PRC certificate

zemarcopolo

Hi,

I have received a letter from my solicitor regarding my ongoing property purchase process. It states as quoted below. 
I would be very grateful for advice regarding the importance of the PRC certificate and whether houses built in 70's can't be sold without the PRC certificate. 

Thanks. 

"The valuation report provided by your mortgage lender indicated that the property that you are purchasing is of concrete instruction, and I had asked the sellers conveyancers to confirm whether they held a ‘PRC’ certificate. After the First World War, there was a housing shortage and various types of houses were  built using precast concrete - some of which were intended for temporary use only.  Some problems later developed with those houses which affected their structural stability. 

PRC Homes Limited was created to approve license repair schemes intended to repair the defective homes so that they would then meet the requirements of the housing standards legislation that came into force in the 1980’s.  A PRC Certificate would be issued once a house had been repaired.  Those certificates would then give reassurance to mortgage lenders that the precast concrete house had been repaired.

I recommend you seek guidance from your surveyor about the property in this regard. As the sellers do not hold a PRC certificate, I have reported to the lender to check that they are happy with the position, and I will not be able to proceed unless they are happy."

Slithery

zemarcopolo said:

I would be very grateful for advice regarding the importance of the PRC certificate and whether houses built in 70's can't be sold without the PRC certificate.

It's perfectly legal to buy and sell PRC houses, but without a certificate no-one will lend you the money to do so.