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Buying a used houseboat: what to check before you sign
Short answer
With a used houseboat the hull is only part of the story.
Before you sign, check whether the mooring and any permission to live aboard pass to you,
what paperwork exists for gas, electrics and waste water,
and what an independent survey says about its condition.
A used houseboat is rarely just a boat. It usually comes with a mooring, a contract with a marina, a navigation authority or a landowner, perhaps permission to live aboard, and a full set of domestic systems: gas, electrics, heating and waste water. Residential moorings are scarce in many places. A lovely houseboat without a secure mooring may end up having to move or come out of the water. So the first question is whether the mooring agreement can be transferred, on what terms and whether living aboard is allowed, and the answer should come from whoever grants the mooring, not just from the seller.
Then the boat itself. An independent surveyor finds what a viewing will not: plate thickness below the waterline on steel, planking and fastenings on wood, cracks and damp in concrete or plastic floats. Ask for evidence of a gas safety inspection, the state of the electrics including shore power and RCD protection, the heating and its flue, and where black and grey water go. If paperwork is missing, put the cost of inspections and upgrades into your offer, and ask the seller for a list of past damage and repairs.
Sort out insurance before completion, not after. Many insurers want a recent survey for a houseboat, plus details of the mooring and whether it is lived on, before they will quote. Asking early tells you which defects have to be put right first, and you can write that into the sale contract. Record in the contract which equipment, additions and documents are included. With a survey, the paperwork and a secure mooring you are buying a home rather than a project.
Worth remembering
The boat
survey, gas, electrics, heating, waste water
The mooring
agreement and residential use do not transfer by themselves
Settle the mooring and the survey, then sign.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Does the mooring come with the houseboat?
Not automatically. The mooring agreement is a separate contract with the marina, authority or landowner, and they decide whether it can be transferred. Get that in writing before you buy.
Do I need a survey on a used houseboat?
It is strongly advisable, and many insurers ask for a recent one on houseboats anyway. Use a surveyor who works for you, not for the seller.
When should the insurance start?
From the moment the risk passes to you, at the latest on completion. Ask early and you will know what conditions an insurer sets before you sign.
Related
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Whether it is “Buying a used houseboat: what to check before you sign” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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Templates
Boat sale contract and used boat checklist
A bilingual sale contract and a checklist for the viewing, free to print.
