How to tell if the swirly 'plaster' on walls and ceilings contains asbestos

[VioVee]

Doing viewings with a friend who is looking for a doer-upper. He's handy but has no trade skills. Most of the properties are ex Council flats or houses and have swirly patterns on the ceilings and in some cases walls. Some look very amateur - DIY artex?

How can we tell if they contain asbestos and will require special removal?

You have to get someone in to test it and then have the room sealed off while it is removed. We had a whole ceiling taken down!

It can be skimmed over, or the ceiling could be re-boarded, therefore encasing it.

Tbh, in properties of a certain age, smooth ceilings don't necessarily mean no asbestos, as the above could already have been done.

You don't need to remove if it contains asbestos. Can just skim it. It's ok so long as you don't start drilling into it.

Well it's not that easy for everyone is it ?
"He's handy but has no trade skills" tells you that this might not be a simple task for them.
Also, being concerned about being exposed to asbestos is not "being a pussy"
Would you just take risks with carcinogens willy - nilly ??

Get it tested. You can have it tested prior to purchasing if the homeowner will allow it. The testing is not very expensive.

The UK banned asbestos in 1999, so you could be fairly confident that any properties built after 2000 won't have asbestos fibres in the artex.