Asbestos found during insurance repair, what is the impact to me ?
deasmi asked:
I own the leasehold on a two bedroom flat. A leak from the flat above has led to a buildings insurance claim. The builders started this morning and have found suspected asbestos. The removal of this, to complete the repair, is covered.
I own the leasehold on a two bedroom flat. A leak from the flat above has led to a buildings insurance claim. The builders started this morning and have found suspected asbestos. The removal of this, to complete the repair, is covered.
Asbestos was not mentioned in any documentation when I bought the property April 2006.
My question is what impact does this have on my ability to sell the flat and if the freeholder converted this flat in 1995 do I have any comeback to them ?
Thanks
February 18th, 2010 at 10:30 am
What happens if you find asbestos on our premises?
A. This depends on the type location and mainly the condition of the Asbestos that is found on the premises. The recommendations vary from managing the asbestos in place. Clearly marking and not allowing disturbance with warning labels. In extreme cases it will be required removed to be removed immediately by a licensed Asbestos removal contractor.
February 21st, 2010 at 3:12 pm
as long as the Asbestos is stable and not being worked on,or if its painted,it shouldnt be a problem
February 21st, 2010 at 9:52 pm
It is possible that the previous owner was not aware of the asbestos either. Asbestos was used freely before it’s health implications were known and even today it’s existance in older construction is not illegal. When this asbestos is removed, make sure you get documentation from the company and hopefully, they are a company that is versed in asbestos removal. Then when and if you sell the property, you can provide the new owner with documentation that a proper job was done.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:48 am
The only person who can help you now is an attorney. He will have all the legal answers for you.
As for me, I would not buy it from you.
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February 27th, 2010 at 5:32 am
The thing is, asbestos when left alone isn’t really all that bad. People just love to freak out over everything. If it is in a concealed location where it isn’t being disturbed by the inhabitants, it shouldn’t be a problem.
If you look back at actual documentation, the people that got asbestosis were mainly people who worked in asbestos (cutters, installers, etc). I’ve never heard of a schoolteacher who worked in a school that had asbestos ceiling tiles getting asbestosis or anything like that.
Many of the older commercial buildings you walk through every day STILL contain asbestos. It’s really not a big deal.
As far as selling the flat, the biggest problem is that people are ignorant to the facts. They hear all this horrid stuff on the news and ASSUME that the worst of it is true, and a lot of times, it is not. It’s like all these idiots that spent billions on Y2K, thinking all of their computers were going to break down, and all of the power plants would shut down, etc etc. People were out stocking up on food, fuel, water, etc. Some people were just d*mned near histerics. It was just a bunch of crap blown out of context by the media.
Knowledge is power. Get yourself informed about asbestos and you’ll figure out what many others of us did a long time ago…. its no big deal…. With the right paperwork in hand, so you can properly inform a potential buyer about the truth of asbestos, I don’t see a problem reselling it. Hell, I’d buy a house with asbestos in it……
And no, as long as the asbestos is properly concealed, I don’t see you having any comeback on the guy that remodeled the place in 1995, providing that all the asbestos was properly concealed. If there was something which contained, or was covered with, asbestos that you could come in contact with on a daily basis, then you’d prolly have a leg to stand on.. But if it’s concealed behind plaster and/or sheetrock, naw, I don’t see where there is any liability on anyone’s part because it isn’t a problem.