The Risk of Radon

When purchasing a property, an enquiry a Solicitor will make is whether the property is in a Radon Affected Area. There are Radon hotspots all over the UK with more than 1% of properties in any given area affected by Radon.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, produced by the decay of Uranium in the ground. It quickly dissolves when in contact with fresh air, but it can become trapped and accumulate if it rises from the ground into buildings. This can cause health implications as it is the single largest source of radiation exposure. The main danger from high Radon exposure is the increased risk of lung cancer.

If our search comes back with a high risk, there are several ways we deal with this as Solicitors:

• Radon Testing – this is usually carried out over a period of three months to allow for seasonal variations in Radon levels and is designed to determine potential long term exposure.
• Radon Remediation Techniques – these can be carried out to reduce the Radon levels to as low as possible, by either installing a Radon sump or introducing a positive pressure system.
• Radon Bond - in order that Radon testing doesn’t hold up property transactions, the Solicitors on both sides can agree to a Radon Bond. This is a sum of money from the purchase price, agreed by both parties which is retained by the Solicitor for a set period of time whilst testing is carried out. If there is a problem the Radon Bond can be used to undertake Radon Remediation Techniques.

Please contact our Commercial Property Department on 01242 574 244 for further information and advice.