Hidden Hazards: Navigating Asbestos in Your Home & Insurance Policy

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fiber that works as an exceptional insulator and effective filler. While most homeowners associate asbestos with older homes, you’ll likely find tiny fibers in almost every part of your house, no matter when it was built. 

Asbestos materials aren’t harmful unless they’re nicked or disturbed. If you find them intact in your home, you’re not required to do anything about them. If you find fibers have been disturbed through wear and tear or a DIY project, your insurance company won’t help you remove them, as it’s part of your responsibility as a homeowner to maintain your home. 

You could have a successful asbestos claim that arises through a covered event. For example, if your home catches fire and crews find asbestos during cleanup, your insurance company could help you pay for removal. 

Where Is Asbestos? 

People often associate asbestos with older homes. While it’s true that an antique home could have plenty of asbestos, the product isn’t banned in the United States.[1] Chances are, every home has at least a few products that contain this material. 

You could find asbestos in the following areas of your home:

• Attic and walls: Anywhere that has insulation could contain asbestos. Paint and patching compounds may have the material too. 
• Flooring: Vinyl floor tiles and their adhesives could also be made of asbestos. 
• Roofing and exterior walls: Tiles and siding are often made of asbestos. 
• Pipes: Some water and steam pipes are covered with asbestos insulation. 

The asbestos in your home is only harmful when it’s disturbed.[1] Typically, this happens during demolition, construction, remodeling, or repair projects. 

Do You Have Asbestos in Your Home? 

Probably. It’s likely that your home has at least one or two items that contain asbestos. You may not see or smell them, but they could be present. 

The only way to know for sure is to have a formal asbestos survey performed by a qualified expert. In some states, like Oregon, you’re required to have a study done before any demolition or renovation work begins.[2] If you have a covered event, your team may be required to test for the substance. Your insurance company should pay for that testing. 

If you’re not doing construction or haven’t done something major to your home (like remodeling it), there’s no real reason to test for asbestos. It pays to be aware of the substance, however. Every homeowner should consider testing before changing the house in a substantial way. 

What Harm Can Asbestos Cause?

Not everyone who experiences asbestos exposure has health problems. However, people who breathe in many fibers can develop extensive health issues. 

Those problems can include the following:[3]

• Asbestosis: Lung tissue is scarred due to long-term exposure, and breathing becomes harder. 
• Pleural disease: Membranes surrounding the lungs thicken and make breathing difficult. 
• Lung cancer: A malignant tumor enters the lungs and blocks the ability to breathe clearly.
• Mesothelioma: This rare form of cancer attacks the membrane around the lungs and can spread to the abdominal cavity. 

How Does Insurance Handle Asbestos?

Insurance companies expect homeowners to maintain and protect their investment.[4] Handling remodeling projects professionally, including testing for and removing damaged asbestos, is your responsibility. 

Asbestos exposure can sometimes appear due to covered issues, like fires and falling objects. If you experience a loss that your insurance company should pay for, asbestos testing and mitigation should be part of the covered damage. 

Some homeowners get frustrated with this requirement.[5] A community reeling after a fire, for example, was upset to hear that asbestos testing was required. They struggled to find contractors to do the work, and they needed repairs completed before they could move in again.

Know that your insurance company may require asbestos testing as part of your claim, so they can understand the scope of work before it begins. It’s in your best interest to allow these inspections, as they can mean more appropriate payouts after a loss. If you fight these requirements, the timeline to pay out your claim could extend greatly. 

Can Asbestos Claims Be Denied? 

Asbestos claims can be complicated, and sometimes, insurance companies won’t pay for damaged materials. This chart can make approved/denied decisions a little easier to understand: 

What Triggered the Claim?	Covered	Not Covered
Remodeling disturbed pipe insulation		X
Hailstorm collapsed the roof, disturbing asbestos insulation	X
Siding wore out due to sun exposure and the elements, releasing asbestos		X
Water heater flooded and loosened asbestos tiles	X
Kitchen fire tore through the walls and exposed asbestos insulation	X
Power surge caused a fire in asbestos insulation in the walls	X

In general, if you’re filing an asbestos claim due to an event your insurance company is already planning to pay for, it’s covered. If you are filing a claim solely because you’ve discovered asbestos, it is not. 

Some insurance companies are leery of asbestos and are canceling policies in homes with many asbestos-laden materials.[6] If you know your home has these elements, it could be smart to mitigate the damage or remove them. However, your insurance company won’t help you take this step. 

How to File an Asbestos Claim 

Standard asbestos mitigation and removal projects aren’t part of a standard homeowners insurance policy. You can’t really file an “asbestos claim” as much as ensure that this material is part of your standard claims process. 

Follow these steps to file claims for issues that might include asbestos:[7]

1. Contact your insurance company immediately. 
2. Fill out required claim forms. 
3. Inspect the damage and ensure you note anything you think includes asbestos. 
4. Have the adjuster inspect the damage, and ensure that person looks for asbestos materials. 
5. Ask questions and confirm your professional is looking for asbestos. 

If your contractor finds asbestos while the project moves forward, you can file paperwork and add that damage to an existing claim. Contact your insurance agent immediately and explain the situation. Ensure the contractor doesn’t do more work until the company responds. 

How Are Asbestos Problems Fixed After a Covered Event?

If you’ve experienced a problem your insurance company will pay for, you’ll get funds to help you hire a qualified contractor. You’re required to ensure the job goes right, and asbestos can complicate even simple-seeming repairs. 

For example, during a repair after a refrigerator leak, a homeowner hired a qualified contractor.[8] The team found an unusual flooring during the repair, but pulled it up without testing it. Asbestos contamination was found later, but thankfully, the homeowner wasn’t responsible for fixing the problem. The contractor and the insurance company worked it out. This situation could have ended very differently. 

Before your work begins, get a written contract that specifies how the work will be done and which regulations the contractor will follow.[9] If the project already includes asbestos, much of your contract might talk about exposure and abatement. If you’re not sure if the team will find asbestos, ensure the contract outlines what they’ll do if it’s discovered. 

At the end of your project, get a written statement from your contractor that outlines how all procedures have been followed. 

What Should You Do When You Find Asbestos?

If you find asbestos-tainted materials in your home, don’t touch or disturb them.[9] They’re likely safe if they haven’t been scratched, torn, or damaged by water. Leave them where they are, but mark their location. If you must do construction in those areas later, inform your contractor of what you found. 

If you’ve found damaged asbestos materials in your home, contact a trained and licensed professional to do the cleanup. Some projects are small and require little more than isolating the materials and protecting them from further damage. Others will require more large-scale measures. 

If you’re uncertain if the asbestos has been disturbed, contact a professional. It’s always best to err on the side of caution when it comes to potential health risks. 

Don’t Let Asbestos Worry You 

While it’s hard to think about asbestos lurking within your home, it’s a common substance. Unless you’ve damaged the materials in some way, they won’t harm you. 

However, if you’re filing a claim for major damage to your home, asbestos will likely play a role. Ensure that everyone working on your project takes appropriate steps to limit the risks involved.