Resources for mortgage brokers · 3 min read
The Pyrrhotite Test Before Financing: When to Require It
For a 1996–2008 home in an affected area, the pyrrhotite test is often the key to financing. You still need to know when to ask for it and what a serious report should contain.
When the test becomes necessary
The pyrrhotite test becomes practically unavoidable when three things come together: a property in an affected area, mainly Mauricie and part of Centre-du-Québec; a foundation poured between 1996 and 2008; and no complete lab report already available. In that case, some lenders have required proof before financing.
Even when the lender doesn't formally require it, the test protects the borrower: an affected foundation can require major work, and public assistance isn't guaranteed. This situation is put in context in pyrrhotite, pyrite and lender requirements.
The year that matters: the foundation's
The year shown on the listing often corresponds to the end of construction or registration, not to when the foundation was poured. A house finished in early 1996 may have a foundation poured in 1995, and an extension built during the period may have its own foundation. These nuances can change the analysis.
Ask for permits, plans or construction documents to establish the actual pouring date. For a house near the edges of the period, this check avoids either an unnecessary test or, more seriously, missing a necessary one.
For a borrower buying a house that has already been tested, the check stays simple: obtain the complete report, confirm it covers the foundation's different components, and make sure the tested house is the same one, with no later extension on a separate foundation.
What a serious test must cover
A reliable test relies on concrete cores taken from the foundation's different components: walls, slabs and footings. A specialized lab analyzes them to determine the presence and content of sulphides. A serious report specifies the location of each sample and the result for each component.
According to the victims' coalition, during a first trial in Trois-Rivières, a pyrrhotite content of 0.23% or more was accepted as normally requiring reconstruction of the affected concrete elements. That threshold provides a reference point, but it's the full report, interpreted by professionals, that should guide decisions.
Fitting the test into the loan timeline
Coring followed by lab analysis takes several days, sometimes more depending on availability. If the test is only requested after the offer is accepted and the lender's conditions arrive, the financing deadline may be missed. This time must therefore be planned when the offer is drafted.
Ideally, the question is settled before the offer: does the seller have a complete report? If so, ask for it in full. If not, the inspection condition deadline must account for the test, as we explain in syncing inspection and financing.
When a test is needed but time is short, tell the client plainly that the financing date may have to move. A short extension negotiated early is far easier to obtain than one requested the day before the deadline, when the seller has other buyers in mind.
When the seller already has a report
An existing report can avoid a new test, provided it's complete: samples from the different components, an identified lab, detailed results. A partial report based on a single sample or a simple visual observation doesn't answer the question.
Remind the borrower that the absence of cracks proves nothing: damage can take years to appear, and a finished basement can hide it completely. Our consumer article on recognizing the signs of pyrrhotite can be passed on to them.
Ask who ordered the existing report and when. A report commissioned by a previous buyer years ago may still be valid for the concrete itself, but it's worth confirming that no work has been done on the foundation since, and that the lender will accept a report it didn't request.
Coordinating the test with the inspection
The building inspection and the pyrrhotite test complement each other. The inspector examines the whole building and notes visible clues; the lab answers the precise question of the concrete's composition. Planning them together saves time and avoids two separate visits to the property.
To arrange an inspection with a test recommendation when the area and year warrant it, use our page for partner brokers. The complete guide for mortgage brokers places this test within the overall file.
