback. It's like buying a 20year old car, and then going back to garage and telling them u want a brand new engine.. Crazy stuff 🙄😂👍

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058271054/house-sale-agreed-issue-with-boiler

I thought my parents boiler was going to bite the dust within a few months and started pricing up replacements. That was 15 years ago and its still going. Those things are like tanks. They will be battered to bits and still keep going.

moceri

caveat emptor. Buyer should have a survey before making an offer.

Klopp

I had a similar but we had already signed the contracts. The boiler was gone, it was in bits, and once I opened it, it was full of rust, dirt and water leaking. We had an engineer out who replaced parts but it didn't fix it and this was during Xmas, the weather was brutal and everywhere was closing for the holidays. We had to get a replacement. We had the house surveyed ( 700e ) and there was no mention of an issue with the boiler or that it would need replacing. I was still annoyed over it as it was an extra cost and a delay but I put it down to it being my own fault for not inspecting it closer.

vinniem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853286#Comment_119853286

In fairness, you done things right and paid for a survey which didn't pick it up. I'd be more annoyed with person who performed the survey! Anyway boiler has been checked out by plumber today and as it was serviced all along all it needs is a few nuts tightened costing €50! Buyer was really trying it on in this case as had said his plumber said needed to be replaced

Klopp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853321#Comment_119853321

Once you regularly service a boiler and have the papers there is nothing a buyer can do.

Sleeper12

What if they decide the house needs to rewired or replumbed?

I wouldn't be pandering to them. They aren't buying a new house with new appliances or a snag list. So long as the boiler is functioning when they take possession your legal responsibility is fulfilled

jimf

as sleeper said above

1641

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853077#Comment_119853077

Unless in the case of an auction it is very rare for a survey to be done before making an offer. Indeed, it is most commonly done after going sale agreed.

Until the contracts are signed the purchaser can do whatever they want. Ask for a reduction because of the boiler, or for anything else. The vendor does not have to agree though. It may or may not risk the sale.

1641

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853911#Comment_119853911

The contracts have not been signed, so there are no legal responsibilities either way. They are probably chancing their arm, but this is a decision the vendor has to make - or a risk they have to take.

Sleeper12

As the seller I would ask myself how much time, money and emotion have the buyers invested in the this. Are they really going to walk away from the deal because the perfectly functioning boiler is old and may need to be replaced in the next few years?

I'd happily call their bluff

zoobizoo

We went Sale Agreed on a house and the guy doing to survey never mentioned anything to us about:

-boiler pipes which should have been X but they were Y

-the fact that the extraction fan for the boiler fumes was going into neighbours side entrance and they could request for us to move it, at a cost of €100 a metre (would have cost us about 800 quid)

-the water tank seal was broken and we may have been looking at getting it or the tank replaced.

All of the above was brought to our attention by a plumber we had to give the place the once over.

We brought the first issue to the vendor's attention and they replaced the pipes. We were at the time a bit desperate for somewhere and this property would "do". They took their time coming back to us about a few things, their solicitor was so slow and a week before signing, I found a different house that didn't have those issues, was cheaper and in a better location for us. So we pulled out of the purchase. That house is still on the market 3 months later and it's for sale for 50k lower than we offered for it.

A new boiler I think costs €2000. You could knock a few hundred off for them to keep them sweet. Presumably it would only be a small percentage of the sale price of the house.

1641

@vinniem

You don't mention the survey - has this been done yet? If not, it may be another occasion for them trying to re-negotiate. Whether you offer them any discount for the boiler or not (your call) I would insist on the contracts being signed by them by a specified date and not "subject to survey", ie, they must have the survey done first or forget it. Otherwise it goes back on the market.

Cerco

Purchasers may be playing for time to get their finances in order. I would not renegotiate the price or offer any other concession. Tell them the price is set on the the house as is. In all probability they will have planned a boiler upgrade themselves.given the focus on energy efficiency these days.

if you are using an estate agent then let them deal with the issue, they are well used to this type last minute attempts to reduce price. They will get a sense on the thoughts of the purchasers on whether they might pull out of the deal or not

vinniem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119855459#Comment_119855459

No I didn't mention the survey because as far as I'm aware the buyer didn't bother with one.

vinniem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119857827#Comment_119857827

Very good advice, I'll pass that on. Thank you

Lgt

As per your statement, your friend knows the boiler need to be replaced so if I was him I will knock the price by the value of a new boiler (cost less than Eur 1000) if he wants a quick sale since the contract is not signed to be on the safe side.

3DataModem

Pre-contracts they can do whatever they want.

But also...

...pre-contracts they YOU can do whatever YOU want.

So tell them (NOT DIRECTLY, VIA SOLICITOR OR AGENT) that because they have raised an issue, they can either;

(a) adjust their offer, and see if you will accept. Remind them if you don't accept, house back on market.

(b) as the solicitor to add conditions to the contract, and see if you will accept. Remind them if you don't accept, house back on market.

(c) sign the contracts.

(d) withdraw their offer (i.e. withdraw from the sale)

Tell your sales agent to be ready to put the place back on the market, if they don't do a/b/c X days (I'm thinking 3-5 working days).

In the above case, the agent will be **** themselves that they'll lose the sale, and they'll be doing whatever they can not to lose the buyer.

vinniem

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119862367#Comment_119862367

Thanks you, I'll pass that on 👍

Eire Go Brach

Just chancing their arm.

In all fairness. This is wear and tear. Stuff comes to end of life. This is what happens when you buy a house. I don't blame them for asking. But as If I was selling I would say no.

It's not as if its structural or unsafe.

We had an issue where work was done on the house were where buying. Needed to be signed off by an architect. Went back on forth a bit. But any descent survey would find this if we had pulled out. It would have came up with someone else.

I