Gas/Electrical Safety Cert - transferable when house sells?

[CornflakeGrrrl79]

Could anybody advise me pls? In process of selling our house & it is fairly obvious the buyers plan to become landlords and let the property. Amongst other requests, they have insisted we provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report/periodic inspection - ok we have no problem doing this at our cost as we need to move, but is this certificate transferable with the property? Trying to find out the same answer regarding the gas (also want a safety certificate or equivalent for this) as under the impression that if they become landlords they may have to pay for all this again? Obv. I can understand they want to check there are no major issues but we don't want to waste our money if they will have to do the same thing again in their name. Been told it is and it isn't transferable by companies we have contacted for quotes so wondered if anyone knew on here?
Sorry it's a bit wordy - thanks for any advice.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

EICR's are "transferrable", because they belong with the installation. But you could have one done, and before the electrician is back in his van you could make changes which invalidate it, so I can't see how your purchaser could rely on it.

Check on Plumbing & CH about gas.

But if he wants you do get the inspections done, and you are happy to do that, then go ahead and leave him to pick up the pieces.

 

[rebuke]

For gas I suspect anything you did would not be useful to the buyer (other than as a "yes it's most likely all fine", as if renting out you have to get a landlords gas safety certificate, and I presume that's not what they're asking you for?

As for the electric side, there is no legal requirement to hold a certificate (the law is that it must be 'safe') - assuming it finds no problems a PIR is effectively saying that on the date on the document, subject to any provisos listed the installation was tested and found to be safe - as such that's just as relevant to the person who bought the place as you, and assuming they don't get any electrical work done I suspect should there be a problem in the next year or so would be accepted by a court as reasonable proof that the landlord believed everything to be safe to the best of their knowledge.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[CornflakeGrrrl79]

Thanks for all the replies - very useful getting other perspectives and advice

 

[Taylortwocities]

Make sure you explain to the spark the reason for the report. Reports can always be slanted, I've been doing it for years.

So, if I was doing the report for you, I would not be hyper critical and would apply a liberal interpretation of the regs. If I was doing it for the buyer my report would be the opposite.

That's just the sort of attitude that gets the honest majority of electricians a bad name.
Do you also sell Payment Protection Insurance in your spare time?

 

[holmslaw]

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[Adam_151]

Make sure you explain to the spark the reason for the report. Reports can always be slanted, I've been doing it for years.

Spoken like a true consultant

 

[RF Lighting]

I'm sure we've all done it. If you turn up to do an inspection and the customer is the most obnoxious person I've ever met, then I will go through that installation with a fine tooth comb and note every single last little thing I can possibly find.

 

[Adam_151]

I'm sure we've all done it. If you turn up to do an inspection and the customer is the most obnoxious person I've ever met, then I will go through that installation with a fine tooth comb and note every single last little thing I can possibly find.

Indeed, there is to my mind, some faults which sit between code 2 and 4* and can be successfully argued as either. 16mm² Tails on a 100A service fuse in a 2 bedroom terraced house could be noted as undersized giving rise to a potential for overloading. Or you could note that while inadequatly protected against overloading, an overload sustended for long enough to produce an unacceptable rise in conductor temperature is not likely given the nature and size of the premises.

Its as homslaw says, how you word it, as well as how you sum it up

As for attititude, I most often encounter what I call 'a forced pleasantness' they are nice enough to you, but underneath you can tell they are a tad unhappy that you are disrupting their site and requesting access to rooms/knowledge of locations of water and gas services/permission to isolate parts of the installation/previous certificates, but realise that its a necessary process.

* Yes, I know the numbering has changed with the new EICR, no need to remind me