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In order to have a thorough inspection all utilities should be on. It is something that should have been mentioned in the contract that it was a requirement of the sale to have utilities on from contract to closing. How long is your contingency for the home inspection?
If it wasn't in your purchase agreement you might have to get it turned on yourself. The seller should provide permission if the utility asks for it. And don't forget any other utilities that might need turning on, such as water, gas.......
If it wasn't in your purchase agreement you might have to get it turned on yourself.
Thanks, is this as easy as calling up Con Ed and asking them to turn it on?? I can't imagine seller disagreeing since electric bill would be minimal for 10 days of closing or so??
Water checks out, I guess I have to make the same phone to PSEG for gas? Does something like this usually take days?
We're planning to inspect (or hire inspector) a 2 bedroom apartment just prior to closing in case we need credits from seller...
Since the seller hasn't lived there in 9 months or so, he canceled PSE&G electric to save $$ so the lights don't turn on...
The listing pictures have the lights turned on... During inspection we want to check all outlets...
How are we to do so if PSEG turned electric off per agent?
Is it reasonable to ask seller to call PSEG and turn on electricity so we can check lights just a week before closing??
Thanks
Where is your real estate agent? They should be handling this detail for you, or at the very least making sure you have all of the information needed to have the utilities turned on! Your agent should have known the utilities were turned off and made sure that your offer contract had the proper contingencies in it for the seller to have them turned on for the inspection.
I would say that you need to be speaking with your agent to see where he/she dropped the ball on your behalf!
I agree that your agent should be addressing this, but..... Most utility companies that I have ever used are happy to turn the power (or water or gas or whatever) on for you to do an inspection and I have never been charged for this. You have to let them know as soon as you have a time for the inspection and they will turn it on that day.
The only time I have ever had a problem was when there was a very large unpaid bill to the water company and they would not turn the water on until the bill was paid. The listing agent paid the bill out of her pocket, knowing that I would have walked away if I could not have done a complete inspection.
Your inspection results are not a contingency of the sale? Most inspections are done at the beginning of escrow with a time period to accept the results and yes, the utilities all have to be on. Even on REOs the tightwad banks will let the power be turned back on!
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The selling agent should arrange to have the power and water turned on. Most brokerages (where I am) have arrangements with the utilities to cover any required deposits and the seller will be responsible to pay any turn on charges.
Some areas can do it all on the phone, others they will actually come out and pull and replace the meter.
We're planning to inspect (or hire inspector) a 2 bedroom apartment just prior to closing in case we need credits from seller...
Since the seller hasn't lived there in 9 months or so, he canceled PSE&G electric to save $$ so the lights don't turn on...
The listing pictures have the lights turned on... During inspection we want to check all outlets...
How are we to do so if PSEG turned electric off per agent?
Is it reasonable to ask seller to call PSEG and turn on electricity so we can check lights just a week before closing??
Thanks
If you are waiting until just prior to the closing to do an inspection, and you used a standard NJ Real Estate Contract (I'm assuming you are in NJ based on referenced to PSEG and Con Ed) then you've most likely waiting too long, unless you did an inspection already and things are all of a sudden not working now.
These things are part of your due diligence (as a buyer) and should have been done just after coming out of attorney review (assuming you are in NJ) and both your attorney and agent should have made sure you were aware of this especially if you failed to read the portion of the contract reagarding rights to an inspection.
In order to get the utlilities turned on (here in NJ) it can be a little more difficult than in other parts of the country as the utlility company will require a credit check and possibly a down payment (normally $500 for a Real Estate Agent or Company).
If you are closing in a few days you can have them turned on in your name a few days prior - although if they have been off for too long they may require an interior inspection to ensure that everything is connected properly and there isn't any dangerious conditions. If you call, they will explain everything to you.
Thanks, is this as easy as calling up Con Ed and asking them to turn it on?? I can't imagine seller disagreeing since electric bill would be minimal for 10 days of closing or so??
Water checks out, I guess I have to make the same phone to PSEG for gas? Does something like this usually take days?
There is a small misunderstanding in this post.
You can call to have service put in your name, where you pay the bill. The seller can call to have service put back in their name so they pay the bill. But for most utility companies, you can not call and have service turned on in someone else's name so they have to pay the bill.
Is the home winterized? If not, you definitely need all services turned back on for the inspection, since you might have frozen pipes. If it was winterized, it might add a day or two to the turn on process, since things have to be done in a certain order so that you don't have burnt out water heaters, etc, and in my area, the gas company has to come in and light pilot lights, which means someone has to meet them there.
Additionally, as joeymarine said, you have to do your inspections during certain time frames, usually within a few days of the contract being accepted, or you lose the right to ask for anything found during inspection to be fixed/credited. In my area, this is called a "inspection contingency period". A few days before closing is usually too late unless it is a really fast closing, like on a cash offer.
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