Asbestos in old house, what to do?

[Border Reiver]

Hi, we have inherited an old house (nearly 200yrs old) and are selling it. A potential buyer had a survey done and the surveyor says there is evidence of asbestos, so the buyer's mortgage lender wants it tested and professionally removed. My brother says it is a small piece of Asbestolux (approx. 2ft X 1ft) screwed to the kitchen ceiling to protect the ceiling from heat from a wall-mounted heater fixed just below the ceiling. I was just wondering, is it really necessary to have it professionally removed? My brother, who fitted it says he could remove it in a few minutes as there's just 4 screws to undo. It has been painted at some stage and the heater is no longer there. there is definitely no other asbestos related product in the building.

 

[Burnerman]

I’d dampen it, unscrew it and bin it.....probably wearing a mask, but I doubt it!
John

 

[foxhole]

Just remove and double bag it , local council often provide free disposal ( well my tips accept it).
Doubt buyer will pull out but if they do then probably the type to cause hassle over slightest imperfection and you can do without those types.

 

[StephenOak]

Just remove and double bag it , local council often provide free disposal ( well my tips accept it).

They have to take reasonable amounts, see
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/taking-asbestos-guttering-to-the-skip.503594/page-2#post-4158108
for a little bit more about this.

Doubt buyer will pull out but if they do then probably the type to cause hassle over slightest imperfection and you can do without those types.

I agree in general but to be fair it is the mortgage lender who asked for it to be professionally removed.

 

[^woody^]

Asbestolux is an asbestos product! You can't remove this yourself, it will need professional removal by a licenced removal contractor and a separate clearance certificate.

However if you really mean a non-asbestos product such as Supalux or Masterboard or similar then you can remove it yourself. The problem now is that this has (rightly or wrongly) been flagged up as asbestos, so the lender will want definitive certification.

If you are sure that it is non-asbestos then you could just have a test and give this to the lender. Then remove or not as you like.

Otherwise a lender will most likely want sight of licenced removal documents and more importantly a clearance certificate from a separate anlayst firm.

 

[StephenOak]

Asbestolux is an asbestos product! You can't remove this yourself, it will need professional removal by a licenced removal contractor

You don't say why that is the case, so it is not particularly helpful.

Asbestos is far from a single product and, AFAIUI, the correct procedure depends upon the type of asbestos.

Chrysolite or white asbestos is the most common type and is the least harmful, so that if the product is not damaged then removal is not recommended, until it has to be changed anyway.

Other types of asbestos (blue, brown, other?) are much less common but are much more harmful, and removal is recommended, and this needs to be done professionally.

Domestic removal of asbestos clearly has to be legal, else councils would not accept it at their tips and the HSE would not include guidance as to when it can be done by non-specialists, see
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/licensing/non-licensed-work.htm

That page specifically list under "Examples of non-licensed work with asbestos", "Removal of: ... loosely fixed (eg screwed) asbestos insulating board (AIB) panels" which I believe covers Asbestolux.

this has (rightly or wrongly) been flagged up as asbestos, so the lender will want definitive certification

Here I agree with you. The current prospective purchases using the current mortgage lender will need a certificate of removal or possibly a new test showing that asbestos is not present

 

[^woody^]

You don't say why that is the case, so it is not particularly helpful.

Sorry for not being particularly helpful.

Just get your ****ing brother to remove it then and be done with it. FFS.

 

[foxhole]

Local tips take thousands of tons of building rubbish every year , they don’t have any way of knowing how much contains asbestos , or knowing if you are dumping it .

 

[Gasguru]

Typical useless surveyor...scare the hell out of the buyers to justify his fee.
Then an equally useless mortgage "surveyor".
Parasites.

 

[OwainDIYer]

I’d dampen it, unscrew it and bin it

I'd unscrew it and keep it for the next house. Might come in handy, and you can't buy it any more. Really useful for radiant heaters fixed near the ceiling.

 

[Bosswhite]

Typical useless surveyor...scare the hell out of the buyers to justify his fee.
Then an equally useless mortgage "surveyor".
Parasites.

Remove it, repaint ceiling , get another buyer .

 

[^woody^]

I'd unscrew it and keep it for the next house. Might come in handy, and you can't buy it any more. Really useful for radiant heaters fixed near the ceiling.

*relies on moving back to the 1930's