Wouldn’t it be nice to have a boiler installer your letting agency could rely on?
As a letting agent, you tend to be the middle man who gets to handle all the fun stuff such as utility management and boiler installations – so finding a boiler installer often comes down to you.
There’s nothing worse than being left in the lurch with a condemned boiler, concerned clients and angry tenants with no hot water or central heating. Can you imagine? Maybe you’ve already been there.
Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the most important things you’re going to need is a reliable, trustworthy boiler installer that you can depend upon at every turn – sometimes even two or three more as a backup, just in case.
So, where you you find these trustworthy, reliable boiler installers that are worth their weight in gold and will see you through the bad times and the good?
Below, I’ve put together some things letting agents should should look out for in a boiler installer.
Check online
Now, it’s true that websites aren’t the most important thing when finding a boiler installer – there are probably some wonderful installers out there who have absolutely awful websites.
However, checking an installer’s website should ideally give you a good idea about a company’s background and customer values. Do they care about their customers? Do they work with letting agencies a lot?
Check their website has the full company address and landline displayed, so you know exactly where they are based and that you should be able to contact them easily. Always scope out a company online if possible before going any further.
TIP: You could also try searching the Gas Safe register to find out more about an installer.
Speak to them on the phone
Your next step is to pick up the phone and give them a call. This should help give you the best idea of the services they can provide (such as CP12 certification or maintenance contract).
Being able to talk to someone and asking some well thought-out questions should allow you to get a better idea of the level of communication and professionalism you can expect from the company in question.
Don’t forget to take a mental note of how long it takes for you to get through to a real person – if it takes a long time, or you’re put through to an answering service, imagine how annoying that could be in an emergency.
Ask about CP12 certificates
This is absolutely essential, as the boiler installer you choose should be able to provide a CP12 certificate for ALL the gas appliances in your property.
This includes the fire and cooker, as well as your boiler. Check that the resulting certificate will be clearly documented, and will include any advisory work or defects as per gas safety regulations.
Get a quote
If one of your clients needs a new boiler installed right away, or any other work carried out on their existing boiler, I recommend getting a home visit so that the quote you are given is a fixed price.
Usually when installing a new boiler, you only really need to provide one quote to a landlord before asking if it’s okay to go ahead with the work. However, when choosing a new boiler installer, you may find it beneficial to get two or three quotes.
This will at least allow you to see who is charging you a reasonable amount of money, and whether they are recommending any unnecessary work that perhaps the others aren’t mentioning.
Build a relationship
In my experience, it really pays off to find a boiler installer/heating engineer you can gradually build up a relationship with – so you’ll have someone you can rely on if anything goes wrong.
If you can find a reliable boiler installer, building up this relationship can equally beneficial to both parties. The boiler installer will appreciate you putting extra work their way before anyone else, and will in turn give you a great, reliable service.
TIP: I’d recommend getting at least two or three fully competent boiler installers on your books, just in case one of them is ever too busy.
Things to avoid
There are a few things you should try and avoid when choosing a boiler installer. These include:
- Estimated quotes – always get a home visit and a fixed price quote
- Engineers who specialise in servicing – you need them to be fully competent boiler installers, too
- Only being able to certify some of your appliances – a CP12 must cover ALL gas appliances
- Automatic answering services (press ‘2’ to stay on the line)
- Non-accredited installers
- Short guarantees
Conclusion
If you want a boiler installer your letting agency can truly rely on, follow the above tips when choosing a company you want to work with.
Ideally, you should be looking for a reliable, trustworthy installer who will take your calls and service your clients’ properties throughout the years – at a reasonable price.
Always:
- Check online
- Speak to them on the phone
- Ask about CP12 certificates
- Get a quote
- Build a relationship
And remember, avoid a company who only give estimated quotes, can’t certify all your gas appliances, only specialise in servicing, have non-accredited installers, and offer short guarantees.
Lastly, if it takes too long to get through to your chosen boiler installer, it should set alarm bells ringing.
