Survey - Asbestos - HELP!!

Tahiti

onestep wrote:

hi

our garage roof has asbestos in it (built in the 1930s) and there are no problems - we've been in the house 5 years. I think as long as you don't start drilling or cutting it then there shouldn't be any exposure.

onestep

That's what I've been told too.

Anyway, the vendor is unwilling to pay anything towards the repair, or complete the works themelves.

Time to think things over...

robwend

all for tha sake of a garage,well possibly you dont really want the house?, or is it really just because you know what it is

clairehi

Tahiti wrote:

That's what I've been told too.

Anyway, the vendor is unwilling to pay anything towards the repair, or complete the works themelves.

Time to think things over...

reading the thread the vendors are the executors/beneficiaries of a will?

call their bluff ,theyd probably rather have the money sooner than later. it will make very little difference to them exactly what they get.

£5K off the asking spunds like a pretty generous offer if it needs redecorating and bathroom as well as the garage roof.

Tahiti

robwend wrote:

all for tha sake of a garage,well possibly you dont really want the house?, or is it really just because you know what it is

It's for the sake of another £2k that needs to be spent (the garage is attached both to the house we are looking to buy, and also to next door so the work cannot be avoided for any length of time). I'm not going to go into how much I earn, but that is a significant amount of money to me. This extra £2k stretches our already stretched finances. The appearance of asbestos was my first concern, but now it purely comes down to cost.

The wife loves the house and I think it's got potential. Equally, I think there's a number of others out there that are comparable, and tick the same number of boxes.

"You know what it is". I'm not sure what you mean? The garage roof aside, we are more than willing to take on the other issues - a couple of windows, new ceilings x2 (one requires complete replacement, the other needs repair and skim), bathroom, decorating, and various minor bits and pieces. These were all costed for when we put in the offer so I'm not having a reality check as such.

clairehi wrote:

reading the thread the vendors are the executors/beneficiaries of a will?

call their bluff ,theyd probably rather have the money sooner than later. it will make very little difference to them exactly what they get.

£5K off the asking spunds like a pretty generous offer if it needs redecorating and bathroom as well as the garage roof.

That's right Claire - the Executors are dealing, but they are dealing via an adviser so I'm not 100% sure who we are really dealing with (neither do I know that the Estate Agent is playing it straight).

I think the offer was fair, taking aside the garage roof. Not a bargain by any stretch of the imagination, but fair. I say this on the basis that there are three other comparable houses within a half mile, ranging from asking prices of £220k to £235k (the one up for £235k has been slightly extended), and they have been on the market for a long time (one for well over a year, another for about 10 months, and the other since the autumn).

We've had someone else to have a look at the repair, and they have quoted over £2k to repair as well.

Purely from the point of view of a business transaction, I'd walk away. My wife feels differently. I'm still thinking it over...

robwend

my comment saying"you know what it is " i was meaning as you know its asbestos its bothering you so much that you feel unable to go through the purchase. personally i think you shoudl walk away, not because of the asbestos but because you are unable to make your mind up even after this threads been going for ages, the house ive brought it smaller and only half my furniture fits in!, needs £20,000 spent on it and has asbestos under roof, i spent time finding out about the asbestos and made my mind up very quickly to carry on with the sale as i LOVE the location, i feel you are going to be getting to the point of really messing the seller about now, its time you made up your mind,

Tahiti

Fair point. At this stage, the seller's solicitor's still holding things up though. According to our solicitor yesterday, they haven't provided half the info that has been requested.

The asbestos isn't the issue now. It's the cost of sorting out the problem - a problem the surveyor reckons will NEED to be done within a couple of years. As the beams are inserted into the next door neighbours house and flashings are attached to it, it can't really be put off much longer.

I have organised one final quote to be done, and will make a decision as to whether to bite the bullet after that. At least then, I know that the estimates are realistic, and I won't end up with an even bigger bill.

silvercar

Purely from a financial point of view, the asbestos will cost £2k to deal with, how much will it cost for survey, searches and legal work on a new property?

nachi

I am in almost the exact same situation as you, only much further down the line.

Asbestos in the garage roof of the property I'm buying? Yes, but I can live with it for now. When I replace the roof I intend to use solar energy tiles which will be part-funded by a government grant and will save me lots of money on heating in the long term.
This is not something most people would consider if they didn't need to have a roof removed so I am looking on it as a pretty good opportunity to save me money in the future.

But then I am planning on living in the house for a long time. Mainly because I never want to deal with another estate agent, surveyor or conveyancing solicitor again for as long as I live.

Has your solicitor SEEN the Probate? I was supposed to complete on Monday this week - all ready to move - I was lied to by the vendor's solicitors all week and it now turns out that Probate is not complete. Took till Friday before I knew this for sure - my own solicitor is useless too and I am getting informed by the estate agent now. Meanwhile my solicitor is earning interest on all the money and I am paying the mortgage on a property that I still don't own.

We are still waiting and exchange & completion will be next week at least. *Here's the important point - This delay has now cost me and my partner at least the cost of the garage roof so far*. So check the Probate carefully before you agree to a completion date, would be my advice to you. Oh, and they can't even sign the contract till they have that probate either.

Tahiti

Good question silvercar. On the legal side of things, we have been told we'd get a bit of a subsidy so we're looking at another couple of hundred. The survey? We stupidly paid out for this survey, but have since found a husband of a colleague who will do a full (unofficial) structural report in return for a good bottle of brandy (if only we'd known before!!!). I haven't discussed the "valuation fee" with the mortgage provider though.

Searches, the usual cost. All in all, it's certainly a lot less than a couple of grand, but ideally avoided!

Nachi - firstly, I hope you get everything sorted out! As for your points, you're right, I hadn't even considered solar panels (even though I had considered using them elsewhere). I don't for one minute think that I can afford to have the work done, but I'm intrigued by what you've discovered?

We too are planning to live there for a while - mainly for the same reasons as you, plus it will be our "family" home.

As for Probate, our solicitor is still waiting for the vendors solicitor to provide basic documentation. Everyone else is ready to go!

I am not prepared to sign until I have something in writing to confirm that Probate is complete, but more to the point, the basic information is required first!

Best of luck to you - moving is not the most fun of experiences! Can you not get the interest back from your solicitors though? Just a thought.

nachi

Well, just to add insult to injury I've realised that the solar energy (PV) grants the government were giving out have now ended - last week. Ho hum, that's just the way my luck seems to be going these days!

They have put tons of dosh aside in the latest budget though for this type of renewable home energy.
They just don't know how they're going to do it yet. As per usual.
The solar grant WAS for 40 - 50% of the cost so it shouldn't be any less than that in the future if they're trying to encourage people to come get their money. For once.

Energy Saving Trust latest
http://portal.est.org.uk/housingbuildings/news/pressreleases/index.cfm?mode=view&press_id=457

You are right to beware of the Probate, it would be useful if you could find out what stage they are at in the process and whether it is a straightforward case. If it is then it takes 3 - 4 weeks according to the probate & inheritance tax helpline (08453020900 - very helpful) - if it is being dealt with by their solicitor. If the vendor is doing it then it will take longer because they need to go to an interview.

Suddenly the asbestos roof doesn't seem so much of a problem? It's the least of MY worries right now - I have to unpack for a few days and I can't remember where I put anything!

And I will try to get the interest back but I don't hold out much hope - my solicitor hates me now because I've caused him so much grief. Yeah, it's all my fault, of course.