Unless your home was built after 1999, there is a chance that asbestos, or asbestos containing materials, were used somewhere in its construction or refurbishment. The main period when asbestos was used routinely in domestic building was the 1950s to the mid 1980s.

The problem for homeowners is that asbestos is often difficult to identify, especially when it has been added to cement, resins or other materials. Asbestos lagging and insulation boards might have been painted or covered with other materials so you won't be able to tell just by looking at them. In many cases, the only way to positively identify asbestos is by laboratory analysis.

Here are the most common places in which you might find asbestos in the home:

Entrance hall – panel behind the fuse box

Kitchen – insulating board around central heating boiler; old vinyl or thermoplastic floor tiles

Living room – Artex and similar textured coatings on ceiling or walls; wall panelling, especially around windows; electric storage heaters

Bathroom – toilet cistern; bath panels; airing cupboard lining

Loft – pipe lagging; asbestos cement water tank; cavity insulation

Outside – external wall cladding; soffit boards; gutters and down pipes; roof tiles

Garden – garage, sheds and outbuildings

Wherever you find asbestos, take care not to disturb or damage it. If you are not sure if a material might contain asbestos, have it checked by an expert.

If you need to have asbestos removed from your home get an online asbestos removal quote from a website that only deals with properly licensed asbestos removal contractors to make sure the job is done safely.