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Original poster

To be upset and angry over this?

191 replies

householdprobs · 09/01/2019 20:19

I moved into my council home in 2011 so around 8 years ago. When I moved in I asked the council if there was an asbestos in the house ( it's a 1935 house) and I was given a survey from sample homes of the same time in my area. I looked at the report in my email and then just forgot about it. Then today i was trying to email the housing and find the address in my email as I was searching that email with report came up, I forgot about it over the years but referred back to it today. He report said that the asbestos is present in some tiles and on a sink pad. I was aware in my kitchen floor when I moved in there was some tiles of some sort so I just put ceramic tiles over them but the tiles that were in when I moved in were not in Great condition they were cracking on the edges. But I just left it. Then I checked under the sink thinking surely they wouldn't have left the sink in from decades ago with an asbestos sink pad on!!! I was told when I moved in this was a new kitchen because the last owner let the previous one go to a mess. Low and behind o check and that sink pad is still there !!! Asbestos was banned from 1984 so this kitchen has been in this house since before 1984 and they couldn't even Been bothered to change the sink in all that time!! I'm so angry and upset. This kitchen is disgusting ! All they do is screw cupboards back on. And also the tiles are worrying me now as well. They knew about these asbestos products but didn't inform me UNTILL I enquired yet they are aware of them ! Imagine I started to rip up the tiles to put my own on and didn't know, it's a good job I just out mine in top. I'm worried now because after pulling up the grip between living room and kitchen I could see the tiles some parts handing off.

OP posts:
TabbyMumz · 09/01/2019 20:31

Did you think your kitchen was disgusting before you discovered this about the sink? I'm not 100 per cent sure what a sink pad is, but thinking it might be the base for the sink? If so, if asbestos was banned in 1984, could it be that they have put the new sink in over the asbestos, rather than remove the asbestos?

BifsWif · 09/01/2019 20:33

The asbestos isn’t in the tiles, it’s in the bitumen, although the report will say tiles. Please try not to worry too much, contact the council if you’re concerned but I’m not sure if they will pay for removal if the asbestos hasn’t been disturbed.

Witchend · 09/01/2019 20:37

Asbestos is fine in some places as long as you're not planning on drilling into it and causing dust. We had asbestos cement in our last house garage and basically as long as we weren't wanting to put hooks up in the wall or similar it was no risk at all. It would have been riskier to remove it as that would have caused dust which could be inhaled.

Singlenotsingle · 09/01/2019 20:41

Not all types of asbestos are dangerous, and even if it is, it's often safer just to leave it rather than disturb it. We've got some in our garage roof, but we dont need to take it down.

Original poster
householdprobs · 09/01/2019 20:43

Thanks everyone
The kitchen has been disgusting for years before I realised about this pad. They have never wanted to do anything about it. The pad is just a pad stuck on the bottom of the sink it's stuck on so there is no way they have changed this sink ever!
That's what it looks like and I've researched it and it's definitely asbestos one. I'm just angry that they couldn't even be bothered to change that sink. I mean it's older then me and I'm 30!

OP posts:
TabbyMumz · 09/01/2019 20:49

There is an old saying..if it's not broken, don't fix it. Is the sink cracked, or broken in any way? If not, why should they have changed it. That costs money to the taxpayer. My parents had the same sink in their house for fifty years. It was fine.

Bambamber · 09/01/2019 21:04

If the sink is that bad, why don't you arrange for it to be changed?

MereDintofPandiculation · 09/01/2019 21:08

I mean it's older then me and I'm 30 And that's a problem why?

Original poster
householdprobs · 09/01/2019 21:09

@Bambamber yes I would like to get the sink changed but I have to ask the councils permission first and it's not guaranteed they will

OP posts:
BriennetheBeauty · 09/01/2019 21:10

Asbestos is fine as long as it’s not disturbed as people have said above.
It has to be managed, it may cause more of a hazard if it attempted to be removed.
There’s asbestos in the building I work in - it was built in 1929, it’s not going to be removed unless it absolutely has to be.
Also, there’ll be very little asbestos in the tile.

Original poster
householdprobs · 09/01/2019 21:12

@MereDintofPandiculation because it's a right state! And things so wear out over time

OP posts:
User758172 · 09/01/2019 21:14

I have to ask the councils permission first and it's not guaranteed they will

Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. It’ll be fine if you just leave it be. What’s the problem? Confused

user1471530109 · 09/01/2019 21:16

The floor tiles are fine. My excouncil house had them in now. Mine aren't covered up at the moment because I've ran out of money. My surveyor mate says they are fine and nothing to worry about.
I also have asbestos in the outhouse roof. Again, nothing to worry about and I can cover it if I want.

I did have an asbestos toilet stack which I've had removed.

It was/is everywhere. As long as you're not drilling into it, it's fine!

TabbyMumz · 09/01/2019 21:17

Can you show us a picture? What you think is disgusting, other people might be fone with. As other people have said if you really want it changed, ask the Council permission, then pay for it yourself.

gamerchick · 09/01/2019 21:19

You dont have to ask permission to change a sink OP. You could even fit your own kitchen if you want.

My whole house is riddled with asbestos, it's in all of the artex ceilings. Great fun when I need repairs done to lights. Theyve only removed the kitchen ceiling because it was damaged.

Leave it alone and it won't bother you. There no need to go OTT.

Original poster
householdprobs · 09/01/2019 21:22

@gamerchick I want to put a whole new kitchen In, in the future but I'm wondering if I could buy the kitchen and have a family member fit it because if I ask for permission and they want me to get a company to do it instead it could cost me thousands but I would love to change it.

OP posts:
Ellisandra · 09/01/2019 21:24

And yet you weren’t so bothered about asbestos that you’d bother to actually read the report you requested, in 8 years... Hmm

Original poster
householdprobs · 09/01/2019 21:26

@Ellisandra I read it when I moved in but didn't fully understand the report, now 8 years later o remembered and read it again and with me being 8 years older, with more knowledge on these subjects it's just made me relapse these things now. I was 22 8 years ago

OP posts:
bridgetreilly · 09/01/2019 21:29

They told you 8 years ago and you've done nothing about it. I think you are being extremely unreasonable to be upset that they didn't tell you sooner, because you still wouldn't have done anything about it.

gamerchick · 09/01/2019 21:31

You dont need to ask for permission OP.

If you were altering the house like knocking down walls or building a big fuck off shed in the garden you do. But stuff that can be put in and out you don't.

bridgetreilly · 09/01/2019 21:31

Imagine I started to rip up the tiles to put my own on and didn't know, it's a good job I just out mine in top.

Well, that would have been your fault because they had, in fact, told you.

Ellisandra · 09/01/2019 21:37

Oh give over - you were 22 not 12 Hmm

You had enough nouse at 22 to ask about asbestos. You can’t tell me that having asked for a report on asbestos aged 22, and been given a report with the word “asbestos” in it, you weren’t old enough to ask the council if you didn’t understand it properly?

YABVU to be angry now about information you were given 8 years ago.

boringlyboring · 09/01/2019 21:42

They won’t necessarily instruct you on who to use for improvements. They will require installation certs for any electrical works though.

Kitchen upgrades will be part of a planned programme. Have you asked them when yours is due? The improvements they did after the previous tenant might have just been repairs to make it fit for purpose rather than part of the replacement scheme.

I’ve also known tenants to refuse major replacements while they live there so this could explain why it’s old.

Ellisandra · 09/01/2019 21:48

How do we know it’s old though?

OP said she was told when she moved in that it was a new kitchen.

If that was a lie, it would have been pretty obvious!

No way would a 1984 kitchen pass as new in 2011 (even to a 22yo Grin)

And there’s no way a 27+ year old sink would pass for new.

The OP’s reasoning for the kitchen being from before 1984, is that is the date she gives for asbestos being banned. But the report was for a sample house in the area - not hers. New sinks also have sound deadening mats, just without asbestos these days. So the fact that the sink has a mat means nothing.

Ethel36 · 09/01/2019 21:48

They did tell you...eight years ago! It's not your fault that you didn't read the report properly! Phone the council and ask for advice.

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