Asbestos surveys are a legal requirement and need to be in place for any non-domestic properties that were built before the year 2000. Call us now to discuss your survey requirements.
Domestic properties, in respect of communal areas, and commercial property owners are obligated under the Control of Asbestos Regulation (2012) to manage all potential risks from asbestos. This includes performing an Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) Survey.
Mortgage companies now commonly require an asbestos assessment, which is distinct from a homebuyer’s report and needs the expertise of a specialised professional to conduct it.
Whatever your needs are in regard to Asbestos surveys, our experts are here to guide you through the process.
Not every building or property meets a pre-ordained format, so do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your requirements. This will allow us to advise you on the appropriate action to be taken.
There is no legal requirement to hold an asbestos survey for a domestic property. Despite this, it is recommended that a survey should be carried out ahead of any refurbishment works. Conducting a survey will help protect anyone involved in the planned works. Increasingly, an asbestos survey is needed before purchasing a home.
Contractors are able to view an asbestos survey before carrying out any works on a building in order to identify the presence of asbestos. Contractors should use the asbestos survey to devise a thorough risk assessment prior to any works starting. This will ensure they are as safe as can be, should any ACM be present.
Asbestos is safe when contained, maintained and in good condition, but disturbing a simple building could put you or your tenants at serious risk. Under asbestos regulations (CAR2012), landlords have a duty to manage the risks presented by asbestos. It is your responsibility to:
A management survey is required for the occupation and use of a premises with Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM). It is usually performed by a surveyor, but can be performed by the duty manager in simple cases.
The survey assesses the premise to ensure that:
Any necessary remedial work required will be detailed in the survey.
A refurbishment/demolition survey is required for any premises with Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) which is undergoing renovation or demolition. This will be performed by a surveyor.
During surveying, ACMs are destructively tested and the premises must be certified for re-occupation after the survey.
The survey ensures that:
As outlined in the HSE Managing Asbestos in Buildings guidelines:
If you want to stay compliant you can arrange a re-inspection to take place automatically at specified intervals.
When you purchase a domestic property, a Chartered Surveyor will often highlight the potential for asbestos within their report. They do not complete the actual survey to prove or dismiss what they have identified.
To ensure you know the details of the situation before you make an offer, ask us to carry out a Pre-Purchase Management Survey. This could save you unnecessary expense and stress later.
The common parts of residential premises, including housing developments and blocks of flats, come under the ‘duty to manage asbestos’ requirements of regulation 4 of CAR 2012. Examples of common parts would include foyers, corridors, lifts and lift shafts, staircases, boiler-houses, vertical risers, gardens, yards and outhouses.
If you are owning or management building with multiple tenants and common areas ask us about Management Surveys that only cover these communal areas.
This type of survey can be done with the minimum of disruption as access is only needed to the communal areas.
Fill out the form at the top of the page, or send us an email with as much detail as possible. We will come back to you with a formalised quote for the works, which includes all the relevant information with your chosen survey. Remember: the more information we receive, the more accurate the quote will be.
Received the quote and want to go ahead? No problem, let us know and we will arrange a convenient time to visit and carry out the survey. Any samples taken will be sent off to our laboratory for analysis.
Once sample analysis has been carried out and results are received, the survey report will be put together and completed within 48hrs.
Received your survey and not sure what it means?
Contact us and we will be able to discuss the findings and help you understand what your next steps should be.
There are two main types of asbestos survey, a management survey and a refurbishment survey. Please see the page above for detailed descriptions of each survey. Still unsure as to what you need? Contact us to find out more.
This depends on the size and age of the building, location, and access arrangements. Please call us to discuss your requirements.
This is dependent on many factors – What the survey is? How big is the building? What is the survey for? To give you an idea, an average three-bedroom semi-detached property with internal garage would take approximately on average 2 hours.
The completed survey report is available 3-4 working days after the initial visit.
An asbestos test will look at one or two specific areas and you will receive a certificate of results. An asbestos survey will look at the property as a whole, and a full report will be produced with detailed plans, asbestos register and recommendations etc. Check out our sister website bSure Testing if you need an asbestos test.
A home buyers report and/or building survey report is not a specialist asbestos report. The home buyers report is designed to give an overall opinion on the condition of the property. Whereas, an asbestos survey is specifically for identifying potential areas of asbestos containing materials.
No. Taking samples will be as discreet as possible and we will always seal the sampling area to stop any further fibre release. Only in a Refurbishment or Demolition survey are areas intrusively investigated.
Yes. Photographs are taken to record the external and internal areas of the property to help identify areas of where samples have been taken. Should the client request we not take photographs of particular areas, these will be recorded accordingly in the final report.
