Asbestos in council homes
Asbestos is a natural material made up of tiny fibres. These fibres are usually safely fixed in another material like cement or insulation board, but they can be released into the air by cutting, breaking, drilling or sanding.
Asbestos was a widely used building material until it was found to be dangerous and banned. Asbestos that is in good condition and left undisturbed is unlikely to present a health risk.
We have a register for most of our housing stock and where asbestos is located within them. When our staff come to your house to carry out repairs, they consult the register if they are going to go behind walls, floors and ceilings. If there is a need to isolate asbestos, our specialist team will be arranged to remove it. It is not harmful to health until disturbed.
We have an Asbestos Management Plan in place, which details how asbestos-containing materials will be managed to prevent exposure to airborne fibres.
Our staff routinely survey our properties when a building (or part of it) is to be upgraded, refurbished or demolished to identify any potential asbestos risks that may be present.
To comply with current legislation all non-domestic properties and communal areas have had a suitable asbestos assessment carried out. We have recorded the location of asbestos materials and, where needed, carried out abatement works. Any asbestos materials left in place are re-inspected at regular intervals.
Internal
- A) Asbestos cement (AC) Water tank
- B) Pipe lagging
- C) Loose fill insulation
- D) Textured decorative coating e.g. Artex
- E) Asbestos insulating board (AIB) ceiling tiles
- F) AIB bath panel
- G) Toilet seat and cistern
- H) AIB behind fuse box
- I) AIB airing cupboard and/or sprayed insulation coating boiler
- J) AIB partition wall
- K) AIB interior window panel
- L) AIB around boiler
- M) Vinyl floor tiles
- N) AIB behind fire
External
- O) AC gutters and downpipes
- P) Soffits - AIB or AC
- Q) AIB exterior window panel
- R) AC roof
- S) AC panels
- T) Roofing felt
Report asbestos in your home
If you think you may have damaged asbestos in your home, let Homes & Neighbourhoods know immediately.
If you don't know whether something contains asbestos, call us on 01484 414800 or email Email hnasbestos@kirklees.gov.uk and we will check our register. If we haven't got a record, we can arrange to have the material professionally inspected and analysed.
For the safety of you and everyone else in your home you need to seek permissions from Homes & Neighbourhoods prior to carrying out any alterations or improvements.