"Not ordinary construction"?

Cuilean

It turns out that the house we like is perhaps a wolf in sheep's clothing. About half the houses in the street appear to be brick built, while the other half look like this:

It looks like they've been cladded with concrete tiles.
ETA: It's an Airey pre-fab.

The one we like is one that looked initially to be brick built, but having had our suspicions piqued, we asked the agent to describe the construction. She said:

The property is not an ordinary construction as it was originally a concrete construction but the council ordain that the property is now considered to be brick built due to the outer brick skin.

So does that mean it's classed as non-standard construction? Does the fact that the council class it as brick built mean we can apply for a "normal" mortgage?

stator

You need to know if the type of house that was originally built is on the list of defective houses. http://blackcountrymortgages.com/Defective-Houses-List.php
If it is you need to know whether the house was 'repaired' and has a PRC Certificate.
If it not you will find it hard/impossible to get a mortgage.

Having external brickwork does not mean it has necessarily been repaired, some people added them just to make it look good and they don't affect the structure of the building.

jackomdj

Personally I would not buy it. Although it may be mortgageable at the moment the banks/building societies may in the future change the goal posts and you may not be able to sell it.... I am talking from personal experience as a property I owned needed a mundic test when I sold it (I hadn't heard of thus when I bought but 3 years later when I sold it was compulsory (by the mortgage co) for all houses in the area of a certain age to have the test and the house was not considered mortgageable.

I ended up selling to a structural engineer who did not need a mortgage for 2/3 the value I was offered when it went on the market.


Eta mundic testing is the test they do for concrete cancer.

princeofpounds

So does that mean it's classed as non-standard construction?

We don't know but probably. More importantly, no idea if it is defective or not.

Does the fact that the council class it as brick built mean we can apply for a "normal" mortgage?

Sounds like an EA porky to me - I am not aware of councils classifying building construction. As pointed out, what matters most is if it is considered defective or not.

stator

Perhaps you could provide a link to the street on google maps and we can see what the other houses look like?

lincroft1710

It's an "Airey" house. A form of pre-fab thrown up after WW2 to ease the chronic housing shortage. Number one in the list of defective dwellings. Even if it has been properly repaired, I would still be wary.

stator

The photo above appears to be a stock photo, not of the actual house in question.

D00gie72

I bought a property of non-standrad construction earlier this year. In my case its a Woolaway bungalow. Like others have said you need to know what type of construction it is and if its on the defective list. NB just because its on a defective list doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with it - it just means the construction type is considered unreliable and therefore mortgage lenders are less likely to loan on them. There are specialist lenders out there who may loan on properties of non-standard construction - and even some High st lenders may consider lending.
I would suggest get some reliable detail of the construction type - when the property was built and if any additional work done on the property has a PRC certificate. (basically that would mean work carrried out was completed by certified builders to a particular standard) Then once you have the info start ringing round lenders - you never know until you ask. Good Luck.
Oh - and when it comes to getting a survey done I would recommend a special engineering survey done by someone with experience of the construction type.

Cuilean

stator wrote: »

The photo above appears to be a stock photo, not of the actual house in question.

Yes, sorry - I was at work and grabbed the first picture I saw. It certainly seems to be a "repaired" Airey, thanks Lincroft. I will try to edit the title to show that.


This is the Google maps link:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/St+Albans,+Hertfordshire+AL1+2HJ/@51.7354223,-0.3309445,3a,90y,326.55h,78.56t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSANdJX3npbFMf1N05CHDxw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x48763efd4b5ff9ab:0x250ea86a13fcdc98!6m1!1e1
As you can see, there have been a good few "repairs" in the street.


I've asked the agent if the repair certificate is available, but my research seems to indicate that this is an ex-council property, and if an in-house repair was carried out, there may be no certificate.


Princeofpounds, I tend to agree with your judgement on the EA porky - I think they're just trying to find some jargon to help make a sale.


Anything I should be asking the agent for more information about?

princeofpounds

The photo above appears to be a stock photo, not of the actual house in question.

You know it did look familiar, in fact I think someone has asked a question using that photo before!

lincroft1710

I think you need to change "Lincroft" to "Airey" in your first post!

You will have two problems if you want to buy this house, getting a mortgage (even if you can locate a repair certificate) and if you have to sell on at a later date, buyers will be cautious.