Asbestos

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a strong and fireproof material that was widely added to a variety of products used in buildings. Its use was banned in 1999, but it may be present in any building built before then.

Is asbestos a problem?

Even if there is asbestos in your home it should not be a problem. Asbestos can become an issue if it is damaged or if it is disturbed by people who are not qualified to work with it. Once asbestos is damaged the fibres can be breathed in which can cause health issues in the lungs.

Our responsibilities 

Asbestos surveys

We carry out detailed asbestos surveys at various points including when we do major maintenance work, such as replacing your kitchen or bathroom. 

We'll share the results of the survey with you, we’ll explain what we found, what action we will take and what you may need to do.

We’ll save the survey on our system and share the information with relevant contractors before they visit your home.

Monitoring asbestos 

If we’re aware that there’s asbestos in your home we’ll ensure that it is in a safe condition. We’ll regularly monitor it and keep it in good condition. If it needs to be removed, we’ll arrange for it to be done by licensed professionals. Please do not try to remove it yourself.

How you can help manage asbestos

1. Regularly check any items that you think might contain asbestos. Look for signs of wear or damage, but don’t touch it. If you do spot any issues, please tell us.
2. Don’t sand, saw, scrape or drill holes in anything which might contain asbestos.
3. Make sure you give us access to your home so we can carry out asbestos surveys and maintain any asbestos in your home.
4. Get our permission before doing any DIY or making any structural changes to your home that may disturb asbestos containing material. We can help identify whether asbestos is present which could harm you or your family. If someone else carries out the work on your home without our permission and asbestos is present, you may still need to pay to clean up the asbestos and have your home made safe. 

Places where you might find asbestos

• Exterior of building: Roof sheets and tiles, exterior cladding, guttering and drain pipes.
• Boilers: Some interior workings of boilers, boiler flue pipes and storage radiators.
• Interior surfaces: Textured wall and ceiling coatings (like artex), duct panels (access to pipe work), panels behind radiators or heaters, panels around doorways, floor tiles, suspended ceiling panels and underside of stairs.
• Other areas: Bath panels, fireplace panels, panels to underside of sink, water tank, pipe lagging, garage and shed roofs.