Set a radon test saturday, picked same radon up today… appeared all good until the buy said she went by the property Sunday and the second floor apartment windows were open… hmmmm
so we prepared to set the test again… right!! that was until the tenant got home, got wind of it and is PISSED… not another two days with closed conditions… (75 days, 45 nights)… calls me direct and wants to discuss with me??? Whose responsibility is it to calm this guy? Funny thing is the house is 300 feet from the realtors office…
the tenant maintains he did NOT open the windows… but mother and adult son clients maintain they saw windows open… buyer asks how reliable the original test would be… I say if they were open (windows) not too reliable…
BTW… radon set in basement in this case (laundry)…
Should the realtors deal with this guy and his wife??? :roll:
thanks in advance!
The way I see things, Radon testing is a waste of time & money for everyone during the realestate transaction.
As you have just found out, you have no idea what conditions are affecting your sampling!
When the people who are paying for the test (wanting it done for their own well being) have ownership of the property, that is the only time the test can possibly be even remotely creditable.
The new residents will be living in the home differently then the current residents.
Question??
If I live in a house & have half of the windows open all summer long, and in the winter I have one window open almost all winter long… (my wife has to have the bedroom window open all winter long with a fan going at night…)
Why would I have a radon test done with all the windows closed? That would not be an accurate test for the way my house is used by my family. It would only be an accurate test for a house that my family does NOT live in.
That would be like testing a garage for CO with a running car in it with the garage doors & windows closed. That isn’t how most people use a garage.
Radon is found everywhere and gets trapped in confined spaces. You can not have an accurate radon test if the house is not being used normally. Offer Radon sampling to the buyers after they have moved in to the home. This way the results will pertain to them & not to someone else. They are unlikely to have the results of the radon test until after their 10 day contingency has ended anyway.
My two cents. It is a good idea to perform the radon test whenever time is available. In most cases it is during the transaction. The seller doesn’t want to pay for the test, but the buyer wants to know if there is an amount they should be concerned with. Thus the test takes place during the transaction period.
The testing protocols are set up to provide worst case scenarios, closed house conditions. Yes, everybody lives in their house differently, but closed house conditions are the only “standard” conditions you can use for testing. The buyer wants to know if they might need mitigation or not, if so who pays for it or maybe even walk if they can not accept Radon.
To help (or not) with the above question, I leave a note out or hand it to the listing agent to give the tenants or homeowners explaining what closed house conditions are and if the test is deemed void for whatever reason, there is a retest fee. I do not say who is responsible, only that there is an additional fee. It is usually higher than the initial fee due to extra travel. Money tends to talk and by letting all parties know there is an additional charge ($000) nobody wants to pay that additional fee and tend to follow directions.
I would try telling the client what happened and talk with them about it. If the second story window was open, it would tend to bias on the high side, however, if the window was open the test should clearly be voided. Ask the buyers what they would like to do and they may be able to work it out with the agent or seller. You are responsible for taking the test, not arbitration.