Just about to exchange - Asbestos

bubsy82

Hiya
We have nothing left outstanding but to exchange and complete on our house we are trying to buy for £190,000 (reduced from £199,950).

We got our mortgage offer through last thursday and in the valuation report it mentioned asbestos.

So we call an expert and he has just been round and said there is asbestos everywhere, in every ceiling of the house and every roof.

To do just the ceilings and plasterboard and skim will cost us about £4,500/£5,000 apparently - we have plans on adding a floor to the building so the roof will eventually be replaced anyway but again in the valuation report the roof tiles are on their last legs aswell

We are getting the definite quotes through by the end of the day but I phoned the EA and they said she will 'probably' only drop the price by £2,500.

Another buyer previously pulled out at this stage and now I think I know what.

So what do we do? Im so utterly gutted we have our heart set on the place.

Thanks in advance

Old_Git

The site may be worth more than the house .
I would walk away .

Niv

When you say your asbestos expert said asbestos is everywhere. What did he do? Did he take samples for lab anaysis to confirm? If he just looked then what products is he identifying as asbestos? Age of the house would be useful too. A bit more info needed here if you could. For example if the ceiling asbestos is 'artex' type coating then there is no need to skim the ceiling just keep it painted (but tbh its a very low risk product when left in situ).

Technically you HAVE to take a sample to confirm the opresence of asbestos however some products are obvious (especally to the trained).

I used to be an asbestos surveyer and analyst so I am not just using hear-say in my opinions on this subject.

poppysarah

Reduce your offer in line with what makes you feel comfortable.
Ignore the EA ...
the seller has lost a previous buyer so will lose you if they don't drop the price.

delmar39

poppysarah wrote: »

Reduce your offer in line with what makes you feel comfortable.
Ignore the EA ...
the seller has lost a previous buyer so will lose you if they don't drop the price.

I'd listen to this advice - very sound. The work might be a pain, but you're in the driving seat. Seller will have to cross this bridge again and again if you pull out, so it's your chance to be positive in order to secure a deal that fits well with all concerned. Let's just hope the seller isn't a stubborn one.

bubsy82

The house was built in 1930 and the guy didnt take samples he just said there was asbestos on every ceiling and every roof - main, garage and the 2 outbuildings. The ceilings are smooth....

The place also needs part wiring and I was told if there is asbestos in the ceilings electricians are unlikely to take the job

:(:(:(:(:(:(

delmar39

bubsy82 wrote: »

The house was built in 1930 and the guy didnt take samples he just said there was asbestos on every ceiling and every roof - main, garage and the 2 outbuildings. The ceilings are smooth....

The place also needs part wiring and I was told if there is asbestos in the ceilings electricians are unlikely to take the job

:(:(:(:(:(:(

On this basis you won't be doing anything wrong by trying to renegotiate the price. As said above, the seller will have to go through this with future buyers if you pull out so labour this point if you still want to proceed.

bubsy82

Ok so my plan is to get the quote for doing the job and reduce my offer accordingly

if its meant to be, its meant to be I guess

Fingers crossed

delmar39

bubsy82 wrote: »

Ok so my plan is to get the quote for doing the job and reduce my offer accordingly

if its meant to be, its meant to be I guess

Fingers crossed

Good luck. I don't think the seller has got anything to argue about. We all want to get the best possible sale price, but one has to be reasonable and use some common sense when coming up against issues such as this. Labour the point to their EA and as someone said to me on here once - STAND YOUR GROUND. Easier said than done, but like you say if it's meant to be..... Keep us posted.

Niv

Actually the seller DOES have plenty to argue about. This expert you sent over did NOT take any samples and so there is no report/proof that there any asbestos at the property. I appriciate that the property is not yours howeverno formal survey appears to have been carried out on the place. A non intrusive survey is available (known as a type1) however this simply 'assumes' things to be asbestos.

As the house is a 1930's property it is unlikely that it was constructed with asbestos however later editions/modernisation could have. If the roofs are infact asbestos (either asbestos slate or 'big 6' type corrugated sheeting) then there is really no basis for a reduction as this material is pretty much harmless if maintained and not disturbed. I would be interested to know what your expert based his assumption of the ceilings being asbestos. You can get asbestos sheeting but without digging into it/taking a sample you cannot tell if it is just plasterboard or not (unless it has visable damage).

Asbestos being present does not mean there is any immediate health hazard present and as such any work proposed is done under personal preferance, not a cast iron basis for a significant price reduction.

delmar39

Niv wrote: »

Actually the seller DOES have plenty to argue about. This expert you sent over did NOT take any samples and so there is no report/proof that there any asbestos at the property. I appriciate that the property is not yours howeverno formal survey appears to have been carried out on the place. A non intrusive survey is available (known as a type1) however this simply 'assumes' things to be asbestos.

As the house is a 1930's property it is unlikely that it was constructed with asbestos however later editions/modernisation could have. If the roofs are infact asbestos (either asbestos slate or 'big 6' type corrugated sheeting) then there is really no basis for a reduction as this material is pretty much harmless if maintained and not disturbed. I would be interested to know what your expert based his assumption of the ceilings being asbestos. You can get asbestos sheeting but without digging into it/taking a sample you cannot tell if it is just plasterboard or not (unless it has visable damage).

Asbestos being present does not mean there is any immediate health hazard present and as such any work proposed is done under personal preferance, not a cast iron basis for a significant price reduction.

OP states that they are in the process of getting quotes for the work so any price reduction request will, I presume, be based on accurate figures. I agree that price reduction requests can get peoples backs up, but if there is a problem that needs sorting out it is within the sellers interest to work with the buyer who has an offer on the table rather than risking the whole thing falling through. Different if the homebuyer report is just airing on the side of caution. Just requires some further research and some accurate costings for potential work.