Asbestos survey
If your home or building was built or last altered before 2000, it may contain asbestos. Before any work that disturbs the fabric of the building, a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey is needed to find out where it is and how to deal with it safely.
This guide covers the rules in England. See Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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The two types of survey
Management survey
Checks for asbestos that could be disturbed during normal occupation and use, required for non-domestic buildings under the Control of Asbestos Regulations.
Refurbishment & demolition survey
A fuller, more intrusive survey needed before any work that disturbs the fabric of a building, including minor refurbishment.
What happens if asbestos is found
The surveyor records its location, type and condition, and recommends whether it should be removed by a licensed contractor or managed in place. Removing or disturbing certain types of asbestos legally requires a licensed asbestos removal contractor, not your builder.
In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
This guide describes the rules in England. Building regulations are devolved, so here is how asbestos survey works in the rest of the UK.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations apply the same way across England and Wales, enforced by the HSE.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations apply the same way in Scotland, enforced by the HSE.
Northern Ireland has its own Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, which work on broadly the same principles, enforced by the HSE NI.
Common questions
Do homes need an asbestos survey?
There’s no legal duty to survey most domestic homes the way there is for non-domestic buildings, but before renovation work on an older home it’s strongly recommended, and many contractors will ask for one.
How do I know if my building needs one?
If it was built or last substantially altered before 2000, assume it could contain asbestos until a survey says otherwise.
Can I remove asbestos myself?
Some lower-risk materials can be removed by a trained non-licensed contractor following the right procedure; higher-risk materials need a licensed contractor. Your surveyor’s report will say which applies.
How long does a survey take?
It depends on the size of the building and how intrusive the survey needs to be; a small domestic refurbishment survey can often be done in a day.
New to the jargon? See our glossary of terms, from air permeability to TrustMark.