Need an asbestos survey for a pub in West Yorkshire? Call us for a free, no-obligation quote.
We’re West Yorkshire-based, BOHS qualified, and we’ve been working in the asbestos industry since the early 1990s.
Asbestos surveys for pubs, bars and licensed premises across West Yorkshire, carried out by HSG Surveys
Buildings Surveys & Assessment of ACMs
Management of Asbestos in Buildings
In the asbestos industry since the early 1990s
Worked around opening times
If you’re looking for an asbestos survey for a pub in West Yorkshire, we carry out management, refurbishment and demolition surveys for town-centre pubs, village inns, bars, social clubs and other licensed premises across the region. We work around opening hours, deliveries and staff shifts, so the survey causes as little disruption to trade as possible.
Why West Yorkshire Pubs Carry a Higher Asbestos Risk
Many of the region’s pubs date from the Victorian and Edwardian era, when every mill town and village had several. Others are 1950s to 1970s estate pubs and roadhouses, built at exactly the time asbestos use in UK construction was at its peak.
Whatever their age, most pubs have also been refitted many times. Each new layout, bar, kitchen or toilet block tends to be built over the last one, so older materials are often hidden behind newer panelling, under carpets or above suspended ceilings. Cellars, boiler rooms and back-of-house areas are rarely touched, and that is where original materials most often survive.
Common Locations for Asbestos in Pubs
Based on the pubs and licensed premises we survey across the region, asbestos-containing materials most often turn up in these areas:
- Pipe and boiler lagging in cellars and old boiler rooms
- Asbestos insulating board (AIB) around kitchens, behind back bars and on fire doors
- Textured coatings (Artex) on lounge, function room and stairwell ceilings
- Vinyl floor tiles and bitumen adhesive under carpets and laminate
- Ceiling tiles and panels in 1960s and 1970s extensions
- Asbestos cement roofing on outbuildings, bottle stores, garages and outside toilet blocks
- Old electrical fuse boards and flue pipes in plant rooms and cellars
Who Is Responsible for Asbestos in a Pub?
Trade areas, cellars, kitchens and customer toilets are non-domestic premises, so the duty to manage asbestos under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) applies. The HSE’s guidance on the duty to manage explains what dutyholders need to do.
Who that dutyholder is depends on how the pub is run. A free house owner is responsible for their own building. In a managed house it is normally the pub company. In a tenanted or leased pub, responsibility usually follows the repairing obligations in the lease, and it is often shared. Any living accommodation above the pub is treated as a private home, but shared stairs and access routes used by staff are not.
Asbestos Survey Services for Pubs
Asbestos Management Surveys
A management survey identifies any asbestos-containing materials that could be disturbed during normal use, cleaning and routine maintenance, and gives you the written register and management plan you need to show compliance to a pub company, insurer or local authority. An asbestos management survey for a pub in West Yorkshire is often the first step for a new tenant or owner. Read our full guide to how management surveys work.
Asbestos Refurbishment & Demolition Surveys
Before a refit, kitchen upgrade, new toilets, cellar works or an extension, the law requires a refurbishment survey of the areas being worked on. Pubs being converted to flats or houses usually need a full refurbishment or demolition survey before the strip-out. Getting an asbestos survey for a pub in West Yorkshire done early keeps the refit on programme and stops contractors downing tools mid-job. See our detailed breakdown of this survey type.
Asbestos Sampling & Testing
If you’ve spotted something suspect – a cracked board behind the bar, old lagging in the cellar or a damaged ceiling tile – we can take a bulk sample for analysis at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, with results usually back within a few working days. Sampling is often the quickest, most cost-effective way to answer a single question about one material in a pub. Find out more about sampling and testing.
Planning a refit or taking on a new lease?
We’re happy to talk through what you’ll need before work starts or before you sign – no sales pressure, just straightforward guidance.
Who We Work With
Our pub clients include free house owners, tenants and leaseholders, pub companies and brewery estate teams, shopfitters and contractors carrying out refits, and developers converting closed pubs to housing. We’re used to agreeing access around licensing hours and deliveries, and we’ll always arrange timings with you in advance.
Areas We Cover
We carry out asbestos surveys for pubs and licensed premises throughout West Yorkshire, including Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Halifax, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and every town on our West Yorkshire coverage page. Outside West Yorkshire? Give us a call – we cover pubs across the wider North of England too.
Asbestos Surveys for Pubs – Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an asbestos survey for my pub?
If the pub was built or refurbished before 2000, almost certainly yes. The bar, lounges, cellar, kitchen, toilets and any function rooms are a workplace open to the public, so they count as non-domestic premises under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Whoever is responsible for maintaining the building has a duty to manage asbestos, which starts with a management survey and a written asbestos register.
Who is responsible for asbestos in a pub, the pub company or the tenant?
It depends on the lease. In a managed house the pub company is normally the dutyholder. In a tenanted or leased pub, responsibility usually follows whoever the lease makes responsible for repairs and maintenance, and it is often shared between landlord and tenant. If you are not sure, check your lease and ask the pub company for a copy of any existing asbestos register.
Can you survey a pub without closing it?
Yes. Most management surveys can be done before opening time or on a quieter weekday, and we work around deliveries, cellar work and staff shifts. Refurbishment surveys are more intrusive, so they are best timed for when the trade areas are closed for the refit itself.
Do I need a survey before refitting or extending a pub?
Yes. Before any refit, kitchen upgrade, cellar works or extension on a pre-2000 building, the law requires a refurbishment survey of the areas being worked on. Booking an asbestos survey for a pub in West Yorkshire before the shopfitters start avoids the delays and extra cost of asbestos being found halfway through the job.
I’m taking on a new pub lease. Should I ask about asbestos?
Yes. Ask the pub company or landlord for the current asbestos register and management plan before you sign, and check who the lease makes responsible for it. If there is no register, or it is out of date, an asbestos survey for a pub in West Yorkshire gives you a clear picture of what you are taking on before you commit.
Do you survey pubs that are being converted to flats or houses?
Yes. Many closed pubs across the region are being converted to housing, and that work usually needs a full refurbishment or demolition survey before the strip-out starts. We regularly carry out an asbestos survey for a pub in West Yorkshire ahead of conversion work for developers, builders and private buyers.