Property Sellers - HIPs & Radon FAQ's

If you are considering marketing your property for sale and it's been designated as "located within a radon affected area" in the local area search (CON 29R) as part of your new HIPs pack, don't panic !!! Most properties in the UK don't actually harbor dangerously high levels of radon, even properties designated by the government as being "located within a radon affected area", however - some do.

Q: My property is highlighted as being "located within a radon affected area" in the HIPs pack, what should I do ?

A: If your selling your property and its been flagged as being "located within a radon affected area" in your HIPs pack it's vitally important you conduct a radon screening test immediately to protect yourself financially. Being able to establish or eliminate radon as a problem will immediately remove all the awkward and unanswered question marks hanging over the sale and ensures your property is not unduly blighted by radon gas. If your test results indicate the annual average radon levels are below the government's action level you can incorporate the report into your HIPs pack to enable prospective buyers and their acting solicitors to eliminate radon as a problem at your property.

Occasionally testing does uncover elevated levels of radon, however, knowing you have a problem keeps you in control of the costs and provides you with the time to install a radon mitigation system or arrange for quotes before the exchanging of contracts. Failure to be able to provide a radon test on a property that has been highlighted as "located within a radon affected area" will almost certainly lead to the buyers solicitor imposing a condition of sale (radon bond), reduced offer, delays on completion or a lost buyer.

Q: My property has been flagged as "located within a radon affected area" in my HIPs pack. Is it possible to establish if my house harbors elevated levels of radon gas by paying a search company for a written radon report on my property ?

A: The only way to establish if your property has elevated radon levels is to conduct a test. Its totally pointless spending money on a written report that produces an estimate to the radon levels at your property purely based on its location or postcode. Due to the very nature of radon neighbouring properties can contain very low levels whilst an adjacent property can harbour dangerously high levels. Producing a report without actually having tested the property is at best just an educated guess and can be extremely damaging to both the buyer and seller and will not satisfy any lenders or acting solicitors.

Q: A prospective buyer of my property has requested permission to conduct their own radon-screening test, should I agree ?

A: Its very much in your interest to agree to conduct the short-term radon screening test, refusing to comply will only lead to a reduced offer or a lost buyer.

Q: Although my property is "located within a radon effected area" in the CON29(R) local area search, I have been advised that radon gas is not a problem in this area and I should just ignore the warning.

A: If your property has been flagged as "located within a radon effected area" it basically means, that for every 100 properties located within the same 1km square area, 1 or more of the properties can be expected to exceed the radon action level of 200 bqm3. As the dangers of living with elevated levels of radon gas are well documented no prospective buyer is knowingly going to gamble with their families heath or financial security. Advising anyone that radon is not a problem without actually having conducted a test on the property is completely unethical. If the person discouraging you from testing for radon has any direct involvement in the sale of your property they also risk exposing themselves to serious levels of liability.

AlphaLab have first hand experienced of numerous prospective buyers walking away from properties seller were unwilling or unable to conduct a radon test on. It's very much in your interest to be able to provide a valid radon test result and nobody should ever discourage you from conducting a radon test.

Q: I noticed you provide a long and a short-term radon test, what test should I conduct on my property ?

A: Radon levels fluctuate and peaks and troughs occur due to numerous seasonal and environmental factors. Taking a long-term test over a prolonged period of three months will produce a result that can estimate your annual average exposure levels to radon. The short-term 2 to 4 day test, while highly accurate, provides a grab value of the radon levels at the time of testing and is deployed to screen a property for radon gas when time is of the essence and its impractical to take a 90+ day long-term test. The short-term 2 to 4 day activated charcoal test is the most widely deployed type of radon detector in the world selling over 15 million a year and has been specifically developed to provide buyers and sellers the means of screening a property for radon prior to the exchanging of contracts. Results from the short-term radon test provide an accurate picture of the radon levels at your property and can establish if annual average radon exposure levels may exceed the government's action level of 200 Bq/m3.

Q: I am in a hurry to exchange contracts on my property, how long will it take before I can receive the test results from my 48 Hr short-term radon test ?

A: Analysis and reporting of your radon test takes our laboratory three working days to complete, please allow a few extra days for Royal Mail to return your test kit to AlphaLab. If you have requested your report to be posted, please also take the extra postage time into consideration, alternatively, we can fax or email you a copy of your report to help speed through your results.

Q: The results from my short-term radon screening test indicate annual average radon levels are below the 200 Bq/m3 action level, what should I do next ?

A: You should now incorporate the test results into your HIPs pack to allow prospective buyers and their acting solicitors to view the information. The test report eliminates all the radon question marks hanging over the sale of your property and ensures your property is no longer blighted by radon.

Q: The results from my short-term radon screening test indicate annually average exposure levels could possibly exceed the government's action level of 200 Bq/m3, what should I do now ?

A: If time allows you should immediately conduct a 90+ day long-term radon test, as the results will help establish if the annual average radon levels are actually below the governments 200 Bq/m3. If however a prospective buyer is looking to conclude on the sale of your property immediately their acting solicitor may request a radon bond is implemented. The bond allows for the exchanging of contracts to proceed whilst still protecting their client's financial interests.

Q: How can I be sure my test results are accurate ?

A: AlphaLab employs a rigorous quality assurance program to ensure all test results are scientifically sound and of known precision and accuracy. The program includes a written procedure for obtaining QA objectives and a system for recording and monitoring the results in four key elements.

1/ Calibration measurements are taken daily and include samples from known standards and radon environments.

2/ Background measurements are taken daily to establish a reliable check on instrument operation.

3/ Duplicate measurements provide a check on the quality of the measurement result, allowing for any precision in error.

4/ Routine daily instrument performance checks of analysis equipment.

A: What does the short-term test results indicate ?

Q: What is a "radon bond" ?

A: f your short-term radon screening test is elevated and indicates the annual average exposure levels could exceed the 200 Bqm-3 a further long-term test should then be deployed over an extended period of 90+ days. The long-term test provides an estimate to the yearly average radon exposure and should always be undertaken before any final decision is made on installing a radon mitigation system to reduce your radon levels.

Conducting a long-term test over an extended period of three months in the middle of a conveyancing transaction is however impractical and unfair to both parties. In order to avoid the sale collapsing acting solicitors armed with the information gained from the earlier short-term radon screening can implement a radon bond that allows both parties to exchange contracts without further delay whilst still protecting the financial interests of the buyer. The bond involves a third party (normally one of the two solicitors) retaining an agreed percentage value of the sale until the new owner has time to settle into the property and conduct a three-month long-term radon test. Should the subsequent buyers test results prove the annual average radon exposure does exceed the governments action level the money held by the radon bond can then be allocated to installing a mitigation system to reduce the radon exposure.

If however the new owners long-term follow-up test actually proves the annual average radon levels are below the government's action level the whole sum held in the radon bond can then be returned back to you the seller.

Q: How Long Should A Radon Bond Be In Place ?

A: The new buyer of your property must first wait a full 60 days after moving into the property before commencing the long-term radon test as the upheaval of moving in and out disturbs radon levels and can produce an erratic result. After the 60-day resting period a long-term test can then be conducted for a period of 90 days.

In order to allow for further re-testing in the event of any mitigation work being required a radon bond should therefore be implemented for a minimum period of 11 months, with a maximum period of 18 months.

Q: How much money should be placed into a radon bond ?

A: Its important to retained a fair sum of money that's a true reflection on the current mitigation costs that could be incurred without unduly burdening the seller.

An averaged sized three bed roomed property should request a radon bond of around £3,000 to £3,500.

The current average cost of installing an active fan assisted radon mitigation system is approximately £2,500.

Q: How can you reduce radon in a property to safe levels ?

A: In most cases, a system with a vent pipe(s) and fan(s) is used to reduce radon. These "sub-slab depressurisation systems" do not require major changes to the property. Similar systems can also be installed in properties with crawl spaces. These systems prevent radon gas from entering the property from below the floor and foundations. Radon mitigation contractors can suggest other methods that can be just as effective on your property. The right system for any property largely depends on the buildings construction and the annual average radon levels recorded.

Q: Do you provide a radon mitigation service ?

A: AlphaLab only provide a radon gas testing and laboratory analysis service.
For further independent advice on installing radon mitigation systems you should make initially contact with the BRE (Tel: 01923 664707).

We understand radon can be a complicated and confusing issue with many people offering conflicting advice. AlphaLab have established a new Radon Hotline Tel: O1224 864446) to provide a free information service for anyone seeking further advice.

Radon Is Only A Problem If It's Ignored