Asbestos siding

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I came a across a nice multi-family building with mixed size units in New Bedford, Massachusetts and it raised a question for me. It appears that the building has asbestos exterior siding;.what do investors think about this? I've heard that if it is left in place it is not an issue but that abatement is expensive. Massachusetts seems particularly stringent in this regard and a large landlord was recently fined $100,000 for multiple violations concerning abatement. I would appreciate any feedback as the whether such properties should be avoided. Thanks!

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In the article, the Massachusetts landlord who got fined sounded like he wasn't a responsible person or landlord. One it sounded like he didn't make other people aware of the presence asbestos and two it sounded like he wasn't using a licensed company and you need to be (or strongly STRONGLY recommended) be trained to do so. 

I am positive there are hundreds of properties around Boston that have asbestos siding, even my families older house in New Jersey had asbestos siding. As long as you are aware the property has asbestos and the condition of that siding is in good condition I believe you should be fine.

Here is a site that I found useful with asbestos particularly for Massachusetts. 

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/air/progr...

I hope this helps you.