$1.3m Canberra home condemned months after sale due to Mr Fluffy asbestos
Home tested positive for Mr Fluffy asbestos insulation three months after a $1.3 million Chapman sale.
The house at 14 Pelham Close in Chapman sold in late January for $1.3 million. Within months, the new owners commissioned an asbestos assessment and found loose-fill asbestos, known as Mr Fluffy, in the roof cavity.
The ACT government has bought the property under its voluntary buyback scheme. It's the first new Mr Fluffy house found in Canberra in more than four years.
The original 1989-1993 survey had missed it completely. Researchers have found higher rates of mesothelioma, an asbestos-linked cancer, in men who lived in Mr Fluffy homes.
The government's buyback program has now removed over 1,000 homes from the capital since 2013, costing $268.3 million.
- $1.3 million
- Sale price
- more than 4 years
- First new case in
- over 1,000
- Homes removed since 2013
- $268.3 million
- Total buyback cost
Why it mattersEven in 2026, Mr Fluffy asbestos can hide in homes you think are safe, risking serious illness.
AustraliaCanberra homebuyers should test for Mr Fluffy asbestos before buying; one owner lost nearly all value when it was discovered.
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