Right to buy.. artex ceilings

LeoBash

Hi all, I'm very close to finalizing a right to buy purchase

I'm planning to renovate once it's gone through, I had a friend around to quote me on some plastering. He said ALL of the ceilings in the house are Artex and will contain asbestos.

Now, I'll need to get them done as they are quite uneven (can see the lines from the plasterboard)

I was curious if the council can do anything about this? or maybe just confirm if it even is artex?

System

Is this a friend from the pub? All stipple effect ceiling coverings that appear to be Artex aren't, also not all Artex contains Asbestos

Mokka

You should request asbestos presence report from the council- they have to provide it to you.
Safe removal of asbestos is expensive, but it's better to get rid of this stuff- you never know when it could start crumbling.
The council can recommend a firm they use, but if it's it good shape they do not have to remove it. Especially in the middle of the RTB process- your house was valued with the Artex in it, its removal by the council would change its value, so they won't do it unless you withdraw from the RTB process.

LeoBash

!!!!!! wrote: »

Is this a friend from the pub? All stipple effect ceiling coverings that appear to be Artex aren't, also not all Artex contains Asbestos

No, however after much research this is my conclusion. Is there a way to home test? it all looks the same.. (to test if it is artex and not just paint)

Mokka wrote: »

You should request asbestos presence report from the council- they have to provide it to you.
Safe removal of asbestos is expensive, but it's better to get rid of this stuff- you never know when it could start crumbling.
The council can recommend a firm they use, but if it's it good shape they do not have to remove it. Especially in the middle of the RTB process- your house was valued with the Artex in it, its removal by the council would change its value, so they won't do it unless you withdraw from the RTB process.

Thanks for this information, I'll request it. I want to remove it myself and re-plaster but I'm not touching it if its asbestos

Owain_Moneysaver

LeoBash wrote: »

I want to remove it myself and re-plaster but I'm not touching it if its asbestos

Just skim over it, whether it contains asbestos or not. If it does contain asbestos, skimming over it will stabilise it and make it safe.

Just don't drill lots of holes in it for downlights.

LeoBash

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Just skim over it, whether it contains asbestos or not. If it does contain asbestos, skimming over it will stabilise it and make it safe.

Just don't drill lots of holes in it for downlights.

But to skim it, it will need to be scraped and prepped. So either way it will be tampered with,

GMS

If you were offered a car at 30% below market value would you expect the seller to put new brake pads on?

gik

LeoBash wrote: »

But to skim it, it will need to be scraped and prepped. So either way it will be tampered with,

We had our hideous artex ceiling skimmed 15 years ago and the plasterer didn't scrape or prep. in any way. Still looks good to this day.

TiferTwo

We hada couse fire, and they decided that as there was artex on the ceilings that was pre 2000, they had to be tested for asbestos. The insurance company sent someone round to do it. In the end it was all clear.

Since then I wanted to replace a garage roof that looked like it might be asbestos based, so I looked around online and used Pass UK's testing kit. They send you a kit (nothing more than some latex gloves, a plastic bag and some instructions) - you then scrape off a small sample and send it off to them - they were really quick to turn it around. I recommend you take samples from different rooms if there is any likelyhood of it having been artexed at different times.

The reason they say 2000 for possibility of asbestos in artex is not because they were using it up until then, but because there's a possiblity of it having been on a shelf for ages before being used, etc. So 2000 is the date chosen for any to have got out of the "food chain".

MisterBaxter

Ask for a copy of the asbestos report by all means but you may well find they don't have one for your home. It's not uncommon to use a reasonable level of sample survey for the asbestos management plan. The council are unlikely to undertake a survey just because you are buying.

Similarly you can ask them if they will remove it for you, the response you get on this will depend on their policy but don't hold your breath, they are unlikely to want to spend money on a property they are selling when the are not legally compelled to.

The housing provider I work for do 10-20% management surveys and 100% pre work surveys, we only remove asbestos in textured ceilings as part of other works and never for RTB sales.

Many people simply skim over textured finishes and it will look fine and last years but remember if you do any work that involves cutting in to the ceiling you can still release fibres. Someone has already mentioned a company that will do tests for you, I know of people who have used them and they seem to be OK.

Gary123456790

Hi,

I agree with above, many artex ceilings do not contain asbestos. We use a local lab to us, they are called Cavendish Laboratories, based in Writtle in Essex. They may well accept samples by post, last time I did it it was about £20 for 4 samples.

I've usually been pleasantly surprised it doesnt contain asbestos. In my old house there was artex above a picture rail and I wanted to remove it so best to get it tested before scraping it off!!

Thanks,

Gary.