Asbestos in Your Home: A Complete Guide for Homeowners

If your home was built or refurbished before the year 2000, there is a strong chance it contains asbestos. This room-by-room guide explains where asbestos is commonly found in UK houses, when it is dangerous, and what you should do about it.

Why asbestos is so common in UK homes

Asbestos was used extensively in UK construction from the 1950s right through to 1999, when it was finally banned. During those decades, it was added to hundreds of building products because of its fire resistance, durability, and insulating properties. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that asbestos is present in around half a million non-domestic buildings and countless domestic properties across the country.

The most common types found in UK homes are chrysotile (white asbestos), which was used in cement products, textured coatings, and roofing materials, and amosite (brown asbestos), which was used in insulation boards and ceiling tiles. Crocidolite (blue asbestos), the most hazardous type, was used less frequently in domestic settings but can still be found in pipe lagging and spray coatings in some properties. For a deeper explanation of the different types, read our guide to what asbestos is.

If your house was built before 2000, it is not a question of whether asbestos might be present but rather where it is and what condition it is in. The guide below walks through every room and area of a typical UK home so you know exactly what to look for.

Room-by-room guide: where asbestos hides in your home

Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) were used in virtually every part of a house. Below is a detailed breakdown of the most common locations, organised by room.

Kitchen

  • Floor tiles and backing — Vinyl floor tiles manufactured before the mid-1980s frequently contain chrysotile asbestos, as does the bitumen adhesive used to stick them down. The material known as "thermoplastic" tile is a particularly common culprit. Removing or sanding these tiles can release fibres.
  • Pipe lagging behind units — Older kitchens often have hot water pipes boxed in behind fitted units or running through the floor void. These pipes may be wrapped in asbestos lagging, a loose, fibrous insulation material that is considered high risk if it deteriorates.
  • Textured coatings on walls and ceilings — Artex and similar textured decorative coatings applied before the mid-1980s commonly contain small amounts of chrysotile asbestos. The coating is generally low risk while it remains intact and painted over, but sanding, scraping, or drilling into it will release fibres.

Bathroom

  • Toilet cistern and seat — Some older toilet cisterns, particularly the low-level type common in post-war council houses, were made from asbestos cement. The cistern lid and even the toilet seat may contain chrysotile. While intact, the risk is low, but cracked or broken cisterns should be treated with caution.
  • Bath panels — Asbestos insulating board (AIB) was widely used for bath panels during the 1960s and 1970s. AIB typically contains amosite asbestos and is considered a higher-risk material because it is softer and more easily damaged than cement-based products.
  • Textured ceiling coatings — As in the kitchen, Artex or textured plaster on the bathroom ceiling may contain asbestos. Bathrooms are particularly problematic because moisture can cause the coating to deteriorate over time, increasing the chance of fibre release.

Living room

  • Artex ceiling — The living room ceiling is one of the most common places to find asbestos in a UK home. Textured coatings were hugely popular from the 1960s to the 1990s, and any Artex applied before the mid-1980s should be presumed to contain asbestos until tested.
  • Behind electric storage heaters — Electric storage heaters installed in the 1960s and 1970s were often mounted on asbestos insulating board to protect the wall from heat. This board is usually hidden behind the heater and is only discovered when the heater is removed or replaced. AIB is a higher-risk material and should not be disturbed without professional advice.

Bedrooms

  • Textured coatings on ceilings and walls — As with other rooms, Artex ceilings and textured wall finishes in bedrooms may contain asbestos. Many homeowners discover this when they try to smooth over a textured ceiling during redecoration, which is exactly the kind of disturbance that releases fibres.
  • Window putty — The putty used to seal single-glazed windows in homes built before the 1980s sometimes contains chrysotile asbestos. This is most commonly discovered when old wooden windows are being replaced with double glazing. The putty must be tested before the windows are removed if the property was built before 2000.

Loft and roof space

  • Loose-fill insulation — Some lofts, particularly in properties built or insulated in the 1960s and 1970s, contain loose-fill asbestos insulation laid between the joists. This is one of the most dangerous forms of asbestos in a domestic setting because the fibres are not bound into a solid material and can become airborne very easily. If you see loose, fluffy insulation in your loft, do not touch it and seek professional advice immediately.
  • Water tank and pipe insulation — Older cold water tanks in lofts were sometimes made from asbestos cement. The lagging around hot water pipes running through the loft may also contain asbestos, particularly if it is a white or grey corrugated material wrapped around the pipes.
  • Roofing felt — Bituminous roofing felt used as an underlay beneath tiles or slates may contain asbestos. This is usually only disturbed during a re-roofing project, but it should be tested before any work begins.

Garage

  • Cement roof sheets — Corrugated asbestos cement roofing is extremely common on garages, sheds, and outbuildings built before the 1990s. These sheets contain chrysotile asbestos and are generally low risk while intact. However, they become brittle with age and can crack or fragment if walked on, drilled, or broken during storms.
  • Wall panels — Internal partition walls and linings in garages were sometimes constructed from flat asbestos cement sheeting or asbestos insulating board. These panels may look similar to plasterboard and are often only identified during renovation or demolition work.

Exterior of the property

  • Soffits and fascias — The boards that run along the underside of the roof overhang (soffits) and along the roofline (fascias) were commonly made from asbestos cement in properties built between the 1950s and 1990s. They are usually painted and can look identical to modern fibre cement or plastic boards.
  • Guttering and downpipes — Asbestos cement guttering and downpipes were standard fittings on many UK homes until the 1980s. They are recognisable by their grey colour and slightly rough texture, though they can also be painted. They should be tested before removal or replacement.
  • Cement cladding — Some properties, particularly system-built homes and prefabricated buildings from the post-war period, have external walls clad in asbestos cement panels. These flat or profiled sheets may also be found on the walls of extensions added in the 1960s and 1970s.

What does asbestos look like?

This is one of the most common questions homeowners ask, and the honest answer is that you cannot reliably identify asbestos just by looking at it. Asbestos was mixed into a wide range of building materials, and the finished products look identical to their non-asbestos equivalents. A cement roof sheet containing asbestos looks exactly the same as one that does not. A textured ceiling coating with asbestos is visually indistinguishable from one without.

There are certain visual clues that can raise suspicion. For example, if a material appears to be fibrous, if it has a slightly layered or laminated appearance, or if it was clearly installed during the era when asbestos was in widespread use, then it is worth treating it as suspect. However, the only way to confirm whether a material contains asbestos is to have a sample analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory.

Important: Never attempt to take a sample yourself. Disturbing asbestos-containing materials without proper precautions can release dangerous fibres into the air. If you suspect a material contains asbestos, leave it undisturbed and arrange for a professional surveyor to take a sample safely.

When is asbestos dangerous and when is it safe?

Asbestos is only dangerous when its fibres become airborne and are inhaled. If an asbestos-containing material is in good condition, undamaged, and not being disturbed, it generally poses a very low risk. This is why the HSE does not recommend automatically removing all asbestos from buildings. In many cases, the safest approach is to leave it in place and manage it.

The risk increases significantly when ACMs are:

  • Damaged or deteriorating — cracked cement sheets, crumbling insulation board, or flaking textured coatings can all release fibres into the air
  • Disturbed by work — drilling, cutting, sanding, sawing, or removing asbestos-containing materials is the most common cause of fibre release in domestic settings
  • In a friable form — loose-fill insulation, sprayed coatings, and pipe lagging are considered high risk because the fibres are not tightly bound and can become airborne with minimal disturbance
  • In high-traffic areas — materials in areas where they are likely to be knocked, bumped, or abraded are at greater risk of releasing fibres

Lower-risk materials include asbestos cement products in good condition (roof sheets, soffits, guttering) and textured coatings that have been painted over and are not flaking. Higher-risk materials include asbestos insulating board (AIB), pipe lagging, and any loose or sprayed asbestos. The different types of asbestos also carry different levels of risk, with crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown) considered more hazardous than chrysotile (white).

What to do if you find suspected asbestos

If you think you have found asbestos in your home, the most important thing is not to panic. Many asbestos-containing materials in domestic properties are low risk when left alone. Follow these steps:

1

Stop work immediately

If you are in the middle of DIY or renovation work and you come across a material you suspect could be asbestos, stop what you are doing straight away. Do not drill, cut, sand, or break it. Put down your tools and leave the area.

2

Do not disturb the material

Leave the suspect material exactly as it is. Do not try to remove it, seal it, or take a sample yourself. If the material is damaged and you are concerned about fibre release, close the door to the room and keep people away until you have professional advice.

3

Arrange a professional survey

Contact a qualified asbestos surveyor to inspect and sample the material. The surveyor will send the sample to a UKAS-accredited laboratory for analysis and will advise you on the next steps based on the results. You can find a local surveyor or contractor using our search tool.

4

Follow the survey recommendations

If the material tests positive for asbestos, your surveyor will recommend one of several options depending on its type, condition, and location. These typically include leaving it in place and monitoring it, encapsulating it with a protective sealant, or having it removed by a licensed contractor.

When do you need a professional asbestos survey?

While there is no legal requirement for private homeowners to have an asbestos survey carried out on their own home, there are several situations where getting a professional survey is strongly recommended or effectively necessary:

  • Before any renovation or refurbishment work — Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012), anyone who commissions work that could disturb asbestos has a responsibility to ensure that asbestos is identified and managed before work begins. This applies even to domestic properties. If you are hiring a builder, electrician, plumber, or any other tradesperson to work on a pre-2000 property, you should have an asbestos survey carried out first.
  • Before buying a property — A standard homebuyer's survey does not include an asbestos assessment. If you are purchasing a property built before 2000, it is worth commissioning a separate asbestos survey so you know what you are buying and can factor any management or removal costs into your budget.
  • If you suspect damaged asbestos — If you have found a material that you think could be asbestos and it appears to be in poor condition, cracked, crumbling, or deteriorating, you should get it tested as soon as possible.
  • Before demolition — A refurbishment and demolition (R&D) survey is legally required before any demolition work. This is a more intrusive survey designed to find all asbestos in the area where work will take place. Learn more about the different types of asbestos survey.

Surveys should be carried out by a competent surveyor. The HSE recommends using surveyors who hold UKAS accreditation to the ISO 17020 standard and who are members of a recognised professional body. All laboratory analysis should be performed by a UKAS-accredited testing laboratory.

Can you sell a house with asbestos?

Yes, you can sell a house that contains asbestos. There is no law in England, Wales, or Scotland that prevents the sale of a property containing asbestos-containing materials, and it is far more common than many people realise. The majority of pre-2000 homes in the UK contain some form of asbestos, and they are bought and sold every day.

However, you do have a legal obligation to disclose known asbestos when selling your property. The seller's property information form (the TA6 in England and Wales) asks whether you are aware of any hazardous materials, including asbestos, in the property. You must answer this honestly. Deliberately concealing the presence of known asbestos could expose you to legal action from the buyer after the sale.

In practice, the presence of asbestos does not necessarily reduce a property's value, particularly if the materials are in good condition and well managed. Buyers and their solicitors will want to understand what is present and what condition it is in. Having a recent asbestos survey report available can actually make the sales process smoother, as it demonstrates transparency and gives the buyer confidence that the risk has been assessed.

If a mortgage lender instructs a valuation surveyor who identifies asbestos in poor condition, they may require remedial work before approving the mortgage. In these cases, having the asbestos removed or encapsulated by a licensed contractor before listing the property can prevent delays in the sales process.

UK asbestos regulations for homeowners

The main piece of legislation governing asbestos in the UK is the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012). While the formal duty to manage asbestos under Regulation 4 applies only to non-domestic premises, homeowners are still affected by the regulations in several important ways.

If you commission any work on your home that could disturb asbestos, you share a responsibility to ensure that the work is carried out safely. This means identifying whether asbestos is present before work begins and ensuring that any asbestos that needs to be removed is dealt with by a competent person. For higher-risk materials such as asbestos insulating board, sprayed coatings, and lagging, removal must be carried out by an HSE-licensed contractor. Lower-risk materials such as asbestos cement may be removed by a competent non-licensed contractor, but even this work must be done in accordance with HSE guidance and the waste disposed of at a licensed site.

It is a criminal offence to dispose of asbestos waste in general household waste or at a standard household waste recycling centre. Asbestos waste must be double-bagged in heavy-duty polythene, clearly labelled, and taken to a site licensed to accept it. Your local authority can advise on the nearest licensed disposal facility.

Key takeaways

Asbestos in a UK home is common, but it is not automatically dangerous. The key points to remember are:

  • Any home built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos
  • Asbestos can be found in every room and on the exterior of the property
  • You cannot identify asbestos by looking at it — only laboratory testing can confirm its presence
  • Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed — if it is in good condition and left alone, the risk is low
  • Never attempt DIY removal of asbestos — always use a professional
  • Get a survey before any renovation, refurbishment, or demolition work on a pre-2000 property
  • You can sell a house with asbestos, but you must disclose its presence

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