Residential
Asbestos Advice and Surveys for Your Residential Property
Professional Residential Asbestos Surveys and Advice from Asbestos Risk Management for Your Peace of Mind
Are you planning any major renovations to your home, or thinking about bowling that old 1930s batch and building your dream home in its place? Are you concerned that there may be dangerous asbestos lurking somewhere in the building or on the property? We can help.
Breathe Easy in Your Home Again with Asbestos Risk Management
If you suspect your home contains Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs), don’t take any chances. Get in touch with our professional team here at Asbestos Risk Management and we can talk to you about a residential Asbestos Survey.
From here we will be able to advise you on what to do next if asbestos is present, and make sure you comply with relevant asbestos legislation. If the Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are in good condition, for example, removal may not even be required.
Whereabouts are You Likely to Find Asbestos in Your Home?
Asbestos was used extensively in residential housing until the late 1990s, but its use isn’t always immediately obvious because it is usually mixed with other materials. Asbestos that is in good condition and left undisturbed is unlikely to present a health risk, it’s when this material is damaged or disturbed and asbestos fibres become airborne and able to be inhaled that it becomes a major safety hazard.
These are the main areas where asbestos may be hiding:
Super 6 and super 12 roofing, decramastic roof tiles, bitumen based roof coatings and textured ceilings.
Door and window mouldings, exterior louvre blades, side flashings as well as cement downpipes and gutters.
Exterior wall sheets and cement cladding including fencing and outbuildings.
Interior wall sheets, soffits, baseboards and shingles.
Lino, flooring tiles and adhesives.
As an insulator for pipes, lagging and water tanks.
Does Your Residential Property Need an Asbestos Survey?
What Your House or Home Built Before 2000?
Any buildings constructed prior to the year 2000 have the potential to contain asbestos. The only way you can be sure is to have your building and its building materials tested by an accredited laboratory.
Are You Planning to Renovate or Demolish Your Home?
It’s impossible to tell whether a material in your home contains asbestos simply by looking at it, it needs to be tested by an accredited laboratory to provide a definitive answer. If you suspect something might contain asbestos (textured ceilings, vinyl flooring or cladding, for example) and the material is damaged, or if renovations would disturb the material, then you should have it sampled.
If you plan on hiring tradespeople to work on your home and it was built before the year 2000, this will classify it as a workplace which means you have legal obligations to meet under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Are You Buying or Selling a Home?
For complete peace of mind when buying a house, our team at Asbestos Risk Management can carry out an inspection and subsequent testing should you be concerned there may be asbestos present in your potential new home. Similarly, if you’re selling a house, you may also want to request a report or survey which you can supply to potential buyers.
What Type of Survey do I Require?
Inspection Reports
If you’re concerned that there may be Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in your home, or you’re buying / selling a residential property, your may only require an initial inspection report rather than a full Asbestos Management Survey.
An Inspection Report includes a thorough inspection of the property, testing of samples as well as a report of any asbestos found at your property. We’ll also provide a list of recommended next steps for you to take based on our findings.
Pre-purchase inspections are also available to give prospective buyers peace of mind.
Asbestos Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys
Where refurbishment work will disturb the fabric of the building materials (the refurbishment of a bathroom or kitchen, installation of new joinery or removal of a wall, for example), an Asbestos Management Survey proves inefficient. In these cases, a more intrusive survey is required before any work can be carried out.
Asbestos Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys are fully intrusive, and may involve the destruction of wall linings and the like to gain access to all areas. Due to this, Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys are usually only conducted in unoccupied areas in order to minimise risks.
Asbestos Management Survey
To keep you and your family or employees safe as you carry out general maintenance (for example, exterior cleaning, painting or changing light fixtures) on your property, you may wish to request an Asbestos Management Survey. A management survey includes an assessment of the condition of the various potential Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs), and often involves minor intrusive work and some disturbances.
This survey locates and records the presence – and extent – of any suspected Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) within the property that could be damaged or disturbed during normal day-to-day occupancy. This includes foreseeable maintenance and installation.
From the results of your Asbestos Management Survey we can produce an Asbestos Management Plan which provides you with documentation detailing the type, location and extent of the asbestos containing materials along with recommended actions and next steps.
The Result?
Your Personalised Asbestos Management Plan.
Once we’ve completed our Asbestos Management Survey, you’ll receive an Asbestos Management Plan which details the type, location, and extent of the Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) along with our recommended plan of action.
This documents acts as proof that you have taken the legally required actions at your house, home or property, and can be presented to any tradespeople operating therein. This Asbestos Management Plan must be updated with information collected during periodic surveillance, as well as every time a response action is taken on-site.
Get in Touch
Call us here at Asbestos Risk Management now for free advice about the assessment of possible Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in your house, residential or commercial property.
Get in Touch
Call us here at Asbestos Risk Management now for free advice about the assessment of possible Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in your house, residential or commercial property.