Selling a house with asbestos floor tiles

smulx

I'm going to be helping to sell a family member's house. The flooring in the hallway was taken up recently, revealing what I'm 90% sure are asbestos floor tiles throughout the ground floor. I assume it will say in paperwork from when the house was built whether or not its asbestos and I'm sure this type of thing will have to be declared to any potential buyer.

First off, I know I need to get it tested by a professional, but I guess they're likely to try and convince me the tiles have to be removed as they'll want the business, so I wanted to check if anyone has any experience with this type of thing.

This will be a common feature of houses built during the same period (70s to 80s) but is it standard practice to have them removed, or is it generally an accepted part of houses built around that time? Are the tiles likely to affect the property value much? If so, that would be a major benefit to having them removed as the thousands it will cost will be recouped in the sale value, but I can't find any details on how this affects property values. I thought it might be better to spend the money putting newer flooring down on top of them. I was just hoping for some general opinions from people that might have dealt with something similar. I'd always thought that asbestos must be removed whenever it's discovered, but after doing a bit of research, I've found mixed views on whether it's a big deal when its part of flooring. Any advice would be appreciated. 

NameUnavailable

Put new flooring down, over the tiles.

Lots of properties have asbestos within them, it's not an issue unless disturbed/broken up.

Slithery

smulx said:

I assume it will say in paperwork from when the house was built whether or not its asbestos

Nope.

smulx said:

and I'm sure this type of thing will have to be declared to any potential buyer.

Nope.

smulx said:

First off, I know I need to get it tested by a professional,

Nope.

Asbestos should be assumed for all properties of that age. If the buyer wants to get it checked then they can pay for it, but it isn't something that can be used to negotiate the price anyway.

Just leave it, you're worrying about something that isn't an issue.

aoleks

You don’t have to declare it, it’s not a deal breaker in that sense.

user1977

I wouldn't worry about it (as either seller or buyer). I wouldn't grind them up and snort the dust though...

deannagone

Cover them up with vinyl or laminate flooring - you might have to put a damp proof plastic covering down first.

Davesnave

They aren't 'asbestos floor tiles,' they're floor tiles that may contain asbestos and people have walked on them for many years without harm.

Do whatever you feel will help sell the house, but don't involve yourself with further investigations or negotiation regarding these. As Slithery says, they're what can be expected in a house of this age and they don't present a threat to anyone if still sound.

smulx

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the advice. I'd heard so many stories about asbestos being discovered in places that posted a big danger and it should be removed ASAP that my mind immediately jumped to that kind of situation. I had no idea it was used in other building materials and was still accepted as not really being an issue, so that's a relief. 

Shaztastic3000

Davesnave said:

They aren't 'asbestos floor tiles,' they're floor tiles that may contain asbestos and people have walked on them for many years without harm.

Do whatever you feel will help sell the house, but don't involve yourself with further investigations or negotiation regarding these. As Slithery says, they're what can be expected in a house of this age and they don't present a threat to anyone if still sound.

How do you know that they haven’t caused any harm?

Davesnave

Shaztastic3000 said:

Davesnave said:

They aren't 'asbestos floor tiles,' they're floor tiles that may contain asbestos and people have walked on them for many years without harm.

Do whatever you feel will help sell the house, but don't involve yourself with further investigations or negotiation regarding these. As Slithery says, they're what can be expected in a house of this age and they don't present a threat to anyone if still sound.

How do you know that they haven’t caused any harm?

Unless I'm informed otherwise and the surface still exists in decent condition, the amount of asbestos in them (if any) is small, so the quantity of surface material eroded over decades would have released very little in the way of harmful fibres. It would pale into insignificance compared with other pollutant levels present in some parts of the UK.

Or are you a philosopher and your question is framed in that context? If it is, I once took Theory of Knowledge as a side subject, so we can start at Descartes if you like....

Doozergirl

Shaztastic3000 said:

Davesnave said:

They aren't 'asbestos floor tiles,' they're floor tiles that may contain asbestos and people have walked on them for many years without harm.

Do whatever you feel will help sell the house, but don't involve yourself with further investigations or negotiation regarding these. As Slithery says, they're what can be expected in a house of this age and they don't present a threat to anyone if still sound.

How do you know that they haven’t caused any harm?

It's highly, highly unlikely because the asbestos is trapped in a very tight matrix in those tiles.   If they're intact then there's no reason why they should pose a
risk.  

There's plenty more we do or are subjected to on a daily basis that is a genuine risk.