Asbestos in older homes: what to know before any renovation
By the Offrano editorial team · · 4 min read
Asbestos is not a problem only for old factories. It was used in homes for decades before it was banned, in ceilings, boards, floor tiles and pipe lagging, and it is most dangerous when building work disturbs it. For anyone planning a renovation, a kitchen, a rewire or a bathroom in an older house, the right time to think about asbestos is before the first quote, not when a builder finds something behind a panel. This guide explains the basics. It does not tell you how to remove anything: that is not a job for a homeowner.
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Which homes can contain asbestos
According to the Health and Safety Executive, asbestos was widely used in homes, commercial buildings and machinery until 1999, when it was banned. Any domestic building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it, while buildings constructed after 2000 are unlikely to.
That covers most of Britain's housing. The presence of asbestos is not in itself an emergency: materials in good condition that are left alone are generally not the concern. The risk comes from damaging, drilling, sanding or breaking them, which is exactly what renovation does.
Source: hse.gov.uk · hse.gov.uk
Where it is typically found
HSE lists common locations, including asbestos insulating board, which closely resembles ordinary plasterboard, sprayed coatings, textured decorative coatings on ceilings commonly known as Artex, floor tiles, toilet cisterns, loose material in ceiling and wall cavities, and cement products such as garage roofs and gutters. Soffits under the eaves and panels around windows are other places where insulating board was used.
- textured ceiling and wall coatings
- boards in partitions, soffits, around windows and behind heaters
- older vinyl floor tiles and their adhesive
- cement sheets on garages, sheds and outbuildings
- lagging on older pipes and boilers
- toilet cisterns and some older fittings
Source: hse.gov.uk · hse.gov.uk
What a survey does
An asbestos survey provides information about the location, amount, type and condition of asbestos-containing materials. HSE notes that commissioning a survey is often less troublesome and more proportionate than assuming asbestos is present, because it makes clear what is there. Before a significant renovation or demolition, the relevant survey is intrusive: it looks inside the areas that will be disturbed, so it has to be done before the work, with the rooms accessible.
Ask your builder whether a survey is needed for your project and who will commission it. A builder who proposes to strip out a pre-2000 kitchen, bathroom or ceiling without mentioning asbestos has skipped a question it should have asked.
Source: hse.gov.uk
Who is responsible in a private home
The legal position surprises many people. In an owner-occupied home, the owner is not engaged in work activity and so is not legally responsible for risks to contractors from asbestos. The contractors carrying out work in your home have a legal duty to protect you, and themselves, from risks to health caused by their work.
That does not mean an owner should stay silent. Telling a contractor what you know about the house, its age, previous work and any survey, helps it plan properly. In shared parts of some residential buildings, such as blocks of flats, a duty to manage asbestos does apply to whoever is responsible for maintaining them.
Source: hse.gov.uk · hse.gov.uk
Licensed and non-licensed work
Higher-risk work with asbestos, such as most work on insulating board, sprayed coatings and lagging, must be carried out by a contractor licensed by HSE. Some lower-risk materials, including certain cement products and textured coatings, can be worked on by trained non-licensed contractors where a risk assessment shows exposure will be sporadic and of low intensity, and some of that work must be notified. Asbestos waste must be packaged and disposed of as hazardous waste, and never put in a skip or household bin.
For you, the practical point is to ask who will deal with any asbestos found, under which arrangement, and how it will be disposed of. The cost of this belongs in the quote, not in a surprise invoice halfway through.
Source: hse.gov.uk · hse.gov.uk
Planning your renovation
Build the survey into the timetable. It needs access to the rooms that will be worked on, and results take time; if asbestos is found, licensed removal may need to happen before other trades start, which can move the whole programme. For a flat, ask the managing agent whether the building already has an asbestos register for the common parts.
Mention the age of the house and any known asbestos when you ask for renovation quotes. On Offrano, the request goes to exactly one builder or renovation firm in your area that buys it; we email you its name, address and phone number before it receives your details. The service is free, and whatever is found, you decide how to proceed.