Asbestos - How do I tell how serious it is?

Precious_Thing

I am on the point of buying a council flat. The survey said there could be asbestos in some of the ceilings and walls but it should be ok if left undisturbed.

If I buy, I am intending to get a completely new kitchen which may involve knocking down part of a wall. Do I need to check how much asbestos is in the kitchen before buying the flat as removal could be very expensive?

I have been told a Specialist Asbestos survey will be at least £500 + VAT.
Is there another way to find out about the type and amount of asbestos in the flat? The council have been vague when I asked them.

Thanks.

Precious.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

I think that if some of the other flats are still owned by the council they may do remedial work on the asbestos on their own, or all, the flats and you'd get a bill as the cost would have to be borne by all the owners in the block.
Someone may have more details on this, it just caught my eye because I recently watched a tv program about private flat owners in council blocks being hit with horrendous refurishment bills by councils.

the_lawson

It doesn't matter what is the type and quantity of asbestos - you don't want to even think about disturbing it.

superscotsman

Er - have you thught about selling and moving?

SamC_4

Have a look at http://www.asbestoswatchdog.com. The asbestos the survey talks about may just be Artex or similar textured plaster, in which case it's much less risky than previously thought. The web site has a £20 testing service that will check samples you send for asbestos.

Ian_W

Precious Thing wrote: I am on the point of buying a council flat....

superscotsman wrote: Er - have you thught about selling and moving?

No wish to be offensive, superscot, but unless I'm missing something - Er, have you thought about reading the OP!! :snow_laug

jockettuk

Precious_Thing wrote:

I am on the point of buying a council flat. The survey said there could be asbestos in some of the ceilings and walls but it should be ok if left undisturbed.

If I buy, I am intending to get a completely new kitchen which may involve knocking down part of a wall. Do I need to check how much asbestos is in the kitchen before buying the flat as removal could be very expensive?

I have been told a Specialist Asbestos survey will be at least £500 + VAT.
Is there another way to find out about the type and amount of asbestos in the flat? The council have been vague when I asked them.

Thanks.

Precious.

are you the tenant in the flat at the moment if not have you looked elsewere for another flat

budgetflyer

SamC wrote:

Have a look at http://www.asbestoswatchdog.com. The asbestos the survey talks about may just be Artex or similar textured plaster, in which case it's much less risky than previously thought. The web site has a £20 testing service that will check samples you send for asbestos.

This bothers me. You will have to disturb the asbestos in order to get a sample to send off. 1 strand in your lungs can do the damage, you wont know-it can take 20 years to do the damage.
If you intend knocking walls down then you would be better just spending the extra to get a specialist in.
There are different types of asbestos, the worst being "blue".this was often used as pipe and boiler insulation and otherwise known as "monkey dung".There is also Brown and grey ,often used in fireproof panels,artex and cement flue pipes.

SamC_4

budgetflyer wrote:

This bothers me. You will have to disturb the asbestos in order to get a sample to send off. 1 strand in your lungs can do the damage, you wont know-it can take 20 years to do the damage.
If you intend knocking walls down then you would be better just spending the extra to get a specialist in.
There are different types of asbestos, the worst being "blue".this was often used as pipe and boiler insulation and otherwise known as "monkey dung".There is also Brown and grey ,often used in fireproof panels,artex and cement flue pipes.

Artex (if it is Artex) may or may not contain so-called "white asbestos" which is a different mineral from blue and brown asbestos and appears to be much less harmful than the other types (see the site I linked to for references), so the risks from disturbing it are minimal.

lush_walrus

Aspestos can be very safely removed, and samples can equally be taken safely. It is a very common ex building material and is not something to be feared if you ensure that tests are carried out prior to any disturbance.

Are the tiles part of the original property or something that has been added by the previous tennant? If it is part of the original property then chances are the council will be fully aware of what materials were used and whether this property is one which could contain it. Check with them first, before anything else. If it turns out that there is asbestos then the cost of having aspestos removed is of course pretty high, but worth it if you are buying a property which is already cheap.

dander

If you're at the stage of having a survey done I presume you have started the official process of buying this place. If so you should ask you solicitor to raise an official enquiry about the asbestos, they'll be able to insist that the vendor supply a firm answer in writing about what is known about the asbestos. It will be up to the vendor's solicitors to get the information from the council. It would be wise to clarify with the surveyor exactly what leads them to believe there 'could be asbestos' - ie. whether they are just saying it to cover their backs, or have some real suspicion. However, really, the £500 would be a sensible investment to get the proper survey. With something like asbestos it's best you know exactly what you're dealing with.