Advice neighbour asbestos roof

mutley74 · 8 September 2017 at 2:06PM

New neighbours are having major works done on the house.

They have told me they are intending to replace their garage roof, which is made of corrugated asbestos. The garage roof is about 0.5m from our conservatory. I realize that asbestos can only be removed under special permit, is there anything I need to know being so close to this roof? Could my house be affected by any asbestos dust, and does the neighbor have a duty to inform me, so I can keep windows closed etc?

(on previous building work the neighbor has not pre-warned me, resulting in my car being covered in concrete and building dust when the replaced the house roof and rendered wall (I was not pleased with them).

Niv · 8 September 2017 at 2:22PM

One thing you need to know is that for the removal of asbestos cement you do not need a special permit (nor do you need to be a licenced contractor).

I would not be particularly worried, unless the removal is especially amateurish the chance of releasing asbestos fibres from cement is low.

As it is approx. 0.5metres away it is probably not a bad idea to close the windows on that side while they do the removal 'just in case' but honestly, it would not be a major concern to me.

EachPenny · 8 September 2017 at 2:29PM

mutley74 wrote: »

...I realize that asbestos can only be removed under special permit, is there anything I need to know being so close to this roof? Could my house be affected by any asbestos dust, and does the neighbor have a duty to inform me, so I can keep windows closed etc?

Anyone can remove asbestos, but only a competent contractor should remove asbestos.

A competent contractor will know how to remove it without spreading dust around, so if they carry out the work correctly then you have nothing to fear.

The question to your neighbour should be whether the contractor is competent. Just because they are a 'builder' doesn't mean they are competent to deal with asbestos.

It might be worth discussing this with your neighbour because it is their house/garden as much as yours that would be at risk if they use a contractor who isn't competent. Having asbestos spread around their garden will cost significantly more to rectify than employing the right people to start with. There are various threads on this forum from people who have suffered as a result of not having the right contractor doing the work.

docmatt · 8 September 2017 at 7:39PM

As long as the sheets are lifted off the roof carefully and in one piece you don't have to bother calling the asbestos police.

EachPenny · 8 September 2017 at 8:28PM

docmatt wrote: »

As long as the sheets are lifted off the roof carefully and in one piece you don't have to bother calling the asbestos police.

But as the OP explains, the work is being carried out for the neighbour and there is a history of work being done with no thought to controlling dust.

Out of interest, how would you get to the point where the sheets could be "lifted off the roof carefully and in one piece" - given that they are likely to be secured by bolts which almost certainly will have rusted solid? An angle grinder perhaps?

PhilE · 8 September 2017 at 10:46PM

Are they doing it themselves or is an asbestos company doing this?

You have every right to ask. If its the latter, probably nothing to worry about and you should be able to have a chat with the company and make sure there is no risk to you. If its done right, there will be no risk.

Given your neighbors previous history, I'd be concerned if they were doing it themselves and would want to know for your own safety what safety precautions they were taking.

I feel its common courtesy to notify neighbors of anything that may give them a cause for concern.

firely2327 · 10 September 2017 at 9:28PM

I've had this work done nearly three years ago, except on a utility room. There is little to worry about from this corrugated type, however it's the disposal that requires a bit more care. Even there though it just needs to be double bagged and taken to an appropriate centre, no licence required. As someone above said, it's unlikely the sheets will come off intact, that's why the contractors should be wearing some protective gear. As for the OP, just do keep your windows closed on the day/s and take a look outside when the contractors leave in case any obvious 'bits' have entered your property, if they have I'd ask them to come and remove them.

mutley74 · 11 September 2017 at 7:39AM

Thanks for the advice. Even though the neighbor is using a "big/major" local firm they don't have any courtesy or consideration for others property.
How do we ensure they remove any bits from our property? Do they need to wash the area down? As the garage is so close to our fence, it is possible they may need access to the roof from our property side.

I found this information sheet on the HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a14.pdf

mutley74 · 24 September 2017 at 10:01AM

So this morning I hear lots of banging. The neighbour's builders started to remove their garage roof on a Sunday 9am. No prior warning or courteous notification to move my car (which is parked ~2m from their garage) and close our windows.
Not happy

baza52 · 24 September 2017 at 10:23AM

move the car, problem solved

JP1978 · 24 September 2017 at 12:47PM

The only need to worry about the car is if they were creating dust.... but if they were creating dust (from the asbestos), it wouldnt be my car I was worried about!

Assume that the banging you can hear isnt them smashing the asbestos panels up? One would hope that they are been unscrewed and removed in one piece?

Advice neighbour asbestos roof

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