Is it safe to buy a home with concrete cancer? In short, it's probably physically safe. The long answer probably isn't. You don't want to agree to buy a home that hasn't yet been discovered concrete cancer, just to have the problem come up in the honeymoon stage of your purchase.
Concrete cancer
is something that should set off alarm bells for you and it's something you should bring to the table as part of your negotiations.Cancer is a terrible disease and almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by it. However, it not only affects humans, but it also attacks property in the form of specific cancer. Many Australians may not have found it when looking for a home or investment, but for those who live around Australia's beaches, it's becoming more and more common with all the salty sea air. So, should I disconnect you from a property? If you thought your house or apartment was safe from concrete cancer because you're not on the coast, get ready for bad news.
It has been widely reported that apartments in coastal areas showed no discernible difference in specific cancer rates compared to their Brisbane metropolitan counterparts. Your property can also begin to develop cancer in concrete if the ends of the steel are too close to the concrete surface. Do you know what specific cancer is or how seriously it can affect large residential and commercial properties? As a strata manager, you face a variety of pressing concerns and responsibilities every day. Working on behalf of the homeowners corporation, you are tasked with overseeing administrative concerns and general maintenance of common spaces within the scheme.
That means that when a particular cancer occurs, you're likely to be the one to address the situation in a timely manner. If left untreated, the particular cancer can present a very real physical risk to everyone who lives and works in your stratum building. Allowing the problem to worsen can also create the need for special liens and rising rates, which are unlikely to leave residents satisfied. Addressing specific cancer early, despite short-term pain, will benefit all unit owners.
If left unaddressed, concrete cancer can make buildings uninhabitable. There are suggestions that some corporate bodies may be hiding telltale signs of specific cancer simply by painting on the problem because they fear that this will reduce the value of their properties. But can it repair concrete chipping? Yes, but only if you discover it when it is in its early to moderate stages. Over time, concrete can break down and, as it does, its integrity decreases; this is called concrete cancer and can be dangerous if left unattended.
Once you find evidence of concrete shedding or concrete cancer, you must act to prevent continued damage. They will also identify any major expenses, repairs, or works (such as concrete cancer) that give you the knowledge and power to negotiate an appropriate purchase price, as well as the opportunity to ask further questions or learn more about issues that have been identified in the Strata Report. It's carbon dioxide in the air, or even water, that becomes the turning point that makes your steel-reinforced concrete apartment susceptible to concrete cancer. Failure to notify an insurer of a pre-existing defect, such as specific cancer, may mean that, under certain circumstances, the insurer has the right to cancel the contract altogether.
A specific minor case of cancer will cost much less than a major structural one, and of course it all comes down to the rest of your financial goals. And as for your concern, does that mean that all units will have this problem? Once again, it would be very rare to have two units that have that particular serious cancer. Your inspector is a truly neutral party, and a qualified professional will be much more likely to detect signs of a particular cancer than an untrained stratum manager. Failure to notify an insurer of a pre-existing defect, such as a particular cancer, may mean that, in certain circumstances, the insurer has the right to cancel the contract altogether or that the insurer may be entitled to reduce liability with respect to a claim to the amount it would place on the insurer in a position in what the insurer would have been if the default had not occurred or the misrepresentation had not been made.
Detecting any cracks or water ingress at the earliest time is an incredibly important way to prevent the development of the particular cancer in the first place.
