Planning building work on an older property? Call us for a free, no-obligation quote.
BOHS qualified surveyors covering Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and the wider North of England.
Asbestos insulation board in a 1970s semi-detached house – HSG Surveys
Buildings Surveys & Assessment of ACMs
Management of Asbestos in Buildings
In the asbestos industry since the early 1990s
Just the areas your contractor will disturb
If you’re having work done on a building put up before 2000, an asbestos survey before building work tells you and your contractor exactly what’s there before anyone starts drilling, cutting or stripping out. We carry out targeted surveys for homeowners, landlords, businesses and contractors, covering just the areas the job will affect, so the work can go ahead safely and on time.
Why Everyday Building Work Disturbs Asbestos
Asbestos was used widely in UK buildings until it was banned in 1999. It turns up in ceilings, walls, floors, soffits, boiler cupboards, pipe lagging and roof sheets, often hidden behind later decoration or under newer floor coverings. Left alone and in good condition it is usually low risk.
The danger comes when it is disturbed. Drilling a cable route, ripping out a kitchen or lifting floorboards can release fibres without anyone realising. That is why contractors increasingly ask for an asbestos survey before work starts, and why many will stop the job if they come across a material they suspect.
Asbestos Surveys Before Common Building Jobs
These are the jobs we are asked to survey for most often, and the materials each one tends to disturb:
Broadband and Full-Fibre Installation
Fitting full-fibre usually means drilling through external walls, soffits, ceilings or floors to bring the cable in and route it to the router. Textured coatings, asbestos insulating board soffits and cement panels are common on those routes, and some installers will stop work if they suspect asbestos. Read our guide to surveys before broadband installs.
Heat Pump Installation
Removing an old boiler and flue, moving the hot water cylinder, drilling for pipework and lifting floors to upsize radiators all disturb areas where asbestos was widely used, from boiler cupboard linings to pipe lagging. Read our guide to surveys before heat pump installs.
Kitchen and Bathroom Refits
Stripping out old units, tiles and flooring can disturb textured ceilings, vinyl floor tiles and bitumen adhesive, boxing-in around pipes and asbestos insulating board behind old units and bath panels. Read our guide to surveys before a kitchen refit.
Solar Panels and EV Chargers
Fixing panels to roofs and soffits, or running cable through a garage wall to an EV charger, often means working on asbestos cement roof sheets, soffits and garage panels on pre-2000 properties.
Loft Conversions and Insulation
Lofts can hide old loose-fill or lagging, asbestos cement water tanks, and asbestos insulating board on loft hatches, soffits and around flues.
Windows, Doors and Rewiring
Replacing windows and doors can disturb asbestos panels under windows and in old door infills, while rewiring and consumer unit upgrades often uncover asbestos backing boards behind old fuse boards.
What Kind of Asbestos Survey Do You Need?
Targeted Refurbishment Surveys
For most building work the right survey is a refurbishment survey. Under the HSE’s survey guidance (HSG264), it only needs to cover the areas the work will disturb, so an asbestos survey before building work can be planned around your contractor’s quote or drawings. See our detailed breakdown of this survey type.
Asbestos Sampling & Testing
If there is only one material you are unsure about, such as a board in a boiler cupboard or a textured ceiling in the room being refitted, we can take a bulk sample for analysis at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, with results usually back within a few working days. Find out more about sampling and testing.
Checking an Existing Management Survey
Landlords and businesses often already hold a management survey. Because that survey is non-intrusive, it may not cover the voids, wall cores and floor spaces that building work opens up. We can review what you have and survey only the gaps. Read our full guide to how management surveys work.
Got a quote or a start date?
Send us the details and we’ll tell you exactly what needs surveying – no sales pressure, just straightforward guidance.
Who We Work With
We survey for homeowners getting work done, landlords and letting agents, housing providers upgrading their stock, and businesses refitting premises. Installers, builders and kitchen fitters also refer their customers to us when they need an answer before they can start. For non-domestic premises and the common parts of flats and HMOs, the duty to manage asbestos applies under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 – the HSE’s asbestos guidance sets out what is expected.
Areas We Cover
We carry out asbestos surveys before building work across the North of England, including West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Lincolnshire. We’re based in West Yorkshire, so we can usually reach most of the region within a few days. Not sure if we cover your area? Give us a call.
Asbestos Surveys Before Building Work – Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an asbestos survey before building work?
If the building was put up before 2000 and the work will drill, cut, lift or remove any part of the building fabric, the law expects asbestos to be identified first. For non-domestic premises and the common parts of flats and HMOs that means a refurbishment survey of the areas affected. For private homes it is the safest way to make sure nobody disturbs asbestos and the job is not stopped halfway through.
Does it matter how small the job is?
Not really. Drilling a single hole for a broadband cable can disturb asbestos just as easily as a full refit if it goes through the wrong material. What changes with the size of the job is the size of the survey, so a small job usually needs only a small, targeted survey.
Who should arrange the survey, me or my contractor?
Either can, as long as it is done before work starts. Many homeowners and landlords prefer to arrange it themselves so they have the report in hand when getting quotes. Contractors also need to know whether asbestos is present before they disturb anything, so they will often ask to see it.
What if asbestos is found?
Most asbestos found during these surveys is low risk and can often be left in place and worked around, or removed before the job starts. The report tells you where it is, what type it is and what condition it is in, and an asbestos survey before building work lets you plan any removal around your timetable instead of your contractor’s.
How much of the property do you need to survey?
Only the areas the work will affect. Under HSG264 an asbestos survey before building work can be targeted at the rooms, walls, floors and routes your contractor will disturb, which keeps it quick and cost-effective. Send us the quote or plan and we will tell you what needs covering.
How soon can you survey before my work starts?
We can usually arrange a visit within a few days of your call. Booking your asbestos survey before building work as soon as you have a start date gives plenty of time to deal with anything that is found without delaying the job.