Just about to exchange - Asbestos

poppysarah

If it is "harmless until disturbed" and the OP wants to do the loft and change the ceilings then the cost of extra work should be taken into account.

The buyer can offer LESS for any reason they like. The seller doesn't have to accept of course.

Niv

part of the problem is that the 'quotes for work' are being done on the basis of the materials being asbestos which has not been confirmed. Let me put this into some perspective - Some asbestos stripping companies also offer asbestos surveys. Funny how they find more asbestos than is actually there?? If the company/individual that 'found' the asbestos is also the camplany/individual that is quoting for work I as a seller would not accept the findings as the 'expert' could potentially be making work for themselves.

Delmar - You state a problem needs to be sorted. what problem? There is still no proof of any asbestos. Unless ofcourse the expert had put this in writing.

poppy - to 'do the loft' i am assuming you mean floor it etc. Not a problem even if the roof slate is asbestos. If you mean replace the roof because the buyer doesnt like it then, again no basis for a reduction. If I view a house and decide i dont like the colour of the roof I have no basis to reduce the offer i make on the house.

I would be interested if the OP could confirm 1, if the expert is the same person quoting for the work and 2, if he has undertaken any sort of survey and put any of this in writing. This will go a long was in determining any real problems this property may have.

Ofc the buyer can offer less for the property if they like. All I am trying to stress is the presence of asbestos in a property does NOT automatically mean there is a real basis for a reduction in the offer on it.

delmar39

Niv wrote: »

Delmar - You state a problem needs to be sorted. what problem? There is still no proof of any asbestos. Unless ofcourse the expert had put this in writing.

No I stated that "if there is a problem that needs sorting," which indicates that OP needs to do some investigative work to make sure that there is indeed a problem, as you quite rightly point out.

I'm just going on what has been written by OP. The valuation report mentioned asbestos, which as you quite rightly say doesn't mean that there is an immediate problem. OP says that they called in an expert to get a quote. You're suggesting that the quote could be a dodgy one, made by a company who exagerates and inflates their costs - i.e. a cowboy. However, we don't know that this is the case. You're right to raise these points and concerns and you're right to advise OP to do some thorough investigations to make sure that there is indeed a problem. If all done correctly with a reputable contractor the price reduction should be a fair one.

bubsy82

The asbestos issue was brought up in the valuation report that arrived with my mortgage offer. It said there is significant asbestos within the property and while unharmed it is considered safe at present we might have problems with marketability in the future and the costs will be significant to get rid of it prompting us to have the asbestos expert come out.

I was also concerned as there is wallpaper on some ceilings, we planned on stripping the house of wallpaper (its covered in the stuff), paint all the walls and ceilings and finish the partial rewiring. I was afraid this would disturb the asbestos and I was also told we would struggle to find an electrician who would work on asbestos ceilings.

We were recommended the company from a friend and he came out and didnt carry out any tests i.e digging into the ceiling but did say where the asbestos was. He has now gone away to give us 3 quotes: 1 for doing just the ceilings, 2 for the ceilings and main roof and 3 for a complete asbestos removal.

delmar39

bubsy82 wrote: »

The asbestos issue was brought up in the valuation report that arrived with my mortgage offer. It said there is significant asbestos within the property and while unharmed it is considered safe at present we might have problems with marketability in the future and the costs will be significant to get rid of it prompting us to have the asbestos expert come out.

I was also concerned as there is wallpaper on some ceilings, we planned on stripping the house of wallpaper (its covered in the stuff), paint all the walls and ceilings and finish the partial rewiring. I was afraid this would disturb the asbestos and I was also told we would struggle to find an electrician who would work on asbestos ceilings.

We were recommended the company from a friend and he came out and didnt carry out any tests i.e digging into the ceiling but did say where the asbestos was. He has now gone away to give us 3 quotes: 1 for doing just the ceilings, 2 for the ceilings and main roof and 3 for a complete asbestos removal.

Sounds to me like you've got it covered. Good luck. Keep us posted.

jason_nevin

My advice to you would be to get an asbestos survey carried out (by a UKAS accredited company) at the property and that way you'll know what you're dealing with. Asbestos comes in many weird and wonderful forms and the relatively low cost of the survey could save you thousands.

There are various of reasons why;

• Its alot easier to get three impartial quotes from removal companies whe they have a definitive report in front of them (essential).
• The home surveyor is not asbestos-trained and there may actually be much more then you bargained for
• You'll know exactly what you've got, what state its in and what risk it poses (all included in the report).

A type 2 survey should cost around £200-300 (shop around) and you can normally get it all done in a week. Could be the best £200 you ever spend.

Niv

jason_nevin wrote: »

My advice to you would be to get an asbestos survey carried out (by a UKAS accredited company) at the property and that way you'll know what you're dealing with. Asbestos comes in many weird and wonderful forms and the relatively low cost of the survey could save you thousands.

There are various of reasons why;

• Its alot easier to get three impartial quotes from removal companies whe they have a definitive report in front of them (essential).
• The home surveyor is not asbestos-trained and there may actually be much more then you bargained for
• You'll know exactly what you've got, what state its in and what risk it poses (all included in the report).

A type 2 survey should cost around £200-300 (shop around) and you can normally get it all done in a week. Could be the best £200 you ever spend.

Agree with this ^^^

It is still not clear in my mind what asbestos product is meant to be on the ceiling. Is it the paper on the ceiling or some panels or the ceiling material itself? If its the ceiling itself, how did anyone identify this as asbestos from under the wallpaper?

As for total removal, in some cases this can actually cause more issues than leaving in situ. Personally get the type 2 done go from there. For instance; unless you are considering substantial work on your roof why do you want to remove the asbestos slates/corrugated sheets?

Good luck with the house hope you it goes smoothly for you. i just hope I have been of some help to you.

bubsy82

You have all been an amazing help. Thank you so much.

The Asbestos guy said it was asbestos cement that was in the ceilings.

The roof isnt a problem as its a bungalow and we have plans to change the pitch of the roof and add in a floor in 2 years time hopefully.

This morning we have told the Estate agent we want the offer reduced by £4000 (basically the costs of removing and replastering the ceilings) or we are pulling out.

We will be booking a survey type 2 aswell.

Fingers crossed!!!

Niv

Asbestos cement ceilings. That makes sense good insulation between the room and the loft space, possibly identified from inside the loft if the ceilings are papered.

Good luck with your revised offer, I hope it all goes well.

bubsy82

Update!

Well good news the seller has reduced the offer by £4000 so we can redo all the ceilings!

Im so pleased

Thank you for all your help

Em xx