Should I get a plumbing inspection on a property before purchasing it?

For most people, buying a property will be the largest investment they make in their life. As a result, it’s important that you get the whole process just right, from looking for the right house to closing the sale. There are a wide range of checks that you’ll need to carry out, one of which is a plumbing inspection.

Main reasons to get a pre-purchase plumbing inspection

There are a whole host of reasons why you should get a plumbing inspection from somewhere like Able Plumbing – these are a few of the most important ones.

Prevent larger issues further down the line

Even if you’re totally sure that you want to buy the property, and you don’t think that any plumbing issues will put you off, it’s important to know what condition the house is in. It could be that there’s urgent preventative maintenance that needs to be carried out, to help avoid larger issues occurring later on. Finding out about these issues sooner rather than later could be important, allowing you to get started on the work as soon as possible.

Negotiate the price

When negotiating how much you’re going to pay for the house, it’s crucial that you know exactly what it is that you’re buying. If you uncover any plumbing issues during the inspection, it can give you leverage to help bring the price down slightly. 

If, on the other hand, unexpected issues pop up after you’ve already purchased the house, you could end up spending a lot more than originally expected on repairs. In addition to just the plumbing issues, you could also have to pay for other structural work, especially if there have been ongoing leaks that have gone unnoticed.

Ensure your own safety

Properly functioning plumbing isn’t just practically important to ensure a warm and comfortable home – it’s also a key safety consideration. For example, a malfunctioning boiler can result in carbon monoxide leaks, which can often be fatal. Likewise, even a slowly leaking pipe can lead to serious structural damage to the frame of the building, potentially resulting in massive structural failures.

Insurance considerations

When getting home insurance, the provider will likely require that you carry out at least a certain level of due diligence in order to meet their terms. It’s crucial that you check whether this includes carrying out a plumbing inspection as well; should a plumbing issue pop up further down the line and it transpires that you haven’t conducted the necessary checks, you could find that your insurance provider is unwilling to pay for the repairs.

Plumbing inspections aren’t difficult to have carried out, and shouldn’t cost too much either. When purchasing a property, the potential benefits mean that it’s never worth skipping out. Whether it gives you a better hand to negotiate with, or helps to ensure that you stay safe in your new home, you should absolutely treat it as a non-negotiable part of the property-buying process.