Asbestos in council properties

Asbestos was a popular building material between the 1950s and 1990s. Its use has since been banned in the UK, as if the material is disturbed and fibres are released, it can cause serious health issues.

Many of the asbestos products commonly found in houses do not release fibres because they are in good condition, or are mixed with materials that hold the asbestos together. Textured wall coatings (also called Artex) are one of the most common asbestos products found in the home.

Asbestos is safe unless it is disturbed – do not attempt to remove asbestos from your property yourself.

Please contact us for safety advice before disturbing, drilling, scraping or sanding any material which might contain asbestos. This includes:

• textured coatings covered by paints on walls and ceilings
• old plastic floor tiles
• bath panels
• panels behind or under heaters
• loose asbestos lining materials, which may be between floors, ceilings or walls

How we manage asbestos

We will carry out an asbestos survey before any major work is done on a property to identify if any asbestos-containing materials are there which may be disturbed. We also carry out regular inspections in buildings with communal areas to make sure asbestos-containing materials are in a safe condition.

Depending on our findings, we will do one of the following:

1. Record the presence of asbestos-containing items that are in good condition, so that they can be monitored in the future
2. Seal and bond any asbestos-containing materials that have been identified to reduce or stop the release of fibres
3. Remove any asbestos-containing materials when required from several homes at a time as part of planned maintenance work
4. Remove asbestos-containing materials when identified immediately if the type, location or condition of the asbestos is a risk to health