What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and was often used as a building material in homes until the early 1990s.
Is asbestos dangerous?
Most asbestos-containing building materials are not dangerous if they are in good condition, and are not damaged. But asbestos dust can cause health problems if it is released into the air and breathed in on a regular basis. Therefore you should avoid asbestos that is damaged or broken and you should not drill, saw or sand it whilst carrying out authorised DIY projects.
Where is asbestos found?
Asbestos is sometimes found in:
- Internal partition walls, ceilings and floors
- Airing cupboards panels
- Warm air heating and insulation panels
- External wall cladding
- Gutters and downpipes
- Roofing tiles
- Decorative wall and ceiling coatings
Dealing with asbestos
If in doubt about whether there is asbestos in your home, please don’t investigate yourself but instead call Soha on 01235 515900 or 0800 014 15 45 (free from a landline) or e-mail housing@soha.co.uk
Soha has an extensive register of asbestos containing materials which remain in situ in its homes and carries out a regular monitoring process to ensure that it remains in good condition and is safe.
If the monitoring process shows that we need to take any remedial action, it will be carried out by Soha’s specialist contractors as required.
Under no circumstances should you investigate or remove any suspected asbestos materials yourself
If you are worried about asbestos in your home, please contact Customer Services on 01235 515900 or 0800 014 15 45 (free from a landline) or email housing@soha.co.uk.
We will send a specialist contractor to look at the suspected asbestos material and advise us on what action we should take.
Please remember that you must receive permission for all DIY projects by completing the green ‘Permission to carry out alterations’ form. You should not remove the suspected asbestos material yourself.