OT: Prefab concrete buildings and PRC certificates

Can't your solicitor investigate an indemnity cover? It seems to work for all sorts of niggles with older building sales.

I seem to recall (vaguely) from a few decades back something about asbestos being used in prefabs during construction. Probably worth investigating.

Have you looked into retrospective PRC certificates?

Yes it was there were prefabs at the end of the road we lived in in Wandsworth. However assuming the building conversion has been done properly, then until you demolish it, nobody can get at the asbestos. I'm assuming the original flat roof is no more. I often wondered about the huge nuts you could see on the outside of those buildings, ie how were they hidden so well when they were clad in bricks later on? Brian

A local BISF house (postwar steel frame) was for sale. The vendor had got a report from a reputable local structural engineering firm to assess the condition (which involved removing some of the cladding, hence slightly destructive). It's something the purchaser would have to do anyway, and the engineer offered for £100 to convey the same indemnity to the purchaser as they do to the client who ordered the assessment, so it would be something you could rely on in a conveyance. It also meant the same report could be reused if the purchase were to fall through for any reason.

Perhaps ask the lenders if they would accept a structural engineer's report? If you know who they are they might have specific criteria, eg:

You could also look for other people with the same kind of house. For BISF there was:

but I think there are other forums for houses with 'non-traditional construction' around.

Theo