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Discovering pyrite remediation work was carried out after going sale agreed

  • 17-10-2020 4:13pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 7


    We went sale agreed 2 weeks back after the top bidder backed off from the property. Here are the sequence of events:

    1. We were not made aware of any pyrite during viewings or while we were going sale agreed.

    2. We got the home survey done and we had specifically asked to 'check for asbestos, pyrite or other undesirable materials.' (as suggested by our solicitor). The home survey came out to be good with answer 'None apparent on inspection'.

    3. The solicitor received a report of pyrite remediation work carried last year. The report states "removal of hardcore", "placement of new hardcore", "repair of rising walls", etc as work carried out and claims exemption from "non-complaint installation of timber flooring". I have no idea what this means and the report does not state whether it was carried out under "Pyrite Remediation Scheme" by "Pyrite Resolution board" or the construction company was privately hired. No green certificate was provided. I have asked the surveyor for their opinion and have so far not received anything (its been 2 days).

    4. The contract from seller's solicitor says "The purchaser is put on notice of remediation for reactive pyrite in the sub-floor hardcore of the subject property and shall conclusively accept and resume that all remedial workers required have been done. and shall accept the certificate of <construction engineer> in Documents Schedule as conclusive evidence thereof. No objection, requisitions or enquiries shall be raised in relation to this matter and any requisitions or enquiries will not be entertained in relation to the same."

    I am a bit disappointed to discover pyrite remediation work and feel this should have been bought to my notice before going sale agreed. Otherwise seller has something to hide. We had to let go of other another property we were top bidders on because of this. The remediation report and solicitor verbiage is all a bit too much for me to understand. The house is otherwise in perfect condition and perfect for us. The perfect condition could because remediation was recently carried out and I dont know if the house condition will deteriorate over the years or not.

    Suggestions on how to proceed please. Should we just backout? Should I talk to solicitor for advice? Should I try asking surveyor opinion once again? Should I ask if the remediation work was carried out by Pyrite Resolution board? Should we ask for pyrite green certificate? If the seller is not willing to provide it, should we just back out or negotiate on the price?


    P.S. - Sorry about the new account. Had to create one to hide my identity and the house's location.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    Personally I'd waik. Will there be issues with insurance?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭poker--addict


    it is really a question of whether the correction work has been done properly and signed off with everything above board. If that proves hard to ascertain then back out.

    😎



  • Registered Users Posts: 7 pyritebuyer


    theteal wrote: »
    Personally I'd waik. Will there be issues with insurance?

    We got no issues securing insurance on the property. I can try disclosing the pyrite remediation issue to insurer so see if the quote changes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 pyritebuyer


    it is really a question of whether the correction work has been done properly and signed off with everything above board. If that proves hard to ascertain then back out.


    Thanks. Yes, you got the crux of the issue. It seems like green certificate is the only way to prove it.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 146 ✭✭salamiii


    was it bidx1 property

    i would walk away from it the first buyer walked away from it you will need to hire a structural engineer to see if work has been done
    they should have had a structural engineer
    sign off on it and also there should be photos of the work being carried out
    you will find it hard to resell the property


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7 pyritebuyer


    salamiii wrote: »
    was it bidx1 property

    i would walk away from it the first buyer walked away from it you will need to hire a structural engineer to see if work has been done
    they should have had a structural engineer
    sign off on it and also there should be photos of the work being carried out
    you will find it hard to resell the property

    Thanks for your reply. Its not a bidx property, the estate agent is one of the biggest property brokers. The structural engineer has signed off the carried out work in the remediation report but it doesn't state if the issue will come back or not. With the absence of green cert, this is bit risky alright


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    We got no issues securing insurance on the property. I can try disclosing the pyrite remediation issue to insurer so see if the quote changes.

    So the insurer aren't aware of the pyrite? Is it not one of their standard questions like subsidence/underpinning? I'm sure I've read of policies being refused in the past


    Being honest, it's just casting doubt on your big purchase and it's something you could do without. There will be other houses with no such issues so why volunteer this one upon yourself. We had to pull out of a sale late in the day when we realised that the 20+ year previous underpinning was still a flag for getting insurance. We asked the sellers to pay for a full structural survey which they declined - if they wouldn't pay the couple hundred for that they really wouldn't be happy when our offer for the house was substantially lowered (past subsidence only revealed after sale agreed)


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 pyritebuyer


    theteal wrote: »
    So the insurer aren't aware of the pyrite? Is it not one of their standard questions like subsidence/underpinning? I'm sure I've read of policies being refused in the past


    Being honest, it's just casting doubt on your big purchase and it's something you could do without. There will be other houses with no such issues so why volunteer this one upon yourself. We had to pull out of a sale late in the day when we realised that the 20+ year previous underpinning was still a flag for getting insurance. We asked the sellers to pay for a full structural survey which they declined - if they wouldn't pay the couple hundred for that they really wouldn't be happy when our offer for the house was substantially lowered (past subsidence only revealed after sale agreed)

    Thanks... Just curious, if the seller has paid for full structural survey or had reduced the price to account for full structural survey , would you have gone ahead with the purchase? Or the fact that it had issues would have persued to back off regardless?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭theteal


    Thanks... Just curious, if the seller has paid for full structural survey or had reduced the price to account for full structural survey , would you have gone ahead with the purchase? Or the fact that it had issues would have persued to back off regardless?

    I suppose had the survey come back all good, we would have gone ahead with it - like I say, it was late stage of the process, we had the contracts signed, just hadn't sent them back yet. Looking back I think that would have been a naive FTB move. I'm very glad we didn't, the house we went sale agreed on a week later was/is so much better, just it was a bit older and needed a bit of work


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 pyritebuyer


    theteal wrote: »
    I suppose had the survey come back all good, we would have gone ahead with it - like I say, it was late stage of the process, we had the contracts signed, just hadn't sent them back yet. Looking back I think that would have been a naive FTB move. I'm very glad we didn't, the house we went sale agreed on a week later was/is so much better, just it was a bit older and needed a bit of work


    Thanks. I am glad it worked out great for you. I am going to ask for survey and let the insurer know to see what happens.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7 pyritebuyer


    Following up on this. I decided to proceed with the sale after feedback from solicitor, structural surveyor, home insurer and independent property advisor.

    The solicitor confirmed that its a marketable title and hence no issues with re-selling the property.

    The surveyor confirmed that remediation work carried out is as per IS 398-2:2013 (the correct and relevant standard) and the issue was been fixed permanently.

    The home insurer didn't increase a cent on home insurance quote after I disclosed that pyrite remediation work had been carried out. The underwriter for the insurance company did mention that they may ask for remediation work report but eventually didn't. Its a good idea to always keep the remediation certificate with you just in case it is needed while switching insurer.

    The independent property advisor suggested that if surveyor is happy with the remediation work report and solicitor is seeing no issues in regards to future ability to sell the property, there is no reason to backoff from the sale.

    I don't understand the unnecessary stigma associated with properties that have successfully completed the remediation and have 0 chance for the pyrite issue to come back. I cant fix people's perception on this but can only share professional advice I got on the issue. Some of the private messages I got were panic inducing with no backup on facts on what can actually go wrong. Just fear mongering.

    I hope this helps someone in future and explains what is needed to safely go ahead with the sale.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,751 ✭✭✭mirrorwall14


    We also bought a house following pyrite remediation. No issues so far several years in


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,325 ✭✭✭✭jimmycrackcorm


    I don't understand the unnecessary stigma associated with properties that have successfully completed the remediation and have 0 chance for the pyrite issue to come back. I cant fix people's perception on this but can only share professional advice I got on the issue. Some of the private messages I got were panic inducing with no backup on facts on what can actually go wrong. Just fear mongering.
    .

    It's a similar fear to buy a property in a flood area that had previous flooding, however, when flood relief works are implemented, it's easy for people to understand that remediation. Nobody understands how pyrite remediation works, or how permanent it is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2 MrsW


    Glad to find your in depth post. I’m in a position where I want to buy a property that previously had pyrite. The only issue I have is that it’s a bidx1 property and I’m afraid the bank won’t approve a draw down and I’d loose my deposit. What did you require for the bank to drawdown?



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