Asbestos risk

F1001

Hi All,


Am looking at a property to purchase which has had a second storey extension completed above the garage to create an extra bedroom. This was done in 1955 - I have just been sent the building regulations plan from the council and it shows the use of asbestos in the walls and the roof .

In 2001 the (newer) owners converted the garage underneath into a bedroom and did a side and rear ground floor extension connecting to the back of the garage. At the same time they told me they replaced the roof above the old extension. I want to know whether during that time the asbestos was removed entirely but the agent has told me any further questions need to be raised through solicitors (who don't want to ask anything until the draft contract comes through). I also noticed that the room of the old extension is hardly used - whenever I went to view the property the windows in that room were always open from both sides. The sockets and wiring were old in that room and had not been replaced like in the rest of the house.


What can I do to check whether there is any asbestos or not still in the house before purchasing the property - would it be highlighted in a homebuyers survey? and if there is what would be the cost of removing it?
The sellers seem a bit shady about giving more info so whatever reply they give I still would want an independent opinion. I read that sometimes you can live with asbestos in the walls as long as you do not disturb anything - i.e. it's liveable. Any advice on dealing with asbestos ridden properties and resale issues would be much appreciated.


Thanks!

DaftyDuck

A HOmebuyers will only indicate that asbestos may be present, and suggest further investigation. You can pay around £500 for a full asbestos survey (sometimes called a demolition survey, suitable for renovations; they search all sorts of places like fuse boxes, boiler backs, behind panelling... even flooring beneath carpets, if you ask). However, with a bit of a Google search based on your postcode, you should find someone who will test individual samples, and give a sane, professional opinion at the same time.... it can cost as little as £20 a sample.

phill99

You need to put this into perspective and be realistic.

95% of homes in the UK have asbestos in them to a greater or lesser extent. Asbestos was still being used in construction in this country right up to the early/mid 1990s.

There are also different grades of asbestos:white, blue and brown. The common type in homes is white and is the least dangerous. It was included in a range of building products including artex, insulation, cement boards etc. It's highly probable (in fact virtually guaranteed) that there will be asbeastos in your potential home. it only becomes an issue when you disturb it, move it or damage it.

The owners may genuinely not know if there is asbestos in the house. The homebuyers survey will only suggest that asbestos MAY be present and recommend an asbestos survey.

An asbestos survey can be undertaken and will identify asbestos based materials, but this can be quite an invasive survey. It will recommend 2 things: removal or encapsulation.

The cost of removing it can run into many thousands of pounds, pkys the cost if reinstatement eg, if you remove a ceiling because of asbestos in the artex, you will then have the additional cost of replacing the ceiling, plastering and decorating. If this is the case with all ceilings, you are realistcally looking at 5 figures.

Can you ask the vendors to pay for the asbestos survey? Yes but this is your due diligence so you need to pay for it. Can you ask the vendors to pay for remedial works? Yes, but if I was the vendor, I certainly wouldn't pay.

You seem to have an issue with asbestos. If you want to buy a house without asbestos, then you jeed to look at one built in the last 20 years. Otherwise, you just need to acccept it.

elvenlomadia

If an asbestos survey would put your mind at rest (or alternatively reveal something that would lead to you being uncomfortable buying), definitely a good idea I would say. We paid around £350 for ours and they went through every room taking samples. We did already own the house at this point (wanted to check the artex ceilings before having them rewired- fortunately none found) so your vendors would have to be happy with samples being taken from various places.

Homebuyers surveys will state the possibility of asbestos (like in our ceilings) but they won't go into detail checking it.

kirtsypoos

If it's something you are worried about I would bite the bullet and get an asbestos survey done, prices vary but try to ensure you go for a surveying company with their own lab (preferably UKAS accredited) as they are fully accredited and monitored regularly.
For a 3/4 bedroom house I wouldn't expect to pay more than £200-250 for a management survey. I wouldn't recommend going for a refurbishment or demolition survey unless you are prepared to make good any intrusive investigations (holes in risers/boxings, floor coverings lifted, amongst many other).
A refurbishment/demolition survey is by nature intrusive, and is best done in a void/empty property.

Like Phil99 said asbestos is commonly present in houses pre-2000 (although the 'worst kind' was banned in the 80s, after this it is likely to be artex or cement products)

Hope this helps a bit.

K

F1001

Thanks all!


I will ask for the survey to be done and hopefully they will agree to the samples being taken - the reason I have a particular issue is that I read that if there is asbestos then it shouldn't be disturbed but what if I want to get the re-wiring done, or put up some pictures or drill in some furniture?


Can you still do this kind of redeco and works if there is asbestos present in the walls? Or new lights put in if the ceiling has any?
Has anyone had a lender require an asbestos survey, and whether they have rejected a mortgage because of the discovery of its presence?

kirtsypoos

Hello,

I'm probably a bit biased as I've worked in the asbestos industry for quite a while, but it really depends on the asbestos type.

For example - I'd happily buy a house which has asbestos containing floor tiles or cement roof sheets as they are less friable, and therefore less likely to release fibres than other, more friable types (such as asbestos insulating board - it's quite common but is notifiable to the HSE when removed, which requires 14 days advance notice and vastly increases costs).
If however a survey came back to say there was asbestos pipe lagging in the property, I would seriously reconsider purchasing, I recently dealt with a lady who had bought a house and had a boiler room which was filled with pipe insulation debris - she ended up paying over £11,000 to have it all removed and all walls/ceiling/floor cleaned.

In terms of rewiring, you should have an asbestos survey done before a contractor starts work on site, it is a legal requirement. Asbestos removal firms are used to this type of work, and sometimes will supply a man for a half a day/full day to scrape specific areas as required by sparkys.

Hope some of that has been of some use!

F1001

Thanks kirtsypoos
How invasive is the asbestos survey when they take samples? I would like to ask the surveyor to do this as part of the Homebuyer survey otherwise may need to ask specialist to come in but will the vendors allow that if it affects the property?
The current owners did have new boiler installed so can we assume this would rule out the asbestos pipe lagging??
If it is in the walls and the ceiling then how much would it cost it remove (per room?) and inclusive of redecorating afterwards?

kirtsypoos

Sampling as part of a management survey is generally not too invasive, the problem would come if there is decoration of a specific colour, as after a sample is taken the area is sealed with paint (usually white/cream)

Unless the person carrying out your homebuyer survey is P402 qualified, they shouldn't be taking samples to compile an asbestos report. You would be best placed to contact an accredited company to carry out a survey - depending on when your homebuyer survey is they might even be able to do the same day.

Pipe lagging isn't generally much of an issue in domestic properties, it's the exception rather than the rule.

In terms of removal cost, it would depend on the size of the room, whether the artex is applied to plaster or plasterboard. As a rule it's approx £20 per square meter, but there are then other costs to be included such as a decontamination unit.
I would allow £35 per square meter for reinstatement of plasterboard and skim, but again these are very loose figures, and don't allow for actual decoration. Asbestos removal is an expensive business!

F1001

Thanks! Ah yeah problem is the room is painted blue!
Would the homebuyer surveyor even notice there is asbestos? The walls and ceiling look pretty normal to me (FTB and non-DIYer!)

kirtsypoos

Homebuyer surveys tend to be very vague regarding asbestos, they often suggest asbestos may be present in certain rooms.

It's not possible to tell with the naked eye whether or not a material is asbestos containing - the sample has to be analysed by an accredited lab using a polarised light microscopy method. It's a difficult one!