Addendum of EPC, System Built Properties or Non-traditional construction

PeKiN

Hi All!

We are trying to buy a house in a town outside London. The thing is that we have just discovered that some properties are sold in less than one week but others remain for 2, 3, 4 ,5 … months and they are still there. Similar prices, similar location, nice 3 bedroom terraced houses all of them, however we have recently spotted a detail on the EPC documents.

There is a section within the EPC document called “Addendum” which is often present for these houses staying for a while in the market. The “Addendum” section states the following:
“This dwelling is a system built property or some of its walls are of non-conventional construction and requires further investigation to establish the type of construction, the type of wall insulation best suited (cavity insulation or internal/external insulation) and the savings it might deliver.”

We are trying to find out if this detail is what make properties far less attractive than others without this “Addendum” and we would also like to understand what that paragraph actually means. There is a house that we really love but it has this detail in its EPC and we are waiting for an answer from the agents to clarify it. Hopefully someone has already faced a similar situation.

Thanks.

G_M

Given how meaningless EPCs are, and how poorly trained the inspectors (beyond recognising a brick, they don't know anything about construction), I would totally disregard,

tacticalbanjo

System build houses were thrown up after WW2 to provide a solution to the housing crisis. They were made out of concrete and steel frames and only really intended to last a short period of time.

Unfortunately as these houses aged a number of the designs used were found to have problems such as concrete cancer where the steel rusts inside the concrete and rots the house from the inside out. As a result these designs were declared defective and you can't get a mortgage on them. If it isn't clear which design the house is people will stay clear just in case it is one of the unmortgageable ones. And some may also avoid just in case that type gets declared defective and therefore unmortgageable in the future. Some mortgage lenders won't consider any system build properties regardless of whether they have been declared defective or not. This obviously has an impact on the value and appeal of these properties.

Wiki link

PeKiN

Thanks for your replies!

After comparing few other EPCs they look a bit random in terms of the provided details, etc.
The EA came back to us saying that other similar properties are being sold in the are and there are no problems at all regarding lenders.

I think the only way is going for a mortgage valuation and then, surveyor inspection, just to be safe. We would like to keep ourselves away from asbestos or similar toxic materials which I understand it will be covered by the survey.

Thanks!

Davesnave

PeKiN wrote: »

We would like to keep ourselves away from asbestos or similar toxic materials which I understand it will be covered by the survey.

Thanks!

Good luck then. Most houses built before 2000 will have asbestos in them somewhere.

The type of asbestos and its encapsulation is what matters most, so this is another area for your research.

Some EPCs are done well. Having had three now, I know they're not all bad. I've not had an inaccurate one yet anyway.

EachPenny

PeKiN wrote: »

I think the only way is going for a mortgage valuation and then, surveyor inspection, just to be safe. We would like to keep ourselves away from asbestos or similar toxic materials which I understand it will be covered by the survey.

I don't think any run of the mill survey/inspection will help you avoid asbestos. At best the surveyor may note that asbestos may be present and further inspection/testing is required.

Finding asbestos in a property will involve removing decorative surfaces and lifting/removing things. It is unlikely a vendor will agree to such intrusive work on the off-chance that asbestos might be lurking somewhere.

Even then, a panel which looks a bit like plasterboard could in fact be asbestos, and the only way of being sure is to remove samples for testing - all of which involves the risk of disturbing asbestos materials, which is a H&S risk in itself.

You would need to pay a very large amount of money for a survey which confirmed the house does not contain asbestos - even if you were able to get the vendor to agree to such intrusive and damaging work.

G_M

It's enough to make you want to live in a caravan.

Oh! No - they have asbestos in them too.......

EachPenny

G_M wrote: »

Oh! No - they have asbestos in them too.......

Even the 2000 'cut-off' date offers no certainty as you never know what some DIYer or bodger might have done.

However it may be comforting to know it is very unlikely you'll have the risk of lead pipes in a post-2000 house. Unless a previous occupant had no idea of the value of lead

PeKiN

Thanks for your comments!

As you can see I am a first time buyer and I wasn't aware of certain details. I didn't know that the presence of asbestos was so normal. I agree that the type of asbestos and its encapsulation is what really matters so I'll keep an eye on that.

Thanks

EachPenny

PeKiN wrote: »

I didn't know that the presence of asbestos was so normal. I agree that the type of asbestos and its encapsulation is what really matters so I'll keep an eye on that.

It is really just a case of taking sensible precautions. The one thing I might ask a surveyor to specifically look out for is whether the loft insulation is likely to contain asbestos fibre. The answer you'll probably get from the survey is that it is possible but further inspection/testing is required. But if the surveyor has a look in the loft and is then seen running down the street tearing their clothes off and jumping in a pond then you would be advised to look elsewhere for your home

You might also want to have a look at this thread and the follow up one the OP started.
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5652192

In this case what started with a surveyor's report noting an asbestos flue ended up with disturbance to a potentially much higher risk asbestos material and significant consequences.

If the property you purchase is of an age where asbestos is likely to have been used, then one of the most important things to do is to ensure you use tradespeople who understand the risks involved in working with asbestos. Anyone who comes round to quote for work and says asbestos is not a problem should be politely shown the door.