All quiet on the Western front. This statement frequently applies analogously to apartment buildings and residentials complexes. Structural details and even contractual items which in many cases have attracted little notice for many years, suddenly become crucial factors in the course of careful scrutiny during the sales process.
Not all owners today even realise that materials containing asbestos were used in the construction of their apartment house or residential complex. After the war until around the mid-70s, it was frequently a daily occurence to handle materials containing asbestos on construction sites. Then the realisation slowly dawned that building materials containing asbestos can be harmful to people in certain conditions. These days, the public reacts even more sensitively to real or even suspected contamination from the use of such materials.
The mention of the word asbestos alone can have a significantly negative impact on the progress of a sale. Put plainly, the seller may have to put up with a considerable loss of value as a result. However, this is often unjustified if this development is primarily based on purely psychological sensitivities. In such cases, the only course of action is total transparency and the commissioning of expert reports to avoid erroneous interpretations reached by non-professionals .
One example is the fact that floor materials containing asbestos were frequently used when fitting out apartments. Thes flexi-tiles containing asbestos and often adhesives, too, sometimes lie dormant for decades under numerous top layers. The situation only becomes critical when cracks occur in the floor tiles after a lenghty service life. The result is that the bond holding the harmful asbestos fibres togethet may be compromised. In this situation, it is compulsory to dispose of or remove the damaged flexi-tile. Further details are defined in TRGS 519. As long as the flexi-tiles are covered and bound, there is no risk or cause for disposal.
The cost and effort requiered to dispose of such tiles in an average 60 to 70 m² apartment may lie in the upper single-dit-range range. when it comes to disposing of the flexi-tiles, one working day will be needed to carry out this work. However, it is essential, to use professionals for this purpose. The time and effort required seem to be manageable, therefore.
So, to sum up, the crucial factor is always where and in what form the asbestos has been used in a building. A precise, professional estimate helps to avoid negative scenarios which impact the value.