6 places you might find asbestos in your home

March 7, 2018

Asbestos is very well known as a dangerous materials that has been banned from use in construction since 1999 in the UK. So if you have bought a home, you might think that there is a very low chance that you will find asbestos on your property. But according to reports, there is around a 50 per cent possibility that your home will contain asbestos somewhere.

Yes, while asbestos is illegal to use in the UK, there is no rule that states that asbestos needed to be removed from property that already had it. In fact in many cases it is actually dangerous to do so. This means that if your home was built before 1999 there is a chance that it could be found somewhere on the premises.

Don’t panic – having asbestos at home is not necessarily dangerous, and many homeowners live with asbestos on their property for many years with no problem. However, asbestos can be very dangerous if it is damaged or if it erodes and fibres are allowed to get into the atmosphere. Therefore it is vital that you should know exactly where asbestos is in your property. Here we look at six common places that asbestos can be on your home without you knowing about it.

  1. Artex and ceiling coatings

Does your home have Artex or some sort of ceiling coating? There is a decent chance that it could contain asbestos. These sorts of coatings were very popular through the 1970s and 80s and at this point asbestos was very commonly used as a thickening agent because of its many excellent properties for construction. So if your ceiling coating comes from the 70s or 80s if could well contain asbestos.

Remember that not all coatings do have asbestos, and there’s no way to tell from just looking at it, so it may be necessary to have a survey carried out.

  1. Insulation

One of the most common uses for asbestos is an insulation, so if your home has a loft or hollow walls, it could be the case that it uses asbestos as the insulating material. This is one of the types of asbestos many people are aware of. But once again it is easy to think that any kind of insulating material is asbestos, but many are not.

Some of the other places that you might find asbestos insulation boards are in bath panels, ceiling tiles, window panels and around your boiler.

  1. Cement

Another very common way for asbestos to find its way onto your property is in cement. For example, it may be the case that you have a garage or shed made with cement that actually had a relatively high percentage of asbestos. Even if the cement itself does not contain asbestos it should also be noted that some outbuildings and garages are sprayed with a coating that contains asbestos, so this can be a likely place for you to find it.

  1. Toilet cistern

Many older models of toilet cisterns actually contain asbestos as a reinforcing material. If you have a toilet somewhere on the property that has not been updated or modernised it could be the case that the cistern itself contains asbestos.

  1. Floor tiles

Some older style properties might have vinyl floor tiles that are made using asbestos. Of course it doesn’t mean that you need to worry if you do have floor tiles, but if they are old and you are worried that they are in poor condition, it could be worth having an asbestos specialist come in to take a look at them.

  1. Gutters and downpipes

As mentioned before, asbestos was a multi-use material that was useful in a broad variety of contexts, which is why you can find it in gutters and cement downpipes. Due to the weathering of asbestos gutters and downpipes, it can be worth having these looked at sooner rather than later as they can deteriorate to a state where they would need to be replaced.

In general, however, if they are in very good condition then it smarter just to leave them alone and monitor them – this is the same for most asbestos around the house.

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Home and Living

Signs of Outdated Wiring in Older Tulsa-Area Homes

Tulsa has a lot of beautiful older homes. Brookside bungalows, Maple Ridge tudors, the postwar neighborhoods that fill out Midtown and East Tulsa. They were built well, but most were built before central air, before microwaves, before two-car households with two laptops and a dozen phone chargers. The electrical systems inside them were designed for…
Read More →
LIVING BY THE SEASIDE 2022
Breaking News

Britain’s seaside price hotspots revealed

New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals Britain’s seaside hotspots where prices are rising the fastest Bootle in Merseyside leads the way, with average asking prices up 11% year-on-year, followed by Crosby in Liverpool (+9%) and Penarth in South Glamorgan (+9%) Other coastal locations including Llantwit Major in South Glamorgan (+8%) and Llanelli, in Carmarthenshire (+7%) are also seeing strong price growth Average asking prices are currently 0.3% lower in Great Britain compared to last year, with some seaside hotspots outpacing the…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Hertfordshire emerges as strongest performing London commuter county

New research from UK Property Development reveals that while London property prices fell by more than -3% in the past year, prices in some of the capital’s surrounding counties have enjoyed positive growth, none more so than the premium commuter county of Hertfordshire.   In the past year, London’s average house price has fallen by…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Second homes losing appeal among the rich

New Survey Reveals Ongoing Maintenance Is the Biggest Barrier to Second Home Ownership   62% say upkeep and hassle would stop them from buying a second home, even if money were no object   A new survey conducted by luxury co-ownership platform Equity Residences has revealed that the practical realities of owning a second home…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

How to build a property portfolio with buy-to-let mortgages

One of the reasons property is such a popular asset choice for investors is that you don’t need to invest all the money yourself; you can leverage funds from the bank. Here’s a very simplistic example of how borrowing via a buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage allows you to multiply your returns versus owning a property all-cash:…
Read More →
Home and Living

2026’s Fastest-Growing Bathroom Trend Is the Wet Room

“Wet rooms have become one of the standout bathroom upgrades of 2026, moving from luxury extra to everyday renovation choice as more homeowners prioritise space, style and easy cleaning. The momentum is only building as spa‑style bathrooms stay in demand.” “Wet rooms used to be a niche request,” says Ant Langston, Marketing Manager at Heat…
Read More →