Buying a property on indstrial land landfill site.

Dumpydoodle

Hi

Sorry to drive you all mad, but although I have discussed this topic in another of my threads, I thought it may be best in its own post to give others who may be experiencing the same issues a cance to discuss.

I am waiting for the basic environmental search to come back from my solicitor, but meanwhile after checking on homecheck.co.uk with the property's postcode it state high risk for land contamination, landfill site, and previously used as an industrial site. Also high to pollution. I will be interested what the solicitors report says, and will be requesting the extended search.

Do the extended ones ever come back to show no actual worries or are the findings usually enough to abort the sale. If so I'd rather do so sooner rather than later. I would imagine it can cause a problem with selling in the future. Has anyone else had experience if this with a positive outcome. Or any other suggestions welcomed please. I think its best to put my surveyor on hold until i have a clearer picture of whats going on. Thank you.

moneyistooshorttomention

My instant thought was that I wouldn't be interested personally, ie as a gardener-in-waiting.

I doubt gardeners (or desperate-to-be-proper-gardeners as in my case) would look at your house, as we would get upset about not having the unfettered "growing of food" we had anticipated in our own gardens. Doubt it would bother someone who only intended to grow "decorative" plants or wasn't bothered.

If someone said to me "No foodgrowing in that property's garden" I wouldn't even view it personally. That's a dealbreaker to some of us, but not to others.

Propertyfan

, but meanwhile after checking on homecheck.co.uk with the property's postcode it state high risk for land contamination, landfill site, and previously used as an industrial site. Also high to pollution

This doesn't seem surprising. Unless there is an absolute financial imperative to purchase the property, I suggest you avoid it. If you wish to buy it for renting out as a business premises or for live-in-tenants then I can understand your logic but, even so, you're asking for a wealth of potential trouble acquiring a property on a landfill site. Heck, how do you get insurance cover on a property on a landfill site? If the land is polluted why would any insurance company want to cover you? I would avoid it but just my opinion. Why create a problem if you can avoid it and find a cleaner property.

Dumpydoodle

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

My instant thought was that I wouldn't be interested personally, ie as a gardener-in-waiting.

I doubt gardeners (or desperate-to-be-proper-gardeners as in my case) would look at your house, as we would get upset about not having the unfettered "growing of food" we had anticipated in our own gardens. Doubt it would bother someone who only intended to grow "decorative" plants or wasn't bothered.

If someone said to me "No foodgrowing in that property's garden" I wouldn't even view it personally. That's a dealbreaker to some of us, but not to others.

Thank you for your reply, its actually a flat in a block of 14, so only a communal garden, mainly laid to lawn, but I see what you're saying.

I think the landfill, and industrial sites are historic.

Spoke to my solicitor today, who says on the environmental search it says these problems are in 500 metres of my property and shouldn't affect any future on the it. However, I mentioned it to insurers for contents only as buildings is part of the block, and they need to have a copy of the search and send to underwriters before committing. I decieded to mention it as rather now, to test the ground re these things than find out things are not possible after I've bought the place.

I'm wondering if its common in a lot places, as after looking on environment agency, even my house I'm living in now has areas of landfill, apparantly round the corner to me, and also some where my friends live in different areas, as I done a search.

Dumpydoodle

Thank you propertyfan.. I've just posted above with a bit more info. Is your opinion still the same?? I must admit its really putting me off, but I don't want to panic just yet and loose what ive paid out so far when it may not be as bad as it first sounded.. That's typical of me to do that. The property Is only 7 years old and it would be historic and 500 metres from the property apparently.. I found out today. And a surveyor is checking it all out as we speak. The property currently has buildings insurance I beleive. But as a landlord, yes you're right, I'd hate to be liable for any potential problems.

ging84

i've put a few of my previous addresses into https://www.homecheck.co.uk
it comes up with a lot of crap i think it is just to sell you the reports, my parents house has been residential since the 30s before that the was green fields and woodland, it has come up with high risk of flooding, there is pretty much zero flood risk, it comes up with high risk of pollution, high for historic industrial use and high for landfill use

moneyistooshorttomention

You do have to be aware here then that we are currently living in Risk Averse Times. All the labelling on consumer goods stuff of "Warning - this knife might be sharp!". Errrm...yes...that's exactly why I am buying it, ie because I want a chopping knife. Duh!

Things were way too careless in recent history about protecting people and now some have gone to the opposite extreme (ie of protect themselves at the expense of common sense, just in case A.N. Idiot tries to bring an unjustified claim against them).

The pendulum will probably swing again to a situation in a few years time where people are protected decently on the one hand, but not to a self-serving "being bl**dy stupid about it" extreme as some organisations currently do standard on the other hand.

edit: just checked out that website and one of the first things I noticed is that my own particular postcode apparently has 44.1% of detached properties according to them. Since when? We've got darn all detached properties in my personal "tiny patch" and I doubt whether any detached properties at all would come up in this postcode, as I can only think of literally one nearby detached property and its the next street over, so I very much doubt it counts as same postcode.

Dumpydoodle

Thanks for all your replies. I mentioned this to rentguard insurance to see how it would affect things, and test the water, and they can't give me a quote for contents up without a copy of my environmental search, which is now back today, and then they will have to send it to the under rightiers to see what they say.

It says on the solicitors search that it will not stop lending on this property, and it's within 500m, of it..I beleive more like 300m.. It does however say to make further enquiries consult my surveyor. My solicitor says they are happy with the report and have passed it, but said they're not sure about an extended search? Does this sound right?

I spoke to council today, and I was surprised at some of the properties in this area, that ive previously considered purchasing. that are on landfill, or other, these sites have apparently been cleaned up, and some have had membranes put under them, to protect against explosion:eek:among other things.

The thing is with my property is that there was a factory in close proximity that manufactured metal windows and paints, and there is no record for that site being cleaned up but properties are built on it.

Riggster

Dumpydoodle wrote: »

I think the landfill, and industrial sites are historic.

If the landfill wasn't historic, you'd kind of notice. Big bulldozers, trucks, large unnatural landform, locked gates etc etc.

If there was a serious problem the flats would never have been built in the first place.

This is the time to listen to your solicitor. If they've passed the environmental search, don't worry.

Dumpydoodle

Thank you rigster, I just feel I need a bit more detailed information, as in maybe any permission the builder had to get to build there and tests they may have had done on soil. What is the name of the further search I need to request. It did say to ask surveyor for further investigation. I'd be fine with this if it was done.

Full_of_angst

When I typed my postcode in to that website it said there was a high risk of subsidence and flooding in this post code area. The detailed searches that were done specifically for the property show no such risks.

The nearest place to my actual house that is a flood risk is about 8 miles away; we are no where near any rivers/seas/streams etc that could flood and there are no problems with the drains.

So basically, I would wait for the detailed searches to come back for your particular property.