Prepare for an installation visit when older walls, eaves or backing boards may contain asbestos.
Tell your phone or internet provider and installer about known or suspected asbestos before the appointment. Ask which surfaces and routes the installation will affect. If suspect material may be disturbed, organise appropriate assessment before work proceeds; an NBN connection does not automatically require asbestos removal.
nbn’s preparation guidance asks customers to identify known or suspected asbestos-containing material at the property. Contact your phone or internet provider before the installation visit and make sure the concern reaches the installer. Explain the location rather than simply saying the whole house contains asbestos.
You may have an old report, a previous laboratory result or only a concern about an older building product. Be clear which of those applies. Professional testing or inspection can help when the material involved in the proposed work has not been identified.
Ask the provider or installer what work is intended at your address. The connection technology, existing equipment and route can affect which parts of the property will be accessed. Do not assume that advice for a different house or an earlier installation describes your appointment.
Useful questions include:
Do not open enclosures, climb into inaccessible spaces or expose backing boards to answer these questions yourself. Existing plans and safely taken photos may help the installer describe the work boundary.
An assessment identifies the material and the area relevant to the planned work. Removal, if needed, is a separately defined scope. The installation is then coordinated by the provider and installer. Keeping these decisions separate helps avoid booking a removal that does not address the actual proposed route.
If the material is confirmed as asbestos, discuss the condition and disturbance risk with the assessor and the installer. There may be a need to revise the route or arrange licensed removal; the appropriate choice depends on the site. Do not presume that a whole wall or all asbestos on the property must be removed for a connection.
Electrical isolation, switchboard changes and reconnection must be coordinated with the appropriate electrical professional. National Asbestos’s asbestos enquiry process does not replace your connection provider or electrician, and this guide does not imply an nbn partnership.
Tell the rental provider or managing agent about the proposed installation and the material concern. Coordinate any required property permissions and access before arranging invasive work. Our Victorian rental-property guide explains what information to request and who to contact about suspected asbestos.
Send the suburb, property type and material location, together with the installer’s description of the work. Include relevant reports and the date of the planned appointment. We can discuss assessment and any removal scope within our existing services; scheduling depends on the material, access and required arrangements.
Leave suspect material undisturbed while the scope is clarified. The renovation planning guide describes the same assessment-before-disturbance principle for other building work.
No. The proposed work route and whether material will be disturbed must be assessed. Tell the installer about known or suspected asbestos and clarify the installation scope before assuming removal is necessary.
This guide concerns asbestos assessment and removal planning. Coordinate connection work through your phone or internet provider and installer, and electrical work through an appropriately licensed electrician.
Do not try to drill, scrape or remove the material to keep the appointment moving. Ask the installer and provider what information or assessment is required before arranging the next visit.
Plan assessment, testing and removal before building work disturbs suspect materials.
Who to contact, what to ask and how to plan assessment or repairs in a Victorian rental.
