Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

Original poster

The presence of asbestos in artex

23 replies

Heathism · 19/07/2017 10:52

Hi,

We are in the process of buying our first home so this whole process is new to us. The bank's valuation came back with the above statement about presence of asbestos in the artex.

Everybody (seller, estate agent, mortgage advisor etc) are saying it's nothing to worry about and most old houses have this problem.

Am I the only person who thinks this is something to worry about?

Any advise is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

OP posts:

wowfudge · 19/07/2017 10:56

You haven't posted the statement about artex: what does it say?

LIZS · 19/07/2017 10:58

You could have it tested to know for certain. Is it intact , do you plan to remove it?

Original poster

Heathism · 19/07/2017 11:37

Sorry. The full statement says "The presence of asbestos is suspected for example in textured artex and maybe in other parts. The general condition of the property appears consistent with its age and type of construction".

The current owners refurbished downstairs in the last 3 years and the ceilings have a smooth finish and down lights ( that I can remember).

OP posts:

HipsterHunter · 19/07/2017 11:41

Am I the only person who thinks this is something to worry about?

Yeah, it really isn't an issue.

Get it tested and then overboard and skim if you can't live with the pattern. Asbestos in artex is super stable unless you go drilling into it.

If you do overboard, when you come to sell it would be polite to let the new owners know so they don't go drilling into it.

LIZS · 19/07/2017 11:42

So where is the artex ?

PolarBearGoingSomewhere · 19/07/2017 11:46

It's only an issue if you want to remove it or it gets disturbed in some way.

As it's been skimmed over there is no cosmetic reason to remove it, but do remember to flag it up if you have building work done or sell again, as the smooth finish won't immediately make the artex obvious iykwim.

wowfudge · 19/07/2017 12:14

That's a boilerplate statement the surveyor has put in his report to cover his back. When was the house built? If there is no artex visible it may be that 1. there isn't any, it's just common in houses of that age; 2. it's been removed or encapsulated by the current owners either boarding and skimming or skimming over artex on ceilings, for example; or 3. asbestos may be in other things such as soffits, flue liners, some plastics such as toilet cisterns, floor tiles, stair nosings etc.

If undamaged, asbestos presents no risk. Ask the vendors whether they have removed or covered anything which may contain asbestos as there are protective steps you can take if you need to drill into it, for example.

wowfudge · 19/07/2017 12:15

Sorry - asbestos may have been removed or covered by any of the past owners, not just current ones.

Original poster

Heathism · 19/07/2017 12:26

I rang the valuation company (who are Chartered Surveyor) who wrote the statement and they said they can only provide further details directly to the bank. So I have contacted the bank to ask them to ask them where the asbestos is.

The report says the house was built in 1978.

The vendors have said that they have never needed to do anything when they bought it 7 years ago. When they had the building work done they mentioned it to the builders, who seemed unfazed and the refurbishment happened with changes to plaster board and ceilings altered. But I'm wondering if that is the whole truth?

OP posts:

PolarBearGoingSomewhere · 19/07/2017 12:32

Why wouldn't it be the whole truth?

Many, many properties have artex ceilings which may or may not contain asbestos. It will have no impact on your life whether it does or doesn't, except for a small testing fee and the cost of removal in the event of replacing the ceilings or extending the house or drilling into the ceiling for some other reason.

If you are really worried a sample sent for testing with a 24 hour turnaround is c. £60 iirc for a definitive answer as to asbestos or not. However to take the sample disturbs the ceiling (meaning it would need removal if found) and leaves a visible hole so I wouldn't bother if not as part of a renovation project.

wowfudge · 19/07/2017 13:05

That statement doesn't mean there is asbestos, just that there may be. It doesn't even say that there is any artex, which may or may not contain asbestos!

In a house built in the 70s it wouldn't be a surprise is there was asbestos somewhere. It's more something to be aware of than a cause for concern.

If you ever do any major work, asbestos may be found and decisions taken on whether to remove it in accordance with regulations and the law or work around it may need to be taken.

HipsterHunter · 19/07/2017 13:30

We have had a MILLION threads on artex and asbestos in the last few months.

Is this a new arse covering statement that is getting put into surveys and is getting unsophisticated buyers knickers in a twist?

Original poster

Heathism · 19/07/2017 13:58

Probably. I don't know as I am a first time buyer. So yes an unsophisticated buyer. Thanks for your valuable input HipsterHunter.

OP posts:

HipsterHunter · 19/07/2017 14:22

It just seems to be really unhelpful to buyers and unduly scaring them, surveys should be bale to differentiate between "THIS IS A PROBLEM" and "haven't tested for this, prob not an issue anyway" type of issues.

RandomlyGenerated · 19/07/2017 15:00

You would create more of a hazard by removing and potentially releasing asbestos fibres than by boarding over and skimming. Asbestos was banned in 1999, so any Artex predating this has the potential to contain asbestos and it is easy to get it tested to confirm.

At worst, Artex may contain around 1.8 to 3.8% chrysotile (white asbestos, less risky than other types) and was designed so that the fibres were both bonded and encapsulated. It is further sealed by a layer of paint. The only way to release those fibres is to drill or cut into it, and even then it is easily managed.

If you're going to worry (unduly) about the potential for asbestos in Artex, then I'd suggest you only look at buying houses built post 2000.

Original poster

Heathism · 19/07/2017 15:28

Just heard from the estate agent. The vendor is organising an asbestos engineer to check and a report to be carried out.

That's a result. At least now we'll know whether there was anything to worry about. Thanks for all the information provided by you all today it really helped to get this done.

I will let you know what that report says when we get the report in the next 48 hours.

OP posts:

HipsterHunter · 19/07/2017 15:43

The vendor is organising an asbestos engineer to check and a report to be carried out

You have very obliging vendors.

Original poster

Heathism · 24/07/2017 14:28

Hi Guys, I thought I would update you on this. Yes Headhunter the obliging vendor actually paid for it himself (sorry I couldn't be bothered to put it in bold).

A lot of what he said is what this group also said. As a first time home buyer to get reassurance from an expert was also good.

Below is what the engineer said in his email

As promised, I’ve attached the declaration of attendance from our technician who attended your property on 20/07/17 and took one sample per your request,
Below is a brief overview/fact file of that test result and advice we give moving forward :
~ The sample came back positive for Chrysotile (white), which is most common form of asbestos found in domestic properties, especially in ceilings and walls. The two other forms of asbestos found are amosite (brown) and crocdolite (blue) However, Chrysotile is low risk and poses no threat when remained in situ and inert.
~ If a particular area is disturbed, the advice we give is to get it tested first, which in this instance is what’s been completed. However, with a positive result there is nothing to worry about as long as there is no disturbance.

OP posts:

PoppyPopcorn · 24/07/2017 14:40

It is very common for 70s artex and other textured coating to have asbestos. This is only a health issue when disturbed and the fibres get into the air. The best and most cost-effective way of dealing with it is to get a plasterer in to skim the ceilings/walls and put a new layer of plaster on, sealing in the artex.

Crumbelina · 24/07/2017 22:15

Glad it's all sorted and you've been reassured. I'm a very 'sophisticated' buyer and yet we were pretty concerned when a roof (to be demolished) was found to contain asbestos a few weeks ago. Again, it's only an issue if it's broken up and it's thankfully been collected now.

RandomlyGenerated · 25/07/2017 09:18

Again, asbestos cement sheets are commonly found, and are really not a problem - if the building is at the end if its life they just need to be removed by a competent person and disposed of in an appropriate way. If you're keeping the building and the roof is in good condition then you can retain the sheets and monitor the condition.

SaltLiquorice · 26/07/2017 10:00

We had this in the house we bought. I know that the advice AT THE MOMENT is not harmful if left alone however advice changes through the years doesn't it.

We had ours removed.

RandomlyGenerated · 26/07/2017 11:34

I think the current (and it has been current for at least 20 years or so) advice for asbestos is pragmatic and based on clear scientific evidence. The argument for removing it is moot, as the disturbance caused by removing it presents a higher risk than leaving it in situ and managing it.

The only real benefit to removing undamaged bonded asbestos products now it now is that it may avoid higher removal and disposal costs in the future.

Flip