To pull out of house purchase for this? Or am I crazy

[Newhome25]

This is causing huge amounts of stress with me and DH. I am six months pregnant and I do have anxiety so I realise this could be playing into my fears. We found a great house in the area we want. There’s barely any for sale and it’s not a forever home but a great start and perfect for life for the three of us for now. We have got to the stage where searches are happening and I said I wanted a damp survey and asbestos survey as the house was built in 70s.

Damp survey really reassuring but the asbestos one says there’s asbestos on the roof (described as sheets) and on the garage and on the plan it looks like also around where the guttering sits. These are all apparently stable and the roof is in ok condition generally. However, this still makes me feel sick with anxiety. The worst one is that parts of the loft have been filled in with filler that contains asbestos. We’ve been advised that these should be covered and the sellers have said they will sort this before the sale goes through. But… I’ve been reading into it and now I’m in full panic mode that if the areas haven’t been covered previously then little bits could have come off and be inside the house now. I’ve read even one bit could be dangerous. I can’t get it out of my head and want to pull out of the sale. DH is saying I’m crazy and he can’t proceed with it if im going to be like this but equally he feels we’ve spend hundreds on surveys and should just take the advice to get the problem areas covered and then get on with our lives. The surveyor has been re assuring but he’s not the one going to live there.

I have been worrying so much and just don’t feel comfortable exposing our baby to this. Am I being crazy? Is this a pregnancy induced panic that I will regret if we pull out? Please help!

Couldn’t you just get someone in to deep clean it before you move in?

Hospitals, schools, the tube. All full to the rafters with asbestos. So your concerns are understandable but everywhere your child will go will have asbestos.

It's perfectly safe unless disturbed. I'd listen to the experts. Get a second opinion if you must.

My uncle died with asbestos related ilneses back from the 70s era.
It is not to be underestimated.
No way would I proceed with a house which contained asbestos.
There will be other houses!
No amount of survey spent money is worth risking your health and unborn child’s health.

@Narkacist we could but I’ve read these bits can float round the air so even a deep clean wouldn’t be certain to get them all

Have you checked your mortgage offer is still ok on a house with confirmed Asbestos?

@bigageap but i guess it’s a lot worse to be in a home with it everyday?

You can pull out of a sale for any reason if you’re not comfortable about any aspect of it. Unless you have unlimited funds, there’s always a compromise.

Is there really nothing else that you’ve seen?

The deep clean would be to make you feel better, it sounds like there’s no genuine concern if the surveyor is happy and you might kick yourself missing out on the house.

Virgin Money, Halifax and a few others won’t lend on a house with confirmed Asbestos.

Would I buy a house with asbestos? No.

I used to work in asbestos litigation and honestly, if it was just sheets in the roof I would feel comfortable with that as many houses have this.
Insulation though, I would be very wary of.
It used to be thought that if you didn’t disturb asbestos it wouldn’t cause harm but we’re actually not sure that’s the case any more.

Im not a worrier or anxious at all, but I wouldn’t buy a house with asbestos insulation.

I think you need more details. Asbestos in garage roofs and house roof soffit is common in property that age. Avoid licking the roof and you are fine. You can have it replaced when you are ready. Asbestos inside the house in a form that may be free circulating is a totally different risk. Speak to the surveyor to get a better understanding if you are unable to interpret the report. Older property can contain fun stuff like asbestos and lead paint, so you just need to understand to act safely.

I can't answer your question about whether it is pregnancy-related anxiety. If I knew there was asbestos in a home before I purchased it, I probably wouldn't be inclined to buy it but there are different types of asbestos, some worse than others. If you are anxious, I have a feeling it's not going to go away if you buy and move in regardless of having spent a few hundred on surveys. Good luck with your decision.

I was the same we put an offer on the house, we even got quotes to remove it fully - it was also grade 2 listed but with 70's additions. It just didn't sit right with me and I was also pregnant at the time, so we pulled out. It came up for sale again years later and it turned out it was too much hassle to remove due to the listing and remained in the same state.

I wouldn't go forward, it's not your forever home and going to be a faff to sell when you want to move. The other option is quotes to remove and reduce your offer, making sure you do the work (unless it listed and I wouldn't go there unless lots of time and money).

Just checked the report it’s like a cement filler containing chrysotile

It came up a few years later and turned out it was a hassle to remove so it hadn't been. This encapsulates a problem. It isn't just purchasing that's an issue - potentially it's getting someone to buy it in the future if you want to sell on

There are asbestos particles in the air generally. As long as the asbestos isn't breaking up and is encapsulated as with the loft there's shit all risk.

There’s an awful lot of scaremongering and misinformation here about asbestos. Most properties in the UK housing stock will contain it. Know how to contain, maintain and remove it if necessary and there is absolutely no value in worrying.

I would pull out of the purchase. I wouldn't feel comfortable with this at all. Better to waste a few hundred pounds than have years of worry. Your husband calling you crazy is extremely out of order.

We bought a 1970s house with asbestos in the garage roof. We had it specially removed when we did an extension (essential as it would be disturbed at that point).

It wouldn't put me off buying a house, but you could look into removal and possibly adjust your offer.

If you’re going to be anxious about it; it doesn’t matter if others wouldn’t. You are; and your home is supposed to be a safe haven, not something you worry about constantly. I would pull out for that reason alone. But if you need something more objective, the fact that some lenders won’t lend and it could put other buyers off is an even better reason, especially if not your forever home.

We had an asbestos survey done this year since we have a garage with asbestos. I am absolutely not expert on it but just wanted to share that our type of asbestos is also chrysotile and according to the certificate we received that type is one of the 'least bad' types: ours was given a number two on a scale 1-10 where 10 is the worst. Our type could be removed by anyone wearing the right protection (others require wind tunnels and full plastic coverage etc).

I have no real advice but when you read up more and think about it, do mention the type since the consequences/'badness' may differ a lot.

If it’s causing that much stress I’d pull out
However
Asbestos is only an issue if you disturb it and you’ll be hard pushed to find a property without it.
If you don’t want any at all and none from neighbours property you need to move into a property that was built in an area where they were all constructed after the ban

It’s fine if not disturbed.

but I think this will stop you enjoying your home. It bothers some people more than others. So I would pull out