mouse555

iTrader: (1)

I have recently sold my house and put in an offer for another and all was going very smoothly until I got the results of the Envirosearch.

The house that I am buying was built in 1973 on contaminated land.

The envirosearch has revealed 'the presence of unknown filled ground on or within 25 metres of the centre of the search.'

It goes on to say,

'The data examined in this risk assessment indicates that there may be a potential source of contamination arising from the filled ground which may have significant implications for the property.'

'In our opinion, from the information we have examined, there is a risk that the value of the property could be impaired.'

'In our opinion the property may also constitute 'contaminated land' as defined by Part 11A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.'

My questions are these :
Has anyone bought a property on contaminated land?
Has anyone sold a property on contaminated land and how did it affect the transaction re the mortgage?

My solicitor can advise on the law etc but I wondered about the practicalities of it all.

Can anyone help?

Thanks.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

once the mortgage people find out id of thought theyd pull out as well,as they own it for the next 20-25 yrs etc

i have seen those disaster shows where this happens and the house is worth 20% of what people paid (who didnt know they bought a house on duff land,not the beer LOL)

suppose it depends on if the land can be cleansed etc

StickyMicky

Contaminated with what?

Scooby Soon!

radioactive or a dump?

My mum and dads old house was built on some sort of old rubbish dump they dug up loads of glass bottles in the garden (with some sort of glass marbles in them) and loads of other stuff made a fortune

mouse555

iTrader: (1)

That I don't know!

Do I press on with the expense etc of finding out or do I cut my losses now and not bother?

After all, the land will still be contaminated with whatever it is and when it comes to selling it I will have the same problem that the vendor is ABOUT to have!

mouse555

iTrader: (1)

[quote=Scooby Soon!;9529357]radioactive or a dump?

Landfill I think.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

i thought they had to wait 10 yrs before building on landfill,if so,maybe they did but some mis-wires have been tangled etc etc ?? worth an ask

b road blaster

if and ok its a big if but if anything "nasty"is in there it will cost you mega bucks to get the soil removed and taken away mate
not trying to put a downer on you but the place i work for do ground clearance of this sort and belive me its mega bucks to do

PaulC72

Firstly you need to know what it is contaminated with, why not ask the sellers they may have some additional information that could put your mind at rest.

Secondly I would try to find out what the financial impact on the current price is as providing the contamination isnt too bad and you can live there safely you may be able to grab a real deal which will enable you to offset the contamination problem.

I would also suggest talking to your mortgage broker (if you are getting a mortgage) to see what their stance on it is after all if they say no it's the end anyway.

Then when you are fully informed you can make a decision and you can withdraw at any time

hodgy0_2

especially avoid it if its over an ancient Indian burial ground -- always ends badly

Milamber

iTrader: (2)

Your bank are going to bend over backwards to lend money on that.....NOT

zip106

Indeed.
Or a Pet Cemetery.

*shudder*

mouse555

iTrader: (1)

I have got a cat though.......

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

does the house appear cheap?

have they factored that into the vend price but you haven't twigged yet?
You may already be getting the bargain

mouse555

iTrader: (1)

No the house is not cheap-the vendor has (not surprisingly I know) made no mention of it and nor did estate agents (again not surprised by that either).

I think its a case of having to look for somewhere else now.....