Asbestos Surveys in the UK: Who Needs One and How to Get Quotes
Asbestos Survey Now is a referral service: it passes enquiries to independent asbestos surveying companies. Non-domestic premises, including common parts of flats, carry a legal duty to manage asbestos, and refurbishment or demolition needs its own survey. Use the form below to request quotes.
- No obligation to appoint anyone
- Independent surveying companies
- Figures sourced and dated
Request a quote
Who needs an asbestos survey?
Dutyholders for non-domestic premises, which includes the common parts of multi-occupancy homes such as purpose-built flats, must assess whether asbestos is present and manage it. Clients and contractors need a different, more intrusive survey before refurbishment or demolition. Private homes themselves are outside the duty to manage.
- Commercial dutyholders (offices, shops, schools, industrial buildings) who maintain or control the premises.
- Landlords and managing agents responsible for communal areas of flats and converted houses. See our guide for landlords and managing agents.
- Clients and contractors planning refurbishment or demolition. The survey type differs; see management versus refurbishment and demolition surveys.
- Homeowners planning renovation or a sale, where the duty to manage does not apply but contractors still need to know what is in the fabric.
Source: HSE, Managing and working with asbestos (L143, second edition, 2013), accessed 2 November 2026 (paragraphs 88 to 89); HSE, Asbestos: The survey guide (HSG264, second edition, 2012), accessed 2 November 2026 (paragraph 51).
The duty to manage asbestos: Great Britain and Northern Ireland
In Great Britain, regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 requires dutyholders to assess whether asbestos is or is liable to be present, record it, determine the risk and keep a written management plan. HSENI says Northern Ireland's equivalent duty also sits in regulation 4.
| Region | Regulations | Duty to manage | Guidance cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/632) | Regulation 4 | HSE L143 |
| Northern Ireland | Control of Asbestos Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 (NISR 2012/179) | Regulation 4 | HSENI asbestos pages |
The dutyholder is anyone with a contract or tenancy obligation for maintenance or repair of the premises, or, where there is none, whoever controls that part of the premises (GB regulation 4(1)). Everyone else must co-operate so far as necessary (regulation 4(2)). Where more than one person is a dutyholder, each person's contribution depends on the nature and extent of their maintenance obligation. Details of the survey types that support the duty are on our survey types page.
Source: HSE, Managing and working with asbestos (L143, second edition, 2013), accessed 2 November 2026 (regulation 4(1) to 4(8)); HSENI, Asbestos: the duty to manage, accessed 2 November 2026.
Which buildings are at risk?
HSE says to assume asbestos is present in any building built or refurbished before 2000. Blue and brown asbestos imports were banned in 1985 and the ban was extended to white asbestos in 1999, so 1999 is the full-ban year.
The rule of thumb matters because asbestos was widely used in building materials before the ban, and the presence of a material often cannot be judged by eye. HSE's guidance for dutyholders is to treat pre-2000 buildings as likely to contain it until a survey shows otherwise.
Asbestos-related disease remains a current issue: HSE reports 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain in 2024 (down from 2,255 in 2023). These deaths mostly reflect exposure decades ago.
Sources: HSE, Find out if asbestos could be present in your building, accessed 2 November 2026; GOV.UK (UKHSA), Asbestos: general information, page updated 15 May 2025, accessed 2 November 2026; HSE, Mesothelioma statistics for Great Britain, 2026, published July 2026, accessed 2 November 2026.
How the referral works
You complete a short form describing the property and the survey you think you need. With your consent, we pass the request to independent asbestos surveying companies covering your area, who contact you with quotes. You choose whether to appoint any of them.
- Tell us about the job. Property type, survey type (or “not sure”), postcode or town and timeframe.
- We pass your request on. With your consent, we send it to independent asbestos surveying companies covering your area.
- Surveyors contact you. Each company quotes for its own work, on its own terms, and you decide whether to appoint any of them.
We do not carry out surveys, set surveyors' prices or guarantee that any company will respond. More on the referral service and its independence.
Guides to choosing and pricing a survey
Three guides cover the main questions: what surveys cost, which type of survey fits your situation, and what landlords and managing agents must cover in communal areas. Each page links to its sources and says plainly where the evidence stops, so you can see what is supported.
Frequently asked questions
These answers give general information drawn from HSE, HSENI, GOV.UK and the NHS. They are not legal or medical advice. Where an answer depends on your own premises or health, follow the linked HSE or HSENI guidance or take professional advice first.
Who should I call for asbestos advice?
For a building you manage, start with HSE's duty to manage guidance in Great Britain or HSENI's asbestos pages in Northern Ireland. HSENI also runs an Asbestos Advisory Service. For a survey, request quotes from independent surveying companies, and ask each about the survey type and their competence.
What years should I worry about?
HSE says to assume asbestos is present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. Blue and brown asbestos imports were banned in 1985, and the ban was extended to white asbestos in 1999. Buildings built after 2000 are unlikely to contain it, though HSE says old industrial equipment should still be checked.
I think I've been exposed. What should I do?
This site cannot give medical advice. The NHS says that if you have symptoms and think you may have been exposed to asbestos, you should see your GP. HSE's page on why asbestos is dangerous explains the diseases involved. Both are linked in the sources below.
Do I need a survey before renovating my own home?
The duty to manage does not apply to private houses, but HSE advises householders not to repair or remove asbestos without training, and to tell builders about any known asbestos before work begins. A refurbishment survey is the type HSG264 describes for work that disturbs the building fabric.
Sources: HSE, The duty to manage asbestos in buildings, accessed 2 November 2026; HSENI, Asbestos Advisory Service, accessed 2 November 2026; HSE, Find out if asbestos could be present in your building, accessed 2 November 2026; GOV.UK (UKHSA), Asbestos: general information, page updated 15 May 2025, accessed 2 November 2026; NHS, Asbestosis, accessed 2 November 2026; HSE, Why is asbestos dangerous?, accessed 2 November 2026; HSE, Asbestos: FAQs, accessed 2 November 2026; HSE, Asbestos: The survey guide (HSG264, second edition, 2012), accessed 2 November 2026.