About Asbestos

Householders

There is currently no statutory requirement to remove Asbestos from Domestic Buildings and no current regulation to control Asbestos within them. However, the presence of Asbestos can have a negative effect on the value of the property and can cause difficulty when trying to sell your property if Asbestos is suspected and identified during a standard building survey.
[Dealing with Asbestos prior to selling your property can avoid delay during the sale process and provide a level of comfort to a purchaser]

When buying or selling you will need to know what type of Asbestos is in the property, the condition of the Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) and what you will need to do about it. In most cases no specific action will be required unless the ACM is in poor condition or subject to disturbance.

Any major building refurbishment or demolition should ensure that materials are sampled prior to work commencing to identify location and condition of ACM's.
You can then determine how to deal with ACM's during your building programme.

Examples of Asbestos Containing Materials: Artex CeilingsCeiling TilesBoiler FluesInsulating BoardFloor TilesGaskets and SealsFire DoorsPartitionsGuttersDrainpipesSoffits

Commercial/Industrial Premises & Landlords

These are covered fully under the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2006) requiring people responsible for Non-Domestic premises to be fully aware of all Asbestos Containing Material (ACM's) in the premises they are responsible for and to hold an Asbestos Register and Management Plan.

Information is available from www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos