Compulsory asbestos test drives sellers to extra costs

From November 23, in addition to a soil certificate, urban planning information, an electricity certificate, an EPC, a post-intervention file, you must also present an asbestos certificate when selling your house or apartment. At least if the building dates from before 2001. Is it a more recent home? Then a certificate is not necessary. An asbestos certificate is the result of an asbestos inventory of a building. It describes which materials or building components contain asbestos, the condition of the asbestos, and how it can be safely managed or removed. The most well-known application of asbestos is corrugated sheets. But asbestos can be present in many more materials such as roof slates, insulation of heating pipes... Asbestos is carcinogenic, which is why by 2040 Flanders aims to make the region completely asbestos-safe by detecting and removing all deteriorating asbestos. Starting from November 23, 2022, an asbestos certificate will be mandatory for the sale of homes and buildings built before 2001. By 2032, every owner of a home or building built before 2001 must have an asbestos certificate. In case of rental, the owner who has an asbestos certificate is obliged to provide a copy to the (new) tenants. The price of an inspection will range between 300 and 600 euros (excluding VAT). But this can increase significantly if multiple samples need to be taken to definitively determine whether the material is asbestos-containing or not. Each sample will cost between 40 and 60 euros. And OVAM will also charge a fee, as they will charge 50 euros per certificate. The asbestos certificate does not need to be available when you put the house up for sale. This is the case with the EPC certificate. Only at the actual transfer of ownership, which can be the compromise or the deed (if a purchase-sale promise has been signed), must the asbestos certificate be present. For more information, you can contact our habicom experts.