Asbestos and a 1985 house

[Hodders]

My folks are looking at buying a 1985 house. They want to put on a kitchen extension and are concerned about the chances of finding asbestos causing the cost of the work to go through the roof.

The sellers are saying that they have no knowledge of any asbestos, but that means nothing.

Would a asbestos "management survey" be useful of would you need a full "refurb and demolition survey" for the area they are considering doing the work in?

What is the likelihood that asbestos will be in a house of that age given that the risks were already well known even if asbestos hadn't had the full ban in place by then?

 

[BigBoy]

I wouldn't expect much other than in floor tiles or artex (white asbestos usually in both), potentially there could be some pipe insulation containing it but I doubt it.

 

[john_s]

Brown and blue asbestos were banned in the UK in 1985 (I think), so depending when in 1985, they may not even be present.
As above, floor tiles, artex, are the most likely ones, perhaps along with some insulation in the electric consumer unit or behind a gas fire or boiler (if they’ve not been changed).

Personally, I’d not be worried about it in buying a house from 1985.

 

[BUDFORCE]

If you are taking a mortgage out, it should come up on the valuation report.

Depends which kind of valuation report the lender does, but most lenders on a purchase generally will do a standard internal expection in which the valuer should be able to identify any asbestos.

 

[Slade2]

If you are taking a mortgage out, it should come up on the valuation report.

Depends which kind of valuation report the lender does, but most lenders on a purchase generally will do a standard internal expection in which the valuer should be able to identify any asbestos.

ummm, nope, A valuation report is just that. Its a report for the value of the property. I have know people drive past in the car and complete a valuation report and this is fairly common in the industry. They only really need to know if it looks like the building is going to fall down. On a 1985 property as stated above you should not have much to worry about and to be honest if you commission a decent contractor and agree a price before hand they if he was to find some which would be very unlikely that would be his lookout.

 

[Hyburnate]

Management would be all you’d get away with. R&D includes taking samples and can be destructive.

 

[BUDFORCE]

ummm, nope, A valuation report is just that. Its a report for the value of the property. I have know people drive past in the car and complete a valuation report and this is fairly common in the industry. They only really need to know if it looks like the building is going to fall down.

Yea I mean I've worked as a mortgage underwriter for what, the last nearly 15 years, for several different lenders mainstream and specialist, and look at valuation reports every day as part of my job.

So yea, what do I know......

 

[Slade2]

Yea I mean I've worked as a mortgage underwriter for what, the last nearly 15 years, for several different lenders mainstream and specialist, and look at valuation reports every day as part of my job.

So yea, what do I know......

If that is the case you will know all about the drive-by valuations that I was referring to above..(for lower risk remortgages this was a fairly common in the past but with the internet ages its easy to just google search the area - Desktop Study)..In all of the cases I have seen, a valuation survey will not comment on anything to do with the building its normally just for the mortgage underwriter to say yes or no. I.e this building is not going to fall down. If you need more information about said property you can commission a building surveyor to give you a report. Source: I`m a building surveying and I survey buildings for my job... Valuation surveys containing links to asbestos would be a bit of a leap but it could easily be marked with a disclaimer due to is age I suppose. Much like this Snickers might contain nuts...

 

[BUDFORCE]

If that is the case you will know all about the drive-by valuations that I was referring to above..(for lower risk remortgages this was a fairly common in the past but with the internet ages its easy to just google search the area - Desktop Study)..In all of the cases I have seen, a valuation survey will not comment on anything to do with the building its normally just for the mortgage underwriter to say yes or no. I.e this building is not going to fall down. If you need more information about said property you can commission a building surveyor to give you a report. Source: I`m a building surveying and I survey buildings for my job... Valuation surveys containing links to asbestos would be a bit of a leap but it could easily be marked with a disclaimer due to is age I suppose. Much like this Snickers might contain nuts...

Well considering the OP said his parents are BUYING a house, it probably won't be a remortgage, probably won't be a drive by or AVM, and on a standard internal inspection most RICS qualified valuers will indicate if there is likely to be asbestos.

You are correct in the fact that they won't outright test it, but they will know the area, know the construction methods used locally, age of properties have a good idea of the materials used at the time and they generally know what they are doing. If they comment there is a risk of asbestos they are likely on the money, and is something that will be commented on for a mortgage valuation report.

On purchases the vast majority of lenders will do full standard inspections, the idea is that on remortgages, the property will at have some point had a full inspection, deemed suitable security and mortgaged, so chances are it will still be ok so much less risk, this is where you get the drive bys are AVMs

Also valuers comment on all sorts of bits, they are not qualified structural engineers, but can identify all sorts of potential risks, such as movement, damp & timber, environmental issues, energy efficiency, electrical and gas service conditions, local planning, the list can go on.........so I stand by what I said.

 

[BigBoy]

Well considering the OP said his parents are BUYING a house, it probably won't be a remortgage, probably won't be a drive by or AVM, and on a standard internal inspection most RICS qualified valuers will indicate if there is likely to be asbestos.

You are correct in the fact that they won't outright test it, but they will know the area, know the construction methods used locally, age of properties have a good idea of the materials used at the time and they generally know what they are doing. If they comment there is a risk of asbestos they are likely on the money, and is something that will be commented on for a mortgage valuation report.

On purchases the vast majority of lenders will do full standard inspections, the idea is that on remortgages, the property will at have some point had a full inspection, deemed suitable security and mortgaged, so chances are it will still be ok so much less risk, this is where you get the drive bys are AVMs

Also valuers comment on all sorts of bits, they are not qualified structural engineers, but can identify all sorts of potential risks, such as movement, damp & timber, environmental issues, energy efficiency, electrical and gas service conditions, local planning, the list can go on.........so I stand by what I said.

I'm sorry but this is just not true any more, I have moved 5 times in the last few years (purchase done up and moved on) and only once with the first purchase did a valuation inspection take place, the rest were done online/drive by.

 

[BUDFORCE]

I'm sorry but this is just not true any more, I have moved 5 times in the last few years (purchase done up and moved on) and only once with the first purchase did a valuation inspection take place, the rest were done online/drive by.

Surprises me, same lender?

Obviously cannot comment on every lender, the 5 I worked at, only one did drive by/AVMs on remortgages only. Saying that, with this covid thing some lenders have very recently been pushing the risk appetite a bit due to having physical valuers enter a property and the associated risk.

 

[BigBoy]

Surprises me, same lender?

Obviously cannot comment on every lender, the 5 I worked at, only one did drive by/AVMs on remortgages only. Saying that, with this covid thing some lenders have very recently been pushing the risk appetite a bit due to having physical valuers enter a property and the associated risk.

Three different lenders, 2 through a broker (London and Country) and one sourced by me.

 

[Fluke?]

Ours is a 70s/80s era house and the morgtgae lender said nothing about asbestos. The house survey we had said "may have asbestos". We had to have a few samples taken - kitchen floor, garage roof etc.
General gist for ours was yes asbestos but leave it be any you'll be fine. Obv if OP is wanting an extension done then he wont be "leaving be".

 

[Adam_151]

I would say that from 1985 theres unlikely to be masses of it and its unlikely to be in such a way that causes too many problems for the extension, there used to be a level 1 survery that was basically a walk around that resulted in a report that said "Yeah that looks like it could contain asbestos", its not 100% but should be the sort of thing you need at this stage. Worth pointing out that both level 2 (management) and level 3 (refurb and demo) include taking samples, but only level 3 is generally destructive as it involves opening up boxings in, void areas, etc to uncover every last trace (well thats the idea anyway) of what might be a problem during construction work.

Brown and Blue were banned in 83, but there is a slight risk of old stock materials, white wasn't banned untill 1999 so thats whats most likely to be found.

Generally anyone who has done the course is likely to be able to identify things in a house that look like it might likely contain it, artex tearings, vinyl floor tiles, cement undercloaking, soffets, AIB garage ceilings (quite common on properties about 10-15 years older than that one), so while there is no explict thing in the house survey for it, I think most surveryer's comment if they see such materials.

Your not likely to have big problems in an '85 house, like there is the possibility of in a '60s house