Will I never sell this house now I’ve found this out?

[Housesall]

I bought a house in 2022 and decided to sell this year. The agent came round today to do photos and in doing so, commented that the roof had asbestos throughout. He used to work in asbestos and said it looked like it would need to be replaced in around 3 years but it was typical of this sort of gone and nearly all homes from this time period will have it. However I have been googling tonight and it seems most people either won’t buy it at all or will want a price reduction for replacing the roof. Posting here for traffic really as I’m totally alone and I’m already having to move due to some awful circumstances. Thanks.

What did your survey say when you bought it?

Did you have a survey done when you bought? I would have expected something like that to have been picked up then, he might be wrong despite his experience.

@mnahmnah didnt mention it! And apparently that’s usual for the sort of survey I got which was mid range

Asbestos is fine if undisturbed. Loads of houses have it.

The entire roof? A flat roof?

Didn't your survey pick it up? It doesn't stop people getting mortgages.

If it needs removing then either get a specialist or just make sure you wear a mask, remove it in whole sheets then wrap them and take them to your local tip.

He might be wrong or looking to sell it cheap to someone he knows. I'd ask the neighbours.

Well if your survey didn’t mention it, there’s a good chance your buyer’s won’t either! Our survey raised asbestos on a shed, so I’m pretty sure it would mention the main house roof! I wouldn’t trust the estate agent not to mention it though and would go with a different one.

@MesmerisingMuon it’s not a flat roof. They are like sheets under the tiles which you can see.

Asbestos roof tiles are fairly common but, regardless of what type of tiles you have, if the roof is at the end of it’s life and will need retiling in 3 years or so, buyers will expect that to be reflected in the price.

Don’t sell with this agent. Use another. Let the buyer’s survey pick it up, or not. Then it’s the same as it was for you. If they ask for a reduction etc look into sharing the cost.

@OhHellolittleone i don’t suppose you know roughly the cost? Obviously it depends on the size of the house, this is a four bed detached.

You did a full structural survey when you bought? If so, you'll have comeback against the surveyor for not spotting it. If not, this is why you need to. But agent isn't a surveyor so not sure what his opinion means.

Ah, just spotted this. Sadly you've made a huge false economy buying a house without a proper survey

@redphonecase i thought a mid range one would have picked something like this up

Would you buy the house at the price with the knowledge a roof with asbestos will need replacing in 3 years?

@frozendaisy i don’t know how much that would be. It’s a four bed detached

If you're going to do this check with your local council what their asbestos disposal procedure is. Ours wants asbestos in specialist bags that you get from them.

Have you signed with this EA yet, OP?

They might be correct, but @Newtess could also be right. It is hardly unknown for an EA to have builders on their books looking for cheap sales.

If it is not too late, please get two more EAs out and see what they say. Don’t bring this up, let them take the initiative.

Good luck with this.

I think the agent might be trying to get you to sell it to his mate. If he valued your house it would be with that roof replacement in mind.

If this were me I would spend money now on a roof survey before putting the house on the market to get more independent advice. Plus when you do go to sell you can show this report too if questions are raised about the roof. That way you know if it is a problem and needs replacing in 3 years as the estate agent says. I am not a very trusting person so I like second opinions.

Have many other houses in the street already replaced their roof? If all the houses have the same roof I would take the estate agents comment that it will need replacing soon with a pinch of salt. If most of the houses have already done theirs then they might be right.

I've just done a little research and it looks like it could cost anything between £5k and £10k. I would get two other estate agents out to value your home, and if neither of them mention it, then put it on the market with one of them. Price it reasonably so that you get a good amount of interest, and then hopefully you'll find a buyer who like you, will decide not to go for a Full Structural Survey. Presumably you went for a Home Buyer's Report? As a matter of interest, how old is the house OP?

Can you cover the asbestos with the Japanese knot weed from the garden when buyers look round ?

You should absolutely NOT try to remove asbestos yourself, you need a specialist contractor to do it.

We have a different issue. Basic survey 20 years ago and didn't know about or realise potential issues with spray insulation in the roof. Only realised a few years back when next door in the terrace had their roof retiled. Roofer said would take a meteorite to shift ours! Pissed off about it as still paying mortgage but not planning to sell at present. I feel your pain...

I don’t claim to be any sort of expert, but I don’t see how he can be certain of the Asbestos content (or not) just from looking at them, presumably from ground level.
I had to have a garage removed, which we thought contained Asbestos, but it had to be tested beforehand to determine the type and level so that it could be disposed of appropriately.
I would also choose a different estate agent agent. Even if he turns out to be right he gave unsolicited advice and has worried you. That’s not a business relationship I’d want.

Sorry but I think there's some crossed wires, obviously photos would help, but 99% he's talking about the undercloak which is strips of cement board around the verges of the roof, and they just sit there doing nothing and not impacting anyone.
The only thing visible from ground level that would be on its last legs would be either pointing or barge boards if you have them, and that's either a relatively easy job or a bit more in depth but again easy.
Asbestos undercloak is about as low risk as it gets without being asbestos free and the typical way to deal with it would be to watch a couple of videos as training, wet it and double bag it, and take it to the dump and put it in the special bin. Then replace with exactly the same thing only the asbestos free version.
OP, don't worry and don't Google!