Pre purchase survey finding

Roberto_gas

Hi All,

Anyone have insights on the scale of this issue? This has come up in a pre purchase survey of my mate and fire safety is the main finding !

This property from a fire safety point of view requires that the corridor is constructed in 1⁄2 hour fire construction with self closing fire doors. This apartment has no protected corridors and no fire doors and is in clear breach.

What kind of work and costs are we looking here ?

Thanks a mill

mickdw

Run away.

It will only take a fire officers inspection to have the whole complex deemed unsafe and an order to move out issued.

Costs of repair then likely split over all owners.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058336524/pre-purchase-survey-finding

Impossible to answer in terms of money but from what you describe you'd be looking at a minimum of enclosing the staircase in 1/2 hr fire resistant material such as doubled up plasterboard or block work as well as the works to the doors

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121777854#Comment_121777854

thanks so looks like a big uplift..should the seller be asked to do it ?

Surprised that such findings are there in an apartment block !

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121777826#Comment_121777826

Thanks..Sorry thats one option for sure and well understood..my query was more about whats involved to rectify ?

mickdw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121777895#Comment_121777895

But would the rectification be entirely in the hands of a single apartment owner or will the block as a whole need work.

These are nightmare scenarios. We have not even mentioned the firestopping that would be hidden from survey but likely missing also.

HeidiHeidi

The seller/ buyer will only be dealing with the apartment - the common areas are the responsibility of the OMC. Has a fire survey been undertaken and what were the results of that? Sounds like remediation work may need to be done to the whole block. That information should have been supplied by the managing agent to prospective buyers.

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121777997#Comment_121777997

firestopping is fine between apartments..surveyor has said this is issue with the current apartment and may not be issue with entire block but is this issue not an issue for others too in a block setup

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121778002#Comment_121778002

agent was asked multiple times if thr was any known issues ! Dumb of them to not give this info tbh..leechers not sure what they gain by hiding such things

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121778070#Comment_121778070

The purchaser's solicitors are entitled to a "MUD" report (or something like that) - contains all that info regarding the overall building - I just sold a place with similar issues and everything was provided for the purchasers. The buyer's solicitor needs to be chasing this, the estate agent only knows what s/he's been told.

Victor

"The seller/ buyer will only be dealing with the apartment - the common areas are the responsibility of the OMC." - and it will be the (new) owner who will have to fund the OMC. The other owners may be dilatory in their responsibilities.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121778980#Comment_121778980

That's all the info that must be provided - the state of the OMC, the sinking fund, what (if any) surveys have been undertaken, the scope of works required..... prospective buyer's solicitor should be demanding it.

Cuddlesworth

Rereading the OP, it's possible that the finding could simply be saying the owner removed the fire doors within the apartment. Corridor=hallway within apartment.

It's not uncommon, some people hate self closing fire doors in apartments and are focused on form over function. And some cowboy trades will do it.

Or they did replace them with properly spec'd fire doors but because they don't look like the standard fire door it was marked in the report

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121779102#Comment_121779102

Can they just put it in the report without checking?

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121779021#Comment_121779021

thanks will get them including fire audit and related findings

Doop

From experience if this was taken on from a whole block perspective each apt unit owner would be looking at a bill in the region of 12k-18k.

You can of course go ahead and fix the issues within your own apt alone but theres generally more sense in a whole block approach.

Curious how your surveyor managed to pick this up with out doing some level of destructive investigation ie drilling holes etc, but sometime you can a view from within storage cupboards etc.

These issues are replicated the length and breath of the country unfortunately. Its more common to find this issue then find it is to find an apt complex in compliance with the original approved Fire safety cert. But there's no need to be alarmist as long as audits are done/planned and remediation works planned fire officers are not ordering buildings to be vacated.

Roberto_gas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121793352#Comment_121793352

Thanks..I think he did it based on doors condition /corridor thickness or a device i assume and looking at the cabinets. The corridor is in the owner flat and not common area. So doubt management company has a say here. Its a duplex type with no common corridor.

Is this good if it can be addressed by seller and no dependency on MC ?