Asbestos in your Home

What is asbestos?

Asbestos fibres are strong and resistant to heat and chemicals. This has led to their use in a wide range of building materials and products, often as fireproofing. Asbestos cement has been widely used as a cladding material and can still be found in garages and sheds. However, properties built since the 1980s are unlikely to contain asbestos.

Why asbestos may be a problem?

Old or damaged asbestos materials can release fibres into the air. These can then be breathed deep into the lung where they may stay for a long time, causing possible damage. When very high levels of the fibres are breathed in there is a risk of lung diseases, including cancer.

People who have worked with asbestos for many years as part of their job are most likely to be affected. Workplace regulations now protect such people

Identifying asbestos

You cannot tell whether a product contains asbestos just by looking at it. Since 1976 British manufacturers have labelled all products containg asbestos. However, these labels are often removed after purchase or concealed when the prodiucts are put in position.

Products that contain asbestos can look identical to those that don't. You should always presume that any material contains asbestos, unless there is strong evidence to suggest it does not - most building material obviously do not contain asbestos (glass, wood, floorboards, bricks, stone). Anything else should be presumed to contain asbestos and should be left alone. 

If you think you may have an asbestos problem in your home, please report it to our Repairs Team on 0800 358 1401.

Where asbestos might be found

Asbestos is a natural mineral fibre found in rocks all over the world. The following table explains the most common asbestos-containing materials that might be found in the home:

External

• Rainwater pipes and guttering
• Roof cladding
• Roofing felt
• Roofing sheets (corrugated and flat)
• Roofing slates
• Soffit boards (underneath the roof overhang)
• Wall cladding sheets

Internal

• Bath panels
• Ceiling tiles
• Cold water tanks
• Electric storage heater bricks
• Fire blankets
• Fire surrounds
• Floor tiles
• Flue pipes
• Lagging (for pipes and boilers)
• Insulation (for warm air or central heating systems)
• Artex wall and ceiling finishes
• Airing cupboard linings

Asbestos and Home Improvements

If you are planning home improvements and think you may have asbestos in your home, always talk to us first. We can check our records or arrange for our specialist contractors to carry out a survey. If you suspect asbestos may be in your home,avoid disturbing or damaging asbestos materials that are in good condition. Seek advice from us if you have damaged or deteriorating asbestos material in your home.

Asbestos and DIY

If you suspect you may have asbestos-containing materials in your home, extra care must be taken when carrying out DIY:

• Keep other people away from the area
• Never sand, drill, saw or wire brush anything you think may contain asbestos
• Do not dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos
• Always wear a protective face mask if you are doing DIY work
• Soak wallpaper before removing it. If possible, use a steam stripper
• Do not try to remove old floor tiles or linoleum. Leave them in place and lay new floor coverings over them
• When work is finished, clean up and carefully remove overalls to avoid raising any dust

Things to remember about asbestos

• Asbestos does not usually pose a risk unless it is damaged or disturbed
• It is often best to leave asbestos-containing materials where they are if they are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed
• Try to make sure anything containing asbestos remains in good condition
• Do not drill, saw or sand anything you think might contain asbestos
• Some imported goods may still contain asbestos

What we will do about asbestos

We will gather information about asbestos in the homes we manage.

We will hold the details of these surveys and any asbstos materials we find on an Asbestos Register. If any asbestos found poses a high risk we will remove it immediately

We may seal materials containing asbestos to stop any fibres escaping

We will inspect materials containing asbestos from time to time to monitor any changes and take action if necessary

If we need to remove asbestos from your home, we will keep you informed about the work and what you need to do to ensure the safety of your family

Remember

If the asbestos is in good condition and is unlikely to be disturbed or damaged, it does not pose a risk and we will leave it in place

As your landlord, it is our responsibility to contain or remove all materials which may contain asbestos from your home. Do not try to remove or disturb items which you think may contain asbestos yourself.