Buying a home with asbestos in it...

kirtsypoos

It's definitely not what I would recommend, but if after an online sampling company it's the only way that is possible. The material is not removed, there are certain sampling practices explained in the pack, along with a disposable P3 mask and coveralls, and a surfactant spray to damp down fibres during the sampling process.

In my opinion it would be best to employ a local company to come and carry out a survey/sampling of the suspect materials, but some people prefer to do it themselves or spend less money on an online company.

Dan-Dan

I used a local guy to me when i had an issue , and he came out and took the sample , it would never had occurred to me to use a company where i took the sample myself

CambridgeBuyer

"I'm interested in your progress Cambridge-Buyer"

Well, over a month later things are at a tipping point but still not sure where they'll end up. After asking for a reduction based on the quotes I got for a full removal, a long waiting period ensued as the seller wanted the electrical test I also requested to be done. Their solicitor accidentally forwarding a copy of a 5 year old test instead didn't get things moving quicker either. Eventually they came back this week with a supposedly definite rejection of my proposed reduction, considering the removal a "personal preference" rather than a necessity, but were prepared to take the (quite exhaustive) quotes for the electrical test as well as the quotes for ventilation due to damp problems identified into account, as well as a small additional price drop to show "good will" towards my asbestos concerns. Bit of a disappointment, but not unexepected.

At this point I was ready to give in today and listen to everyone saying it's not a problem, figuring I'll just paint or plaster the ceiling over and make sure the floor tiles are neatly covered. But as one item of the lengthy unsatisafactory electrical test was quoted on an hourly rate, I wanted to get some rough estimate from the contractor about how expensive it might be so gave them a call...

Turns out that one fault listed at an hourly rate (all metal accessories not being earthed) would be another £2000+VAT and require messing about with the artex ceiling, as that's where earthing was missing. And it containing asbestos meant they would actually require me to bring in asbestos specialists to isolate the entire ceiling. At the point where the asbestos specialists would need to enclose and do all the drilling in collaboration, they said I might just as well consider having the entire ceiling knocked down. So looks like I'm back to considering the cost of removal again.

So much for the "do not disturb" solution - at least if I want to have the electrical installations pass the safety standards. In their own words "you've opened up a can of worms... asbestos and home improvements is a nightmare!". And this is inquiring the contractor the seller chose to employ - not some dodgy one I've tried to get unrealistic quotes from. Granted, I could choose to leave out the repairs and have the electrics remain "unsafe" and take the risk (electrical shock doesn't sound half as bad as asbestos-related cancer in comparison!), but when it becomes time to sell the property in a few years the electrical faults are certainly going to pop up again, with the way-too-expensive asbestos removal being the main explanation of why they weren't addressed... doesn't sound like a great position to be in.

I can't really blame the seller for thinking they'll get the next buyer to happily proceed without hesitation (in the overheated Cambridge housing market, they're most likely right). But considering the unexpected faults the property has already shown in the surveys, it looks more and more like there's way more work than expected, and the asbestos hazard cloud will keep hovering around it. At this point I do start to wonder if it's really worth it, no matter how nice the place seems otherwise...

Mostly though, I wish I would have given the asbestos issue consideration way before I started house-hunting rather than midway through the sale when I've already spent a month's salary on fees. But guess that's an expensive but useful lesson to be learnt, however this ends up...

I'd be interested in your progress as well HeyBigSpender - I totally agree it is a subject that (for understandable reasons) that divides most people into two distinct camps, and as a newcomer to it it's difficult to come to any definite conclusion.

kirtsypoos

Hi CambridgeBuyer,

Sorry to hear that things are tough with the property at the moment, and I hope you find a solution that works for you.

In the meantime I just wanted to throw my opinion/experience regarding the electrician and the ceiling. One of our most common jobs is localised shadow vaccing, where the electrician marks out an area and the asbestos removal operatives either scrape away the textured coating or drill through pre-determined (by the electrician, normally marked out with marker pen) areas to allow electrical installations. This (for us anyway) would be done at a very small cost (approx £150.00 or less) providing the area to be scraped is less than 1 square metre in total, which is much cheaper than a full removal.

Obviously electricians prefer the ceiling to be removed as it's less fiddly for them, but it is not always necessary. Just something to keep in mind.

I do have to say though, I am in agreement with the vendors. Removal of asbestos is personal preference. It isn't a legal requirement and doesn't pose risks if not disturbed so if it was me, I wouldn't agree to a huge reduction based on this.