Do Home Inspectors Check for Asbestos?

Home Inspectors in Texas are not required to report on the presence or possible presence of Asbestos. The reason for this is that, much like inspecting, testing, consulting, and/or remediating for lead-based paint or mold, Asbestos-related trades are regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. It is explicitly stated in the Texas Real Estate Commission’s Inspector Standards of Practice that inspecting for asbestos is well outside of scope of a normal home inspection.

What was Asbestos used for?

Before the 50’s and even into the 70’s, asbestos was used for everything from fire-proofing and insulation to exterior wall siding and even roofing material. If it wasn’t for the fact that asbestos tends to cause a variety of lung cancers and diseases, it would probably still be in use. If your home was built after 1979, there is a much smaller chance that any components of your home would contain any asbestos-containing products.

A majority of the homes built before the 1970’s that we inspect in the San Antonio area have some component that contains asbestos. In older homes, it is more likely that we will come across an asbestos-containing product somewhere, most commonly nowadays seen in asbestos-concrete piping, often called “transite”, used for gas-fired appliance flue-vents. Another very common application was to use asbestos in the fiber-cement for siding. This cheap, durable siding was used extensively, and is still found on homes today.