Asbestos

anotherginger

alanmilstein wrote: »

Asbestos is a significant cause of work related death especially with tradespeople such as electricians, carpenters and plumbers.
To suggest that it'll "be OK as long as you don't sand it" is not really the answer.
Ideally you would spend the £200-300 on a proper survey and have the "at risk" materials properly analysed and assessed.
What about the electrician who comes in to put some new lights up for you and cuts some holes in the ceiling, or the plumber who runs some new pipes down the wall to extend your heating and cuts some holes in the ceiling. In both such cases the workmen could be exposed to asbestos fibres.
It's absolutely fine to skim over the artex and that will seal in any asbestos that may be present. However it is really important to make anyone doing work on your house aware of the possibility of the presence of asbestos so that they can take proepr precautions.
Of course, if anyone does create dust then you would want to ensure that it is correctly removed (a standard Dyson won't do the job) so as to make sure that you and your family are not exposed to any fibres.

great advice here. you know there is asbestos, so you need to make it absolutely clear to anyone doing any work in that area.

Gambit

anotherginger wrote: »

great advice here. you know there is asbestos, so you need to make it absolutely clear to anyone doing any work in that area.

Not true as the survey only says there could be asbestos due to the age of the property. But as many have said I think this is just them covering their backs. To put it into perspective, my buyer has also had the same vague comment on her property.

zignafio

Gambit,
the response you received advising to skim over it has alarmed me. Glad to read a later post giving you some proper advise on how to deal with it. Without going into things too much, the best and probably the most easiest advice i could give on the matter is get the artex tested for content of asbestos. It will cost you no more than £20 and could save you the hassle of haggling on the price and the aggro of carry out any unnecessary remedial works. The sample can be taken yourself. If you havent dealt with the matter as yet and would like further advice, drop me a line and I will advise further.
Zig

pawlala

Artex is a textured decorative plaster (TDC) and there is no measureable risk to health from the asbestos content in TDC. Don't waste your money getting an expensive asbestos survey carried out (of any type or intrusion) if you know its artex because there is no longer a requirement by law to remove TDCs using licensed contractors in the event of contracted refurbishment.

A common scam if you are selling your house is for a surveyor to suggest you need to remove your TDCs; threatening you with devaluation of your property if you fail to comply.

jason_nevin

Rather than get a full survey carried out you could get a sample of the Artex analysed at a laboratory for £30+. There are asbestos laboratories in every major town. You can find a list of all of the laboratories on the UKAS website.