The asbestos certificate and inspection | Cornerstones of real estate| EP.4

Hello, thank you for watching this episode of cornerstones of real estate. Normally we had anticipated today to start talking about bid acceptance strategy in sales. But if you have been following the real estate market and or the media a little bit recently, you will know that there is currently a topic that is more pressing and that everyone is talking about, namely, asbestos attestation or asbestos inventory. So that is what we are going to talk about briefly today.

 

Now, when do you actually need such an asbestos attestation? Not all homes need it, only homes with a risk construction year before 2001, a minimum area of 20 square meters, and where there is a transfer of property rights.  

 

So that could be a sale, but it could just as easily be a donation, for which it is also required.  Now, from 2032, every owner will have to have an asbestos certificate, even if you don't sell your property, it will become compulsory for everyone.  

 

The asbestos attestation is a very important document because it must be compulsorily present when the compromise or sale agreement is signed.   Without asbestos attestation, no sale agreement can be signed.  And just because it is so important, we at Kasper & Kent have provided ourselves with our own asbestos experts of which I am also one.  

 

There has been a lot of buzz in the media about the large holes in the wall that would be cut by the asbestos expert.  Now, to some extent that is true, but the media has obviously magnified and exaggerated that a little bit.  As asbestos experts, we obviously have to go on-site and list all possible asbestos-suspect materials and try to ascertain which of them are asbestos-containing or not.  

 

This can be via our own expertise, i.e. we as experts are allowed to judge for ourselves whether a material is asbestos-containing or not.  It can also be through evidence documents, where we can prove that certain materials date from after 2001 and therefore do not contain asbestos.  But, there are also a lot of materials where asbestos can only be ruled out by sampling.  And plastering is precisely one of these materials.   But thermal insulation or crepi, for example, is another such material.  

 

In many cases, this means that we have to take samples of the plaster.  And the inspection protocol also prescribes that that should be a mixing sample.  That basically means that a sample has to be taken in several places.  Why is that so?  It is so because plastering is a heterogeneous application, where the amount of asbestos, the asbestos fibers, can vary from place to place.  Hence, a mixing sample is needed.  

But, our asbestos experts of course always try to take samples in places where it is little to unnoticeable.  For example, behind a kitchen cupboard or behind a radiator or where the plaster is already damaged, or on the ceiling behind a lampshade.  We try to do it in places where it is not noticeable.  Now, of course, there will be cowboys on the market too but that is really the exception in my opinion.  

Finally, I would also like to address some frequently asked questions.  First of all, let me just emphasize that an inspection for an asbestos inventory sale is a visual and non-destructive survey.  That is, the asbestos expert will list only the materials that are observable but also inspectable.  Asbestos hidden behind materials, behind a wall, for example, will not be listed.  So nothing is demolished to look for asbestos.  

The asbestos attestation for sale is a non-destructive examination.   So for example, if an asbestos attestation states that there is no asbestos, this does not actually mean that there is absolutely no asbestos anywhere in the house.  It actually just says that no asbestos-containing materials were found during a visual inspection.  So you cannot see them during a tour.   But so it could well be that asbestos is still hidden behind a wall, ceiling or floor.   

What many people also ask is whether there is an obligation to remove the asbestos?  Currently, there is no obligation to remove asbestos.  So just because there is asbestos on the attestation does not mean it has to be removed.   Initially, the asbestos attestation only serves to inform property buyers so that they know whether asbestos is present or not.  Perhaps an obligation will follow in the future, but not currently.  

Only for publicly accessible buildings, there is a removal obligation, but for private homes or sales of private buildings, there is no obligation.  

Voilà, I hope this has taught you a bit more about the asbestos attestation.   So if you are planning to sell a property and need an asbestos attestation, feel free to contact us.  Because we can prepare asbestos certificates ourselves, we can offer them at very attractive prices to owners who will also sell with Kasper & Kent.  

But also for owners who want to work with Kasper & Kent and already have an asbestos attestation, we also have an interesting cashback promotion where a large part of the asbestos attestation is refunded. So be sure to contact us without obligation to get some more information.   

I look forward to seeing you for the next cornerstones of real estate!