Fast and Reliable Mundic Testing

The presence of mundic in a property makes it more susceptible to deterioration. When exposed to moisture, the mundic ‘attacks’ the cement causing the concrete to weaken, crumble and – in the worst cases – completely fall apart. Naturally, this can cause major structural issues and even cash-buyers should take caution to ensure that there are no further problems when it comes to selling the property or passing it on as inheritance.

Over the last few years, mortgage lenders have become increasingly cautious of the Mundic problem and tests are often instructed to prove the type of construction materials used rather than solely testing for the presence of Mundic and concrete degredation.

In addition, lenders may now ask for more extensive testing of buildings containing leasehold flats and apartments, some insisting on the repeat of formerly ‘clear’ tests in circumstances where the original surveyor is no longer available to re-assign the report.

Prior to application for a Mundic test, seek advice from your mortgage lender on their specific requirements as these will enable us to tailor our work to suit you. Please be assured that our staff are highly experienced in all aspects of Mundic testing work and remain on hand throughout to support and guide you through this procedure.

Whilst intrusive, a mundic test is fairly straightforward and involves drilling into the property’s walls to take core samples. One of our mundic surveyors will visit the property with a driller, they will then direct where to take samples from to best represent the property’s construction.

These samples are sent to a local laboratory where they are analysed for the presence of mundic. Lastly, our surveyor writes a detailed report, clearly stating the result and any implications this may have.

Although there is no comprehensive Mundic Register for properties affected, if the property has been tested previously by Cornwall Mining Consultants then you can contact us to check, however, we are not able to provide you with the outcome of any previous tests due to confidentiality agreements with previous clients.

We appreciate this can be frustrating and, as an alternative, advise checking on the Mundic Property Search Tool, offered by our friends Petrolab, which may provide more information.

Your mortgage lender will always want to see your name and sometimes theirs, on the Mundic report. If it doesn’t have your name on it, then you can’t legally rely on it even if the result is correct. The surveyor’s insurance will not cover the result unless the report is assigned to you.

Reports can be re-assigned (transferred) to a new client by the original attending surveyor, but many surveyors who previously provided this service have ceased trading or no longer offer the service and therefore re-assignment is not possible.

In addition, new Mundic Testing regulations mean that many reports older than 6-10 years are not able to be re-assigned regardless.  However, many of our direct reports can be re-assigned without a problem. Please contact us for guidance.

There is no fixed rule on this (see the answer to the previous question). If you have sight of an old report then give us a call to discuss it on 01209 313511.

A new Mundic test with us will last longer than those historic ones. Cornwall Mining Consultants no longer relies on external independent surveyors but undertakes this work in house, meaning that we retain the power to transfer reports in the future.

A standard Stage 1 Mundic test costs from £575 excluding VAT and this applies to a typical residential dwelling in mid or west Cornwall. Please be advised, higher fees apply to larger properties, commercial sites and those in the east Cornwall and west Devon areas.

We understand that for many speed is key when requesting a mundic test and are proud of being the fastest provider of Mundic Tests in the region.

The sampling is often taken within one week of instruction – often quicker – and the laboratory analysis takes between 24 and 48 hours during which time we are frequently able to provide verbal results and advice.

Our final surveyors report is completed as soon as the written laboratory results are received, so typically the whole process takes less than two weeks.

If you need an urgent Mundic Test let us know on application and we will do everything we can to meet your deadline. Order now using our form below.

Guidelines on mundic test requirements are provided by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Cornwall Mining Consultants are proud to have a dedicated and RICS qualified chartered surveyor on our team – link to team page. He brings numerous years of mundic assessment experience to our mundic test offering and has formed a strong relationship with our local laboratory.

All our findings are detailed in a combined report which has been specially designed to meet the requirements of all major mortgage lenders and comply with the RICS Mundic Guidance Note 3rd Edition.

The initial Stage 1 Mundic screening test will classify the concrete in the following:

• Class A1
• Class C1 or C2
• Unclassified

Stage 2 analysis can then be undertaken to further classify the samples in to:

• Class A2
• Class B

If further investigation is required, a Stage 3 test can give the classification:

• Class A3
• Class B

Anything with ‘A’ in it is good news and this is the ideal scenario but whilst the others might be a problem, several of these can be rectified by the removal of affected concrete.

We don’t undertake Homebuyer’s Valuation or Building Surveys directly, however we can recommend the following professionals to assist:

R H Benwell & Associates

M Mullaly Chartered Surveyor