I have just bought a property. Could it contain asbestos?

I have just bought a property. Could it contain asbestos?

Asbestos may be part of any commercial or domestic building which was built or refurbished before the year 2000. Asbestos can typically still be found in any of the following:

		asbestos cement products (pipes, flues, roofs etc)
	
		lagging (on pipes and boilers etc)
	
		water tanks and toilet cisterns
	
		asbestos insulating board (AIB – which closely resembles typical plasterboard)
	
		loose asbestos in ceiling and wall cavities
	
		sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls and beams / columns
	
		textured decorative coatings (commonly referred to as Artex)
	
		floor tiles
	
		textiles and composites


	HSE has produced an [asbestos image gallery](http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/gallery.htm) also provides real photographs of typical asbestos-containing materials that can still be found today.