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Hidden in Plain Sight: Where Asbestos Lurks in Auckland Homes (and What to Do Before It Bites You)”

The Auckland Homeowner’s Street-Level Guide to Where Asbestos Hides

If your house was built or renovated before the late 1990s, there’s a fair chance it’s carrying a few ghosts from the past – and asbestos is one of them. It doesn’t glow in the dark. It doesn’t smell. But once it’s disturbed, it can quietly punch holes in your lungs years down the track.

Here’s where asbestos most commonly turns up in Auckland and Waikato homes.

1. Exterior Cladding (The Big One)

Old fibrolite and cement board cladding from the 1950s–1980s often contains asbestos.
Look for:

  • Weatherboards that aren’t timber

  • Flat, grey cement sheets

  • “Hardiplank” style panels from earlier generations

This is Class B asbestos and must be removed by licensed professionals.

2. Asbestos Vinyl Flooring & Backing

Those tough old vinyl tiles and sheet vinyl in kitchens, laundries, and hallways often hide asbestos in:

  • The tile itself

  • The black bitumen glue underneath

  • The paper backing

People rip these up thinking it’s harmless DIY. It’s not.

3. Textured Ceilings (Popcorn, Stipple, Swirl)

If your ceiling looks like cottage cheese or a 1970s sponge painting:

  • It may contain friable asbestos

  • Sanding or scraping can release deadly fibres straight into your breathing zone

This is one of the most dangerous forms to disturb.

4. Soffits & Eaves

Those flat sheets under the roof line are classic asbestos cement:

  • Often weathered

  • Often cracked

  • Often drilled into for lighting, cameras, or heat pumps

Every drill hole can be a fibre cannon.

5. Roofing – Old Cement Sheets & Shingles

Common on:

  • Garages

  • Sleepouts

  • Farm sheds

  • Old state houses

They look solid, but once cut, broken, or pressure washed, they shed fibres like dandruff.

6. Fencing

Asbestos fencing panels are still standing all over Auckland backyards:

  • Grey

  • Heavy

  • Brittle
    Often mistaken for concrete.

7. Wall Linings & Fireproof Boards

Behind heaters, in meter boxes, around flues, and in old bathrooms you may find:

  • Asbestos insulating board (AIB)

  • Fire-resistant panels

High risk when drilled or removed.

8. Pipe Lagging & Duct Insulation

Less common in houses but found in:

  • Older boilers

  • Underfloor heating

  • Old commercial-style hot water systems

This material can be highly friable.

Why You Don’t “Just Rip It Out”

Asbestos isn’t dangerous sitting quietly.
It becomes dangerous the second it’s cut, snapped, sanded, smashed, or drilled.

One careless renovation can contaminate:

  • Your home

  • Your family’s lungs

  • Your soil

  • Your neighbours

And WorkSafe penalties for illegal removal can be savage.

Who Can Safely Remove It?

If testing confirms asbestos, you need a licensed Class B Asbestos Removalist for most cladding, vinyl, soffits, roofing and fencing.

PropertyHelp Ltd
✔ Licensed Class B Asbestos Removal
✔ Servicing Auckland & Waikato
✔ Compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and Asbestos Regulations 2016
✔ Full containment, air monitoring, and legal disposal
✔ Clearance certificates for peace of mind and future property sales

PropertyHelp doesn’t just pull sheets off houses – they manage the risk, protect your whānau, and leave your site clean, legal, and safe.

Final Word for Homeowners

Asbestos is the silent tenant in thousands of Kiwi homes.
You won’t hear it. You won’t smell it.
But you will regret disturbing it the wrong way.

Before you renovate, demolish, or even drill:

  • Get it identified

  • Get it tested

  • Get it removed properly

And when it’s time to deal with it the right way,
PropertyHelp Ltd – Class B Asbestos Removal Auckland & Waikato
is the crew you want between your lungs and a lifetime of trouble.

Make Enquiry