How to negotiate the cost of your new home

Many clients do not realise the condition of the electrics or the gas appliances when they are looking to buy a property. Finding this out before hand benefits you because not only can you see how much you will have to spend on the property when you move in but also you can use this information cleverly to negotiate the price of the property with the seller.

Of course, everyone knows that they have to get a surveyors report which highlights areas where there are problems in the property but you can go one step further and arrange for an Electrician and a Gas Engineer to carry out a full survey of the central heating and the electrics.

For example, if you are going to need a new boiler when you move in your new dream flat, then you need to remember that this will be quite a big cost when you have only just moved in. Imagine if you had no idea about this when you purchased the property. Annoying! The good thing is that if you know in advance that the boiler is old, then you can go ahead and tell the seller that this is a cost that you had not been prepared for. You can then negotiate the cost of the property.

Even when negotiating the price for a rented property, landlords have certain responsibilities that they have to comply with.

Here are a couple of the main reports you can organise before you purchase a property:

ELECTRICAL VISUAL INSPECTION REPORT

This is a visual report of the electrics of the property to highlight any major problems and make the client aware of any costs involved in carrying out remedial work. We charge an hourly rate of £85+VAT for this (allow around 2 hours for a 2-3 bedroomed property).

GAS SAFETY REPORT

The engineer will assess the safety of the gas appliances in the property including the boiler, cooker and gas fire. A certificate is produced with all the details of operating pressures, flue analyser readings and flue/chimney conditions and performance checks. These tests take around an hour to carry out and we charge £85+VAT.