Do Manchester terrace houses built before 2000 usually contain asbestos?

• Asbestos use was widespread in UK homes until it was banned in 1999.
• Typical terraced housing materials that may contain asbestos include artex ceilings, soffits, floor tiles, boiler cupboards and garage roofs.
• Not every pre-2000 terrace will contain asbestos, but many do somewhere in the structure.
• Visual checks alone cannot confirm if a material contains asbestos.
• A Fibre Safe asbestos survey in Greater Manchester can identify and risk-rank any asbestos-containing materials.

Manchester's terraced housing stock spans many decades, from Victorian streets to later post-war and 20th-century developments. Throughout much of that time, asbestos-containing materials were considered standard building products for fire resistance and insulation.

In terraced houses built or refurbished before 2000, asbestos may be found in areas such as:

• Textured coatings on ceilings and walls.
• Soil pipes, flues, cold-water tanks and soffits made from asbestos cement.
• Older warm-air heating systems, boiler cupboards and pipe boxing.
• Vinyl floor tiles and bitumen adhesives.
• Outbuildings, sheds and garage roofs.

Even if a terraced property has been modernised cosmetically, older asbestos-containing boards or insulation can still remain behind newer finishes. Because asbestos fibres cannot be seen with the naked eye, you should never drill, sand or break suspect materials without professional advice.

Fibre Safe's surveyors work across Greater Manchester, carrying out management, refurbishment and pre-purchase surveys so owners and buyers know exactly what they are dealing with before carrying out works.