Do you need an asbestos survey?

Asbestos surveys come up in two very different situations. Sometimes you are legally required to have one, and sometimes it is simply the sensible way to find out what you are dealing with before builders start knocking holes in things. This guide explains the main survey types, who actually needs one, and what you should expect to receive at the end.

The duty to manage: why many buildings must have a survey

If you own, occupy or manage non-domestic premises, the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 places a duty on you to manage asbestos in the building. In practice that means finding out whether asbestos is present, recording where it is and what condition it is in, assessing the risk, and keeping an up-to-date management plan. The same duty covers the common parts of many blocks of flats, such as stairwells and plant rooms.

You cannot meet that duty by guessing. A management survey, an asbestos register and a plan are how it is done, and anyone who might disturb the materials, from your own maintenance staff to outside contractors, needs to be able to see that information before they start work.

Management surveys: the everyday one

A management survey is the standard survey for a building in normal use. A surveyor locates materials that could contain asbestos, samples them where needed, assesses their condition, and produces a register with photographs, risk ratings and practical recommendations. Materials in good condition are usually left in place and managed, because undisturbed asbestos in good condition is low risk.

Refurbishment and demolition surveys: before any building work

Before refurbishment, extension or demolition work, a more intrusive survey is needed for the area where the work will happen. These surveys deliberately look inside the building fabric, under floors, above ceilings and behind walls, because that is where the work will disturb materials that a management survey leaves alone. If you skip this step and builders hit asbestos mid-project, everything stops, costs climb and people may already have been exposed.

What about houses?

Homeowners are not covered by the duty to manage, so there is no legal requirement to survey your own house. It is still worth doing in two situations: before renovation work on a home built before 2000, and when you are buying an older property and want to know what you are taking on. For a single suspect material, sampling and testing is often enough on its own.

What you should receive from a good survey

• Identification of suspect materials, with their location, type, extent and condition
• Sampling with laboratory analysis by a UKAS-accredited lab where needed
• A clear asbestos register and site plans you can actually use
• Photographs and risk ratings for each material
• Practical, prioritised recommendations, not just a list of problems

The register is the working document: it tells you and every contractor who enters the building what is there and what to leave alone.

Choosing a surveyor

Look for surveyors qualified to BOHS P402 working to HSG264, the HSE’s survey guide, with samples analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory. Those are the recognised standards. Our surveying page explains how ACL runs surveys across Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and the South, and if the survey does find something that needs action, licensed removal or sealing it safely in place follows from the same team.