If your home was built or renovated before the late 1980s, there’s a real chance it contains asbestos. Here’s how to tell where you stand — and how to know for certain.
If your house was built or renovated before the late 1980s, it very likely contains asbestos somewhere. Asbestos products were used heavily in Australian housing until the mid-to-late 1980s, and weren’t fully banned nationally until 31 December 2003. Homes built after the mid-1990s are much less likely to contain it, but early-90s homes can still have asbestos materials.
In a typical older home, asbestos can turn up in eaves and soffits, fibro wall and ceiling sheeting, wet-area linings in bathrooms and laundries, vinyl floor tiles and their backing, textured (‘popcorn’) ceilings, fences, and the flue or backing behind heaters. It looks identical to non-asbestos cement sheeting — you cannot tell by eye.
Because asbestos looks like ordinary building materials, the only reliable way to know is a professional inspection and, where needed, laboratory testing of a sample. That’s far safer than guessing — especially before you renovate.
If you’re planning works, buying, or you’ve noticed damaged sheeting, don’t disturb it. Book an inspection so you know exactly what you’re dealing with before anything is cut, drilled or sanded.
Have a question about your property or obligations? Get straightforward advice from a licensed asbestos consultant.