Asbestos and saftey switchs - getting tenants out

[Big Headaches]

Hi Im new

please can anyone help

I have just signed a 6 mth lease and tenants have moved in this week

during the move in Phase they have found broken asbestos and that their is no saftey switch (required in NSW???) and very old wiring meaning that the house needs a 5K worth of rewiring just to get to saftey switch capability

I want to end the rental agreement now on the basis that the property is unsafe. Get them to move out and do all of the repairs required while the property is vacant (for saftey reasons)

Can I do this - I am only trying to cover off all my risk exposures, but they dont want to move again so quickly and try and find something in the Sydney Rental Market

your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[jingo]

Hi Im new

I have just signed a 6 mth lease and tenants have moved in this week

during the move in Phase they have found broken asbestos and .......they dont want to move again so quickly and try and find something in the Sydney Rental Market

your help is greatly appreciated.

Hi Big Headaches,

I can't believe the tenant is willing to risk their long term health by being exposed to asbestos. Do they understand how deadly asbestos is? Perhaps directing them to some stories of people who have been exposed to asbestos and subsequently developed cancer would be enough to encourage them to move on?

Failing that, is it possible to have your house declared 'unfit to occupy' by an appropriate authority?

Hope you are able to sort this out soon.

All the best,

Regards Jason.

 

[Big Headaches]

The abestos is in the garage which is broken.

So they are willing to take the risk "because its a nice neighbourhood and near their family",

but I'm not I want Zero risk exposure

 

[jrc]

what did your building and electrical inspections show before you settled

 

[Twitch]

Asbestos should only take a day to remove, rewiring maybe a week.

Why not talk to the tennant and see if they are going on a holiday soon so the work could be done then?

An electrician may even be able to work around an inplace tennant, so they may just have to be out of the house for 1 day whilst the asbestos is taken away and put up with a bit of inconvience for a week with an electrician.

Personally I think if this is your biggest headache you ever have as a landlord then you are lucky.

cheers

Hi Im new

please can anyone help

I have just signed a 6 mth lease and tenants have moved in this week

during the move in Phase they have found broken asbestos and that their is no saftey switch (required in NSW???) and very old wiring meaning that the house needs a 5K worth of rewiring just to get to saftey switch capability

I want to end the rental agreement now on the basis that the property is unsafe. Get them to move out and do all of the repairs required while the property is vacant (for saftey reasons)

Can I do this - I am only trying to cover off all my risk exposures, but they dont want to move again so quickly and try and find something in the Sydney Rental Market

your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Norwester]

I can never understand why asbestos causes such a panic in people in regard to AC sheeting...morons.........

Precautions you need to take..........total panic is not necessary.

Get the garage painted, the damaged sheets replaced or the edges sealed...........simple as that.

A safety switch can be installed without the need to rewire a house. If it picks up issues in the wiring (usually split neutral circuit returns, earth neutral reversals or incorrect sub-board configurations), these can still be fixed without having to neccesarily rewire the whole place.

Be aware that 9 out of 10 times it will trip because of what's plugged into the circuits...........

If you have had an electrician advise that the place should be rewired - you need to ask why and then seek a couple more opinions - if it does need rewiring, a good electrician should be able to stage wire without the tenants even noticing...........let alone having to move out.

ciao

Nor

Twitch..........Standard 3 Bedrooom house O/H head supply, subfloor/roof access with two tradies (one runner, and one under and over man) shouldn't take anymore than two days to rough in and cut over.Then allow another day in attendance in conjunction with supply authority to cut over new mains and install new switch board.

 

[Big Headaches]

- I bought it a long time ago very cheaply without an inspection, I knew it was a cheap house.

 

[Big Headaches]

Do I absolutley have to have a safety switch? in NSW at this date?

 

[Norwester]

BH,

If it's an existing older property and from a strict SAA Wiring Rules POV.............no

Be aware though there are sometimes retrospectivety clauses enacted and enforced by your supply authority/ local council.............best to talk to them.

The question you need to really ask yourself is what would you do if your tenant died and you were found liable? Ok I know we are all insured for that, but could you handle looking in someones eyes knowing that?

Just get it checked out (if necessary talk to your supply authority as they will give you indepenent advice), fixed if neccessary, accept it as cost of doing business and move on.

ciao

Nor

 

[JFisher]

Nor is absolutely right. There is no need to get into a tizz over some busted cement sheet; in fact you would be suprised if you knew how many products contained asbestos and that most buildings (if not all) that were built up to the late 80's contain asbestos in one form or another. Cement sheet containing asbestos is known as unfriable asbestos (opposed to friable) and is harmless if handled sensibly. Touching it without gloves isn't going to result in asbestosis.

Remove the nails (punch through the sheet with a nail punch if you cannot pull them out) then pull down the broken cement sheet in one piece; don't belt into it with a hammer and get fibres airborne Place the bits in black builders plastic and tape up. Wear some gloves, disposable overalls (about $11) and a mask if you would like and wrap them up with the sheet when disposing. Take it to a tip that will handle that type of waste. Install a new piece of cement sheet and paint to match existing...easy and should take a morning.

At the moment in NSW you can remove 200 sq mt of asbestos without a licence but the rules are changing at the end of the financial year. I cannot remember how much it is then but it is alot less. Rip in a do it yourself before then and save a bit of money.

Asbestos is not harmful if well maintained, especially the type you are talking about. Friable asbestos on the other hand is dangerous. Friable asbestos is any cement/asbestos product that can be crumbled in the hand by hand pressure alone. Cement sheet products made after the late 80's don't contain asbestos but stock piles of asbestos products were allowed to be used up even after the manufacture of asbestos products was banned, so homes built up until 1990 and even beyond 'may' contain some asbestos product. General rule of thumb is treat anything around that age as potential asbestos and you will be fine.

 

[pulse]

Nor and the Fish are right, don't get overexcited there is nothing like "safety switch capable" some sparkies might be after some extra work or not happy to work with older wiring. In one of my places I had panic phonecalls needing "complete rewiring" the older sparky in town crawled under the house and tightened a screw in a junction box for a few hundred. Expensive but better than a few thousand!

Fibre cement sheet is the same, paint it then no more problems.

If they want a new house then rent a new house.

Cheers
Pulse

 

[Sungam]

Asbestos

Here is something most people don't know. There are a lot of water pipes servicing Qld that are made out of asbestos!, yes that's right not only might you be breathing it, you could also be drinking it.

An experiment performed at the Brisbane Airport Terminal revealed the following -they poured water into several receptacles, waited until it evaporated and analysed what was left over - answer? minute particles of asbestos.

Answer buy a water filter - BTW I dont sell water filters....

 

[Jimmyjamjars]

Do I absolutley have to have a safety switch? in NSW at this date?

No offence BH, but comments like this make me cringe. The focus should not be on the cost or inconvenience but, could you sleep at night comfortably after your tenant had fried themself, safe in the fact that for under 300 bucks, you could have fitted a safety switch, whether law stated that you needed to or not. Just fit the damn thing.

And, yes, I am a sparkie.

JIM

 

[Norwester]

Hi Sungam,

Drink it, eat it.........even have sex with it........you'll be fine.

ciao

Nor