Possible pyrite from Survey

Hi,

I am sale agreed on a house and recently got our survey done. The surveyor is concerned that there is a possibility of pyrite. The house is a stand alone unit so unable to compare to neighbours. He has suggested to get an engineer with pyrite expertise to assess.

We’ve had a quote from an engineer firm for a survey of almost 1000euro and then a further 3000euro for core sampling works.

I wonder if anyone has experience with a similar scenario. Do these costs sound reasonable? Would there be any chance to get seller to pay for some of this? Unlikely I know!

Also does anyone have experience in purchasing a house with pyrite if it is confirmed? We would need to renegotiate price but would the bank have issue with lending in this situation? I see it is possible to completely rectify the issue but it’s time consuming, destructive and costly of course. Once rectified and green cert received, is there any issue with selling on the property ie do you need to mention that there was pyrite previously to potential buyers if it has been all removed?

Also if pyrite was found, would there be any chance of getting seller to rectify it before we purchase or is it better for us to get it done to ensure it’s done right?

Walk away. Find somewhere else.

how old is the house ? i think alot of the pyrite houses were built during the building boom and the pyrite issue has already surfaced long ago with deterioration of the structure. If this house is like 20years old with no obvious pyrite defects they are unlikely to surface now. It could be that the surveyor saw something very minor and to cover his own ass he had to warn you of possible pyrite issue in case you sued him in the future for not warning you.

My son was in a similar situation. He did a mountain of research on the topic. He was buying a 23year old house. He decided to walk away. If it doesn't have a green cert stay clear.

There are a number of groups on a website that starts with F. I am not allowed to write the full name here. Join the groups there and ask if it is known in the area. The auctioneer should also have some information as well as the owner. If the property needs pyrite removed the remediation fees can be high and start from €35k if the house. One off will cost more. Another thing your may not get a mortgage and there will be a premium for insurance.