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What is asbestos?

What asbestos is, any risk associated with asbestos and how we can work with you to manage any asbestos in your home.

What is asbestos?

It is a naturally occurring fibrous material. There are six types of asbestos; Chrysotile, Amosite, Crocidolite, Tremolite, Anthophyllite and Actinolite. Used widely in the 1900’s to as late as 1999, as many benefits were associated with asbestos such as: heat insulation, sound proofing and water resistance.

Research now tells us that when the asbestos fibres are inhaled they can cause significant, irreversible damage to our health. Diseases such as Mesothelioma and Asbestosis are shown to be directly linked to the inhalation of asbestos fibres.

As your landlord, it is important we make you aware of the best way to manage asbestos in your home, to prevent any exposure.

Is asbestos always dangerous?

If left alone, asbestos poses very little risk to our health. For it to be dangerous, the asbestos fibres have to become airborne. The lowest risk items within your property are those where asbestos is contained within a composite material, such as bitumen, floor tiles or textured coating.

What should I do if I think asbestos has been disturbed in my home?

If you believe asbestos has been disturbed in your property, you must inform us straight away. Close the door to the room affected and do not re-enter the room until you have been told it is safe to do so.

If asbestos is disturbed as a result of malicious intent, then we may recharge you for the works associated with repair.

I am wanting to dispose of some items I believe may contain asbestos, what should I do with them?

There are some household items such as sink pads; fire blankets and ironing board plates that contain asbestos, do not put them in your bin. Call your local authority to find out where the nearest asbestos disposal skip is and take the items there. You should double bag the items.

Asbestos cement sheeting and insulation boards can only be moved by a licensed contractor.

Where is asbestos most likely to be located in my home?

The image below shows where you could find asbestos in any home in the UK built before 1999.

Internal

A. Asbestos Cement Water Tank

B. Pipe Lagging

C. Loose Fill Insulation

D. Textured Decorative Coating

E. AIB Ceiling Tiles

F. AIB Bath Panel

G. Toilet Seat and Cistern

H. AIB behind fuse boxI. AIB airing cupboard and / orsprayed insulation coating boiler

J. AIB Partition Wall

K. AIB Interior Window PanelL. AIB Around boiler

M. Vinyl Floor Tiles

N. AIB Behind Fire

External

O. Gutters and AsbestosCement Down Pipes

P. Soffits (AIB or Cement)

Q. AIB exterior window panel

R. Asbestos cement roof

S. Asbestos cement panels

T. Roofing Felt

What does this mean for my home?

When you move into your home, you may want to make some changes, but, before you start working on your property you should contact us to check if you need to get our written permission to complete the work and to check if there is any asbestos present.

We hold a register, all the asbestos in our communal areas is listed in the register, in line with legislation. We also hold some information on our domestic properties. We always recommend an asbestos survey is completed before you start any work, to keep you and your family safe.

When you begin to plan any work contact us and we will organise an Asbestos Management Survey to be completed. This service is free of charge and the results will be provided to you once the survey is complete.

If you require intrusive works to be completed on your home, for example; sanding, drilling or working on asbestos containing materials with tools, you will need to have a Refurbishment and Demolition Survey completed. This service will also be provided free of charge.

Is there any work that I can do that does not need an asbestos survey completing?

  • Painting a wall or ceiling.
  • Wall papering.
  • Painting a soffit, fascia or guttering.
  • Laying vinyl flooring, laminate flooring orcarpet on top of existing floor tiles.

Where can I get further information on Asbestos?

If you have any concerns about items containing asbestos in your home or garden, please send an email to Asbestos@WDH.co.uk or call OneCALL: 0345 8 507 507.

Should you need any more information about asbestos, you can also check the HSE website.

We are committed to providing equal access to information. If you would like this information in another format please phone us on 0345 8 507 507

Keywords

asbestos ; inspection ; check ; safety ; Artex