Builder/Roofer Question

milliebear00001

My surveyor suspects the house I am buying has tiles with asbestos in them. The Vendor of the property has commissioned a roofer/builder to examine them. He says they are definitely not asbestos. I was under the impression that only testing would reveal the true content, and that this would need to be carried out by a specialist firm.

Would you know if you're a builder or roofer? What do you do when you do work on a property - do you ask the owner/insist on checks? What would make you suspicious of asbestos content? (I know asbestos roofs often have mossy growth on them, and this one does, but is that the only sign?)

ormus

any north facing roof can have moss growing on it.

i would only trust an old roofer with many yrs experience to say the roof is clear of asbestos.
otherwise id want a proper sample inspection in a lab.
ask the vendor for an indemnity if hes so coc k sure.

milliebear00001

Ooh, how would an indemnity policy work then? Isn't that a kind of insurance? Would they take out the policy, but I would be able to claim on it?

vaio

you can be sure that any insurance policy would cost more than getting the roof inspected yourself.

The vendor has been asked the question, had the roof inspected and given the answer, I don't really see what more you expect him to do

milliebear00001

vaio wrote: »

you can be sure that any insurance policy would cost more than getting the roof inspected yourself.

The vendor has been asked the question, had the roof inspected and given the answer, I don't really see what more you expect him to do

I said to the vendor that I would need proof the roof tiles do not contain asbestos. I don't think she has provided that by asking a roofer to look at them, if I am correct in my belief that it is impossible to tell if a tile has asbestos just by looking at it.

Our agreement is that she will pay for further investigations (of the roof and a structural survey) to prove the house has no major structural faults and no asbestos in the roof, if she wants to keep me as her buyer. I have already had a Homebuyer's Report which is where the issues were first raised.