BER year of construction accuracy

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Roro999

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There is a cottage I am interested in bidding on.

The BER cert states built 1924.

Where would the BER inspector have got this from and where can I check it's accuracy ?
 
In every case where I required a BER the assessor simply asked me when had the property been constructed and used the answer I gave on the BER cert. I was not required to provide evidence or proof, nor did I have to provide the the information in writing.
 
My BER assessor never asked me at all and put down a year five years before the house was built according to my neighbour.

He was lazy and just guessing. But it should be obvious if a house was built in the 1960s rather than the 1920s.
 
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Roro999 said:
It matters to me because it looks about 60 years old and I wondered if it's accurate.
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But what practical impact is it going to have on you if the date is inaccurate?

Anyway, for what it's worth...
m.independent.ie

How do I find out when my house was built?

Query: We live in an old property with some unusual architectural features but I've no idea when it was built. How can I find out the age of my house? Therese, Galway
m.independent.ie m.independent.ie
 
It could have an impact if using something like Living City Initiative, are there some insurance companies that won't quote for houses over 100 years etc. OP based on the age, the census probably won't be useful as earliest one is 1911 but maybe some Ordinance Survey/Tailte maps might help? They often refer to them on the Great Home Revival show where they can find the earliest traced map of a property?
 
When renovating our house we found a note from the plasterers so we know when it was plastered anyways!
 
misemoi said:
It could have an impact if using something like Living City Initiative, are there some insurance companies that won't quote for houses over 100 years etc.
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But you wouldn't use the date of construction from the BER cert for such purposes. What does it matter if the date is incorrect on the BER cert?
 
My reading of the post was that this was the only document that the OP has regarding year of construction. Certainly at this stage when just looking before viewing I would imagine it would be. I thought they were asking on that basis, to see if it was accurate and could be relied on.
 
The manuals for inspectors are available online on the SEAI website: seai.ie/ber/support-for-ber-assessors/deap

The guidance for determining year of construction is on p28 of the survey guide (seai.ie /sites/default/files/publications/DEAP-Survey-Guide.pdf) and p70 of the assessment software guide (seai.ie/sites/default/files/publications/DEAP_Guidance_Document.pdf)

It is preferable to use legal documents (e.g. commencement notice; planning notices):
• Check with Local Authority or www. pleanala.ie
• maps.osi .ie/publicviewer/ shows maps from 2005, 2000, 1995

If legal documents are not available, use evidence from at least 2 of:
• Stylistic evidence - e.g. check for similar on Irish section of Tabula: webtool. building-typology.eu
• Plates on dwelling or development showing year of construction
• Age on electricity meter
• Year of glazing printed between panes or on concealed edge of frame. Open the window/door to check.
• Homeowner knowledge – retain this in writing

If evidence conflicts, err on the side of caution by selecting the “older” option.
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(links broken to get around the low postcount spam filter)
 
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I have access ro the Land Registry Folio and the first entry on that is 1960. Does that not mean it was built in 1960 or thereabouts and that the BER is way out in stating 1920 ?
 
Dr Strangelove said:
Both have different years!
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You can actually download the full set of BERs on the public register (i.e. the most recent unexpired cert for each dwelling):
ndber.seai .ie/BERResearchTool/ber/search.aspx

If you plot the number of dwellings by the year of construction, there are large spikes on round years in older decades (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 etc), implying some amount of guesswork (see attached - I could only load about 80% of the records on my machine, so the counts are wrong but the pattern should give the idea).

So I don't think it is that reliable for older dwellings.
 

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