Asbestos may be present if your home was built prior to 2000. It is safe if the property is in good condition. You should not do anything to cause damage to it, for example, sanding or making holes in it.

If an asbestos item in your council home becomes damaged accidentally, please contact our maintenance services officer on 0800 028 1870 so that we can arrange appropriate action.

Legal responsibility

We have a legal duty to manage asbestos in all our properties and to protect any contractors who may work in them. Any building work could potentially disturb asbestos, which can be found in areas such as Artex ceilings, wall panels, floor tiles, garage and shed roofs, and even WC cisterns.

We have 2 asbestos contractors, one for surveys and one for removals.

Asbestos surveys

We need to arrange surveys when we do not have any previous asbestos information, and we need to carry out building works. This could be planned work, such as a replacement kitchen or bathroom, or a rewire, or response works, after something like a leak through a ceiling.

Where we need information on one area, we may ask for a full survey of the whole house or flat, as the information will be useful for future repairs. The surveyor will take a small sample of each suspect area from a hidden place where possible.

Asbestos surveys will usually be carried out within 2 weeks of the request, unless it is an emergency sampling, which could sometimes be the same day.

Asbestos removal

Asbestos removal is carried out under fully controlled conditions. You will not be able to access the room where the asbestos is being removed from, and in some circumstances, will have to leave your home for a few hours. This is because an enclosure will be built around the removal area, to ensure fibres can’t escape. There may be some damage to decorations when asbestos removal is carried out, often caused by the tape that holds the enclosure in place.

The contractor will try to cause the minimum amount of damage to decorations, which will not usually be repaired. The asbestos is carefully removed within the enclosure, then double-bagged before being removed from your home.

Removals can sometimes take up to 4 weeks or longer, as we need to arrange for the area to be reinstated soon after the asbestos removal.

Appointments

Our contractors will make appointments and call you if they are unable to arrive on time. Sometimes they may visit without calling first if they haven’t been unable to contact you by phone.

Please be sure to:

• keep a pre-arranged appointment unless prior notice is given, you may be re-charged if you do not keep your appointment
• be present when a child under the age of 18 is in the property
• not smoke within the property for at least an hour before and for the duration of the appointment - our staff have the right to cancel an appointment if their working conditions are detrimental to their health