Asbestos Compensation Claims
Most homes built before 2000 contain some asbestos, and left sealed and undisturbed it's usually safe. The danger starts when a landlord ignores damaged materials, or lets builders cut into them. If that's happened in your home, we can help you claim.
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When does asbestos become a legal claim?
Asbestos-containing materials such as textured ceiling coatings, insulation boards, old floor tiles and boiler flues release microscopic fibres when they're damaged, drilled, sanded or broken up. A claim arises when your landlord fails to manage those materials safely: leaving damaged asbestos in poor condition after you've reported it, or carrying out works that disturb it without proper precautions.
You can't tell by looking whether a material contains asbestos. That takes laboratory testing. What matters legally is how your landlord responded once the risk was raised with them.
Evidence that strengthens your claim
No photos? Nothing in writing? We can still help. But anything you can dig out now makes your claim stronger:
- Photos and videos of the problem, however rough
- Anything you've sent your landlord: emails, letters, texts
- GP or hospital records, if your health suffered
- Receipts or photos of ruined belongings
Your landlord's legal responsibility
Your landlord must keep the structure of your home in repair under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 makes exposure to hazards like asbestos directly relevant to whether your home is fit to live in. Where building works could disturb asbestos, strict safety regulations govern how it must be identified and handled.
Most asbestos removal is licensed work that only approved contractors can carry out. A landlord cannot send a general builder round, or do it themselves. If damaged asbestos has been left in place, or works have disturbed it, after you raised concerns, that failure is the basis of your claim.
What a successful claim gets you
Compensation
A payment for what you've had to live with, usually worked out as a percentage of your rent, plus money back for ruined belongings: clothes, furniture, carpets and more.
The repairs, completed
A binding commitment that forces your landlord to fix the problem properly. No more promises, no more missed appointments.
Asbestos Compensation Claims: FAQs
Is any asbestos in my home automatically claimable?
No, and it's important to be straight about that. Asbestos in good condition, sealed and undisturbed, is generally safe and doesn't give rise to a claim. A claim arises where the material is damaged or has been disturbed, and your landlord knew about it, either because you reported it or because they should have known, and failed to deal with it safely.
How do I know if my home contains asbestos?
You can't tell by sight. If your home was built before 2000, asbestos is likely to be present somewhere, commonly in textured coatings like Artex, insulation boards, floor tiles and around boilers and flues. The only way to be certain is laboratory testing of a sample, which can be arranged as part of your claim.
Builders have disturbed what I think is asbestos. What should I do right now?
Ask them to stop immediately, leave the area and close the door behind you. Don't sweep, vacuum or try to clean up dust yourself. Report it to your landlord straight away in writing. If you believe fibres have been released, the Health and Safety Executive can be notified too. Then take advice on a claim.
Can I claim for the worry, even though I'm not ill?
Worry on its own is not usually enough for a separate personal injury claim. The courts have decided that anxiety about future illness, without an actual injury or a diagnosed psychiatric condition, doesn't count as an injury in its own right. But the distress of living with unmanaged asbestos your landlord should have dealt with can still be reflected in your disrepair compensation. Every case turns on its facts, which is why we look at yours before you commit to anything.
What can an asbestos claim actually get me?
Two things. First, the asbestos made safe: properly managed, sealed or removed by licensed contractors. Second, compensation for what you've been exposed to and lived with, usually assessed against your rent for the affected period. Our free calculator gives you an instant estimate.
See how much you could claim
Answer a few quick questions about your rent, the problems and how long you've lived with them, and you'll get an instant estimate. Confidential, no obligation, no pressure.