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Q&As
Advice on Asbestos
I completed a self-build four bedroom bungalow in the mid-1970s, and all room ceilings were plastered with Artex, and the integral garage ceiling was lined with an asbestos board.
Both of these materials were in common use at the time, but now seem to be regarded as "dangerous"!
Can you advise me as to what action I can take, or need to take, prior to putting the house up for sale, so that we may move to a smaller home?
Many thanks.
One Answer
In theory you do not need to do anything as there are thousands of houses which happily continue to be lived in with asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
Sometimes the effort involved in removing suspect materials is not viable and, when these products are fully encapsulated (painted), they are generally considered not harmful and of low risk.
But, asbestos is a dangerous material and highly emotive with new purchasers. So, I would have a sample of your artex tested for asbestos content. If it is positive then either the ceilings can be (carefully) removed or they can be plastered over or they can be left in situ.
If you choose to plaster the artex then one usually applies a permanent label to say that this has been done so that subsequent owners are aware. It would probably be best to leave the new purchaser to make this decision.
The asbestos cement board on the garage ceiling is usually a low risk product and can normally be removed and replaced quite easily. However, with a positive trace of asbestos in these two products you should read the Control of Asbestos Regulations (guidelines readily available from the internet) as there are very specific handling processes for disturbing and removing ACMs.
Some low risk work you can do yourself (with appropriate and compliant protection) and other work requires licenced contractors. But your first action should be to have tests carried out on small samples of each product and this will inform you of what is required. Or, leave the purchaser to have this done if their surveyor recommends this.
– Tim Doherty, Build It expert