Audrey
If you’re looking to sell your home, sometimes potential buyers may ask for certain reassurances relating to safety and other things. It’s worth arranging for trained professionals to provide certain UK certifications and safety checks in case buyers ask about the water or electricity in your property, for example.
When selling your property, the last thing you want is for the buyer to pull out because they’ve raised safety concerns. Of course, if your home does fail to get safety certificates, it may lead to more work to fix the issues. Here are the ways in which you can ensure your property is up to UK safety standards.
Gas Safety Certificate
As a property owner, this is something that you’re not legally obliged to have, but it’s worth having. For example, when selling your property, if there’s a problem with your gas supply and a buyer notices during a particularly thorough inspection, you may be losing out on potential sales. Getting an engineer who is registered with the Gas Safe Register to come and check your gas supply and boiler will allow you to be presented with a Gas Safety Certificate if everything is up to code. Of course, if your engineer identifies any issues, you’ll be able to fix them before selling, providing some extra confidence to buyers.
Electrical Installation Condition Report
Similar to gas safety, ensuring that the installed electrics in your property are safe for future owners or for you and your family if you’re not planning on selling anytime soon is a very responsible decision. The official UK certificate for electrical safety in properties is the EICR or electrical installation condition report. You can get these from organizations such as Trade Facilities Services, who can check out your UK-based property.
This will be conducted by a qualified electrician who will present you with an official certificate should your property pass. They will check that the circuits in the household are safe to use and if there are any risks of injury from electrical shock. They will also check if the property is earthed properly, allowing electrical current to flow down to the ground through the safest path should there be a fault.
Doors And Windows
While there aren’t any official regulations on your door and windows being safe, it’s worth noting that there are ways in which you can ensure these entry points into your property are as secure as possible. When it comes to your doors, a potential buyer may note whether or not they’re visibly sturdy and if they seem safe or not. There are, in fact, a surprising amount of security risks that come with doors and windows.
Most notably, doors without double locks and even door bars can be forced open quite easily. The Metropolitan Police have created a short guide to provide homeowners with security advice relating to their doors, and it’s worth following if you’re looking at getting a new door. Windows are similarly important to secure, and using reinforced glass as well as strong locks on your windows can really set your mind at ease, as well as the minds of any future buyers who may be security conscious.
