Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals. Due to its strength and fire resistance, asbestos was used in a wide range of building materials and products between the 1930s and the mid-1980s. If your home was built or refurbished during this time, it may contain some form of asbestos. Homes built after 2000 are very unlikely to contain asbestos. You can read our asbestos leaflet here.
The most common area where asbestos is likely to be found is contained in artex. Artex is a textured ceiling coating which was widely used in houses and contained small amounts of asbestos. Artex is safe as long as it is not disturbed as the asbestos is highly bonded within the artex, and doesn’t release fibres easily. This will allow you to repaint it if necessary, as long as you do not drill, saw, sand or scrape the artex.
Bath Panels/toilet cisterns, corrugated roof sheets on sheds or garages, soffits (roofline boards), guttering, down pipes and soil pipes, boilers, boxing to soil pipes, floor tiles, textured decorative coatings e.g. artex, window cills, panels beneath windows, roofing felt, water tanks, panels to fire doors, panels behind fires heaters and boilers, partition walls, between partitions
The Health and Safety Executive says that:
Most people are exposed to the low amounts of asbestos present in the atmosphere with no ill effects. Asbestos fibres and dust are however potentially very dangerous if inhaled in higher concentrations over a period of time when they can cause serious lung diseases including cancer. The symptoms of these diseases often may not appear for between 15 – 30 years after exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos does not pose a risk if it remains in good condition and not disturbed. If you think any material containing asbestos is present or may have been damaged:
If asbestos is identified then it will either be removed in the case of any planned maintenance programmes or left where it is if it remains in good condition and is not likely to be damaged or easily disturbed. If the material is damaged or is a high-risk due to its location, we will take action to have it removed or encapsulated.
We keep a record of all the known asbestos in our properties. As we do work to homes the asbestos will be removed safely. We have fully qualified staff who also carry out testing on any suspected surfaces before work starts.
If you plan to do minor work which does not require our permission such as putting up shelves or fixtures that could involve any drilling, sawing, sanding and you are unsure whether asbestos is present then please contact us. We will arrange, if necessary, a sample of the affected area that you are going to work on (if we have not carried out a survey of your home) to identify if asbestos is present and tell you on what needs to be done before work can start. If you do work without our approval you will be charged for the cost of dealing with any asbestos incidents. Please remember that you are not allowed to carry out structural changes to you home.