I am letting a property with a garage. The garage is located in a separate building, consisting of several garages side by side. Now the roof, which appears to be made of asbestos, has leaks due to little cracks and a hole in it so that the wood beams might rot in the long run. I am thinking of having the roof repaired (or replaced with a different material from asbestos); at the same time it risks being expensive compared to the value it adds to the property (and might cause more inconvenience than anything to the tenants who would have to empty the garage etc). Any suggestions on how to solve this problem in the most efficient way possible?
I would let it without the garage, then look at the potential income from renting the garage separately against the cost of fixing/replacing the roof.
Thanks. I once rented the garage separately (about 6 years ago) and I could hardly achieve 50£/months. So it’s not worth it - just a waste of time.
I could indeed rent the house without the garage and leave the garage empty - since the rent is below market value since I prefer a low turnover to maximizing rent I think the tenants would accept it.
What I am wondering is whether it’s a good decision to just let the garage deteriorate. I mean if I am to sell the house in the future, will it be worth more if the garage roof has been replaced, enough to compensate for the expense?
Have you had any quotes for repair? If you have asbestos in the roof, the builders Ive spoken to say leave it alone provided its not breaking up. So perhaps there is a simpler repair that wouldnt be so expensive?
So far I’ve had one quote but my tenant was not impressed by that builder (I haven’t met him). I had other people go and see it but haven’t got a quote from them yet, though from what they said on the phone it’s probably going to be quite expensive.
Two solutions have been suggested to me by é separate builders: cover the exisiting roof with Corrugated bitumen (1350£ which includes changing the piping in the gutter) or else clean the roof and use crypol fiberglass sealant to seal the crack (cheaper solution by a few hundred pounds). Anyone familiar with this kind of jobs that can tell me which solution is better?
Asbestos roofs are ok if not disturbed. I would not have it cleaned, surely this is going to cause asbestos particles to float in the air? It may not be asbestos it may be a cement based product . Depends how old it is. Only sending it to be tested will give the answer
just do not walk on why not clean it and replace missing and cracked with a new cement based sheet?
a few years ago I replaced a similar roof with insulated industrial sheets This was a garage belonging to the owner of a very expensive house . So well worth it. Costs will always go up so better sooner than later.