Please can anyone tell me if this asbestos is as bad as I think?

[Yalapap]

I’ve attached a photo. Basically we had a check of our roof done and were told it was in generally good condition but would likely need replacing in around 5 years.

During this check we were told that there were asbestos sheets (where the arrows point to). We were told they were fine as they were and if we come to replace the roof just get someone to do it for us who is trained in that removal. We were told it would be straightforward as they were just asbestos sheets. This has really worried me. Do the sheets go across under all of the roof or are they just here at the edge?

We want to sell this year and now I feel worried we need to replace the roof beforehand. Do people buy homes with a roof needing doing within five years? This is our first home and we have little experience. Thank you.

No, the asbestos is not as bad as you think it is. It is only something to be careful of when the roof is replaced, and even then, as long as it is removed and disposed if correctly, it's not a major problem. All the time it's not disturbed, it will do nobody any harm.

@Justlovedogs thanks for replying, do you know if this runs throughout the roof? I had heard the sheets are often just along the edges if that makes sense

It is quite normal for cement board (containing asbestos or not) to be used on the overhang, we have had it on a couple of our previous houses.
May contain asbestos (often does) but is doing no harm while in situ, the only time fibres may be released is when it is disturbed.
As long as the sheets do not extend under the whole roof (in place of roofing felt) then I would not give it a moments thought. Our surveyor mentioned this in our previous house but it did not apply to us.

@Nourishinghandcream thanks how would we know if it extends across the whole roof? And what if it does?

A quick look in the loft should tell you, if you can see roofing felt then there is unlikely to be asbestos as well.

It's extremely unlikely it extends across the whole roof, you can check by looking in your loft. You'll probably see roofing felt and you can have a peek behind that where it joins. Then you'll see tiles. If you see a solid grey board then that's the cement board. I've never heard of cement boards across the whole roof, it'd be too heavy with tiles on top.
It's perfectly normal.

I have a similar problem with our garage roof. the guy I contacted said removal was straightforward and should present no real problems. The real issue was disposing of the sheets afterwards as this has to be done in accordance with strict guidelines at specific sites.