There are many issues that owners and prospective purchasers of PRC Homes face, one of the most consistent problems is that of mortgageability. The majority of Mortgage Lenders will not lend on these homes unless a structural repair has been carried out, this repair must be in accordance with an approved PRC licence and supervised by an approved PRC inspector.
Banks and Building Societies will want to see legal evidence of the repair in the form of a PRC Certificate of Structural Completion issued by the inspector, the inspector in this instance must be a fully qualified Structural Engineer, preferably with experience in dealing with PRC Homes.
The issues faced by both owner/occupiers and investors are twofold, the first being an unrepaired property where little or no work has been undertaken since its construction and secondly repaired houses where no PRC Certificate is available.
The first of these issues is relatively straightforward to overcome but is dependent on the original construction of the property. Repair systems are available for many of the PRC Property types but some variants are more complicated and time consuming than others. In general the work involves removing or making redundant the load bearing concrete elements of the property and rebuilding them with traditional materials.
Gaining a PRC Certificate with a full repair is costly, potentially disruptive and varies for each type of PRC Property. With many PRC Repairs it is possible for the occupants to remain in residence whilst the work is undertaken with others it is not. We are able to give guidance in the initial stages of contact regarding this issue, so that long term plans can be made in good time.
The second of these issues can be a little more complicated to deal with, over the years many different Engineers, Local Authorities and construction companies have come up with and carried out their own solutions to the PRC problem, some of these may be acceptable to lenders others are definitely not.
In some cases works have been undertaken on properties but no documentation is available to prove the suitability of the repair. Local Authorities often carried out repair programs but never issued PRC Certificates, alternatively documentation and evidence of repair has been lost over the years. This is a key issue and continues to prevent existing and prospective owners from raising the finance required.
This issue can often be overcome as long as the repair was carried out correctly. PRC Homes UK are happy to consult on the re-certification of a correctly repaired property or will provide a report and recommendation on repairs that do not meet the required standard as set down in the Housing Defects Act 1984.
If you wish to discuss these issues or you have any concerns about an existing PRC Certificate please contact us.
We have seen a lot of activity with regard to missing PRC Certificates and there is currently a lot of misinformation being circulated about PRC Repairs. If you are dealing with a repaired PRC Property and need PRC Certification please ensure that the certificate is both original and issued by a qualified Structural Engineer.
If you are offered a PRC Certificate that does not confirm the property has been repaired to the correct standard then please contact us or seek other professional advice before committing to purchase.
Professional advisors should be particularly aware as there have been a spate of negligence claims, many due to unqualified inspectors signing off repairs.
If a PRC Certificate is not available there is usually a very good reason, some do genuinely get lost over the years but in many cases a PRC Certificate has never been issued.
If a PRC Certificate has never been issued then an intrusive inspection of the property must be carried out to establish what repair was done and to what standard. This process involves exposing certain parts of the property for inspection by a PRC Structural Engineer. They will then be able to tell if a full repair has been completed and whether it reaches the required standard for PRC Certification. On many occasions it has not, so additional works would be needed to bring the property up to full PRC Homes repair standards.
If you are offered a PRC Certificate and a full inspection has not been carried out by a qualified PRC Structural Engineer then be very careful. It has been known for unqualified people to have carried out only a visual inspection, if so they will not have identified any areas that are not up to the required standards. This will cause problems in the future and could put you at odds with the legal requirements of your lender.
If you are in any doubt as to the authenticity of your PRC Certificate or wish to confirm that the correct procedures have been followed, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
