Asbestos Surveys for London Properties: When You Need One and What It Involves

**Asbestos use in UK construction**:

Asbestos use in construction peaked in the 1960s–1970s in the UK. The following approximate timeline applies:

• •*Pre-1945*: Asbestos was used in industrial and commercial construction but was less common in domestic properties. Properties built before 1945 may contain asbestos but the probability is lower than for post-war properties.
• •*1945–1985*: Widespread use of all forms of asbestos (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite) in domestic and commercial construction. Properties built or significantly refurbished during this period have the highest probability of containing asbestos.
• •*1985*: Blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos banned in the UK. White (chrysotile) asbestos still in use.
• •*1999*: All use and import of asbestos banned in the UK (including chrysotile — white asbestos).
• •*Post-2000*: No new asbestos installed in UK construction. Materials installed post-2000 do not contain asbestos.

In London, the housing stock is dominated by Victorian and Edwardian properties (built before 1920) with a large proportion of inter-war and post-war additions and refurbishments. Many Victorian terraces have had extensions, outbuildings, and garage structures added in the 1950s–1980s — these additions may contain asbestos even if the main house does not.

**Where asbestos is most commonly found in London domestic properties**:

• *High probability locations*:
• •*Artex ceilings and textured coatings*: Artex (a proprietary textured ceiling and wall coating) and similar textured finishes applied between approximately 1965 and 1985 routinely contained chrysotile (white) asbestos. The asbestos content was typically 2–5% by weight. Artex ceilings are present in a very large proportion of London houses built or decorated between 1965 and 1985.
• •*Asbestos cement products*: Corrugated asbestos cement roof sheets (on garage roofs, outbuildings, and extensions), asbestos cement flue pipes and boiler flues, asbestos cement soffits and fascias, rainwater goods, and asbestos cement flat roofing boards.
• •*Floor tiles*: Vinyl floor tiles (typically 300mm × 300mm) installed before the mid-1980s often contained asbestos (typically chrysotile). The adhesive used to bond these tiles (mastic adhesive) can also contain asbestos.
• •*Pipe lagging*: Thermal insulation on hot water pipes and boiler pipes in older properties may be asbestos lagging — a white or yellowish material applied around the pipe and covered with white bandaging or a harder compound.
• •*Partition boards and ceiling tiles*: Asbestos insulating board (AIB — trade names Asbestolux, Marinite, Durasteel) was used for fire-resisting partitions, ceiling tiles in older commercial and residential properties, and fire-resistant boards around boilers and heat sources.

• *Medium probability locations*:
• •*Fire doors*: Older fire doors (pre-1985) may have asbestos in the core
• •*Window putty*: Some older window putties contained asbestos
• •*Rope seals and gaskets*: Around boiler doors, in old solid fuel fireplaces
• •*Roof felt and tiles*: Some older bituminous roof felts and some roofing products

**The legal requirements for asbestos surveys**:

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) govern the management and removal of asbestos in the UK. The key legal requirements affecting domestic building projects:

*The duty to manage (Regulation 4)*: Duty holders for non-domestic premises (including commercial premises and any part of a residential building that is common to multiple dwellings — hallways, roofs, mechanical plant rooms in a block of flats) have a duty to manage asbestos. This includes maintaining an asbestos register and management survey.

• *Domestic premises (individual owner-occupied or tenanted single dwellings)*: The duty to manage (Regulation 4) does not apply to domestic owner-occupied premises — a homeowner is not legally required to have an asbestos management survey on their own single dwelling. However:
• •*Where a contractor is employed to carry out refurbishment or demolition work*: The contractor has a legal duty to identify asbestos before disturbing it. Regulation 11 of CAR 2012 (asbestos in non-licensed work) applies — the contractor must not cause ACMs to be disturbed without prior identification. In practice, this means the contractor should not start demolition or refurbishment work on a pre-2000 property without an asbestos survey.
• •*CDM 2015*: Where a project is notifiable under CDM 2015 (construction work lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously, or exceeding 500 person-days), the pre-construction information pack must include information on known or suspected asbestos in the structure.
• •*Landlord obligations*: A landlord who maintains or manages residential property (including a tenanted house or a block of flats where the landlord is responsible for common areas) has a duty to manage asbestos in common areas and in any part of the building they manage.

**The two types of asbestos survey required for different circumstances**:

*Management Survey (formerly Type 1 and 2 surveys)*:

A management survey is a non-invasive survey of a building to locate and assess the condition of ACMs that could be disturbed during normal occupation and maintenance. The survey does not involve extensive sampling of materials — it may include some sampling where materials are visually suspect but the survey is primarily a visual inspection and assessment of the condition of visible ACMs.

*Purpose*: To inform an asbestos register and asbestos management plan — telling the building owner/manager what asbestos is present, where it is, what condition it is in, and how it should be managed (encapsulate, label, monitor, or remove). Management surveys are required for: non-domestic premises with a duty-to-manage obligation; commercial to residential conversions; blocks of flats (common areas); landlord property management.

*Management survey does NOT support refurbishment or demolition work*: A management survey alone is not sufficient before starting demolition or intrusive refurbishment — it does not involve the opening up of building fabric, removing materials, or accessing hidden voids where asbestos may be concealed.

*Refurbishment and Demolition Survey (R&D Survey — formerly Type 3 survey)*:

• An R&D survey is an intrusive survey specifically designed to locate and identify ALL ACMs in an area before refurbishment or demolition work commences in that area. The survey involves:
• •Sampling of suspect materials in the area to be refurbished or demolished (materials are physically sampled — a small piece removed for laboratory analysis)
• •Opening up of cavities, voids, floors, walls, and ceilings to assess hidden materials
• •Full written report with sample results, photographs, material assessments, and a plan showing the location of all identified ACMs

• *When an R&D survey is required*:
• •Before any demolition work on a building built or refurbished before 2000
• •Before intrusive refurbishment work (strip-out, removal of existing finishes, opening up of ceiling and wall voids) in any area of a pre-2000 building
• •Before a loft conversion where the existing structure in the loft space (roof boards, pipe lagging, partition boards) has not previously been surveyed
• •Before any work that involves disturbing or removing materials that may contain asbestos

*Coverage*: An R&D survey covers only the area to be refurbished or demolished — it does not need to cover the whole building if the building works are limited to specific areas.

**Who carries out asbestos surveys**:

Asbestos surveys must be carried out by a competent surveyor — typically a UKAS-accredited asbestos survey company (UKAS is the UK accreditation body). The surveyor takes samples of suspect materials, sends them to a UKAS-accredited laboratory for analysis (typically by polarised light microscopy or transmission electron microscopy), and produces a written report with the results.

The key UKAS accreditation standards: surveyors accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 (inspection bodies) for survey work; laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 (testing and calibration laboratories) for sample analysis.

**What the survey report contains**:

• •A schedule of all suspect materials sampled and assessed, with their location, material type, accessibility, surface treatment, ACM scores (extent and condition ratings), and priority for action
• •Photographs of each material's location
• •Laboratory analysis results for each sample taken
• •The identified asbestos type (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite) and asbestos content (% by weight) for each sample
• •Recommendations: leave in situ and manage (low risk, good condition); encapsulate (apply a sealing coating to prevent fibre release); repair; or remove

**Options when asbestos is found**:

*1. Leave in situ and manage*: If the ACM is in good condition, is not friable (not likely to release fibres during normal occupation), and will not be disturbed by the planned works, the safest course may be to leave it in place, label it on the asbestos register, and monitor its condition annually. Many artex ceilings in rooms that are not being refurbished can be safely left in place under a thin skim coat of plaster or directly painted — provided the surface is not abraded, cut into, or water-damaged (which would release fibres).

*2. Encapsulation*: The ACM is coated with an encapsulating compound that seals the surface and prevents fibre release. Encapsulation is appropriate for: good-condition artex that will remain in place but is in a room being decorated; asbestos cement sheets on a garage roof in good condition where removal is not immediately necessary. Encapsulation does not permanently resolve the asbestos issue — the encapsulated ACM remains in the building and must be managed ongoing.

*3. Removal*: Removal is required when: the ACM will be disturbed by the planned building works (cut, drilled, abraded, or demolished); the ACM is in poor condition and risk of fibre release is high; the property is being demolished or the area containing the ACM is being gutted.

Asbestos removal is either *licensed* or *non-licensed* work:

*Non-licensed asbestos removal (low-risk materials)*: Some ACMs can be removed without a licence under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — where the material is low risk (chrysotile only, material is in good condition and not friable, work is short duration and intermittent). Non-licensed ACM removal includes: removing a small number of asbestos cement sheets in good condition; removing vinyl floor tiles in good condition. Non-licensed work still requires appropriate PPE (P3 respirator, disposable coverall), correct waste disposal, and proper notification procedures (notification to the HSE for some non-licensed work).

• *Licensed asbestos removal (higher risk materials)*:
• Licensed removal is required for any work on: asbestos insulating board (AIB); sprayed asbestos coatings; pipe lagging; any ACM that is or is likely to be friable during removal. A licensed asbestos removal contractor (licensed by the HSE under Regulation 8 of CAR 2012) must be used. Licensed contractors must:
• •Hold a current HSE asbestos removal licence
• •Notify the HSE at least 14 days before starting licensed work
• •Use P3 respiratory protection and full disposable or decontamination clothing
• •Use a licensed waste carrier and licensed asbestos waste disposal facility
• •Provide a clearance certificate after completion (air clearance testing by an independent UKAS-accredited analyst)

**Asbestos removal costs (London 2025)**:

| Scope | Typical cost | |---|---| | R&D survey (refurbishment/demolition survey) for a 3-bed London terrace | £400–£1,000 | | Management survey (non-domestic or landlord's common areas) | £300–£700 | | Sample analysis (per sample, UKAS laboratory) | £25–£60 per sample | | Artex ceiling removal (non-licensed, chrysotile in good condition, per room) | £300–£800 | | Artex ceiling removal (licensed, poor condition or amosite — per room) | £1,000–£3,000 | | Asbestos cement roof removal (non-licensed, typical garage or outbuilding) | £800–£2,500 | | Pipe lagging removal (licensed — per linear metre of pipe) | £150–£400/m | | AIB partition removal (licensed — per room or per panel) | £1,500–£5,000 | | Vinyl floor tile removal (per m², non-licensed if in good condition) | £20–£60/m² | | Air clearance testing (after licensed removal, UKAS accredited) | £300–£600 | | Asbestos waste disposal (skip + licensed tip) | £300–£800 |

**The contractor's obligation**:

• A building contractor working on any pre-2000 property has a legal duty to identify suspected ACMs before disturbing them. A competent contractor will:
• •Ask the client whether an asbestos survey has been carried out
• •Review the survey report and identify any ACMs in the work area
• •Not disturb ACMs without a plan for removal or management
• •Stop work and report to the client if ACMs not identified in the survey are encountered during works
• •Arrange licensed removal (by a licensed contractor) before proceeding with works in the affected area

A contractor who disturbs asbestos without prior identification or appropriate removal is in breach of CAR 2012 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 — the HSE can prosecute and the contractor (and potentially the client) may face enforcement action, fines, or prosecution.