How much does an asbestos survey cost?

An asbestos management survey typically costs £180–£450 for a rented home, and a refurbishment or demolition survey costs about £300–£800. The price depends mainly on the size of the property and how intrusive the survey has to be. Most landlords of a single house or flat only need a survey when they are planning building work, or when they are responsible for shared areas in a block.

Typical asbestos survey prices

These are typical ranges from UK asbestos surveying firms, not quotes. Prices are usually higher in London and the South East. Laboratory analysis of samples is often included, but check, as some firms charge per sample.

Management survey vs refurbishment survey

Management survey. This is the standard survey for a building in normal use. The surveyor inspects all reasonably accessible areas, including rooms, roof spaces and voids, and takes samples of suspect materials. HSE says its main aim is to let the dutyholder produce an asbestos register and an asbestos management plan.

Refurbishment or demolition survey. This is needed before major works. It aims to find all asbestos-containing materials, including those hidden in the building fabric, in the area where work will happen. It is intrusive: floors may be lifted and walls opened, and the area must be empty while the survey takes place. The surveyor confirms the area is fit to reoccupy afterwards. HSE’s guidance on arranging an asbestos survey says there is a legal requirement for asbestos to be removed, as far as reasonably practicable, before major refurbishment or demolition.

A refurbishment survey can cover just the part of the property being worked on, such as a kitchen or bathroom, which keeps the cost down.

What affects the price

• Size and layout. More rooms and floors mean more inspection time and more samples.
• Number of samples. Each suspect material sampled goes to a laboratory for analysis.
• Type of survey. Refurbishment surveys take longer and involve more making good.
• Common parts. For a block or a converted house, the survey of the shared areas is a separate job from the individual flats.
• Age of the building. The HSE asbestos FAQs say buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Newer buildings are much less likely to need a survey at all.

The survey price does not include removing asbestos. If the surveyor finds asbestos that needs to come out, removal is quoted separately and some materials need a licensed contractor.

The landlord’s legal position

The rules depend on what kind of property you own.

The duty to manage. Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 creates a duty to manage asbestos. HSE’s page on checking if you have the duty to manage says it applies to all non-domestic premises and to the common parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises, such as purpose-built flats and houses converted into flats. Common parts include foyers, corridors, lifts, staircases, roof spaces, gardens, yards, outhouses and garages. In those areas, the person responsible, such as the landlord, is the dutyholder.

If you have the duty, you must:

• find out whether asbestos is present, how much and in what condition (presuming it is there unless there is strong evidence otherwise);
• keep an up-to-date register of where it is;
• assess the risk and write a management plan;
• monitor its condition;
• tell anyone who might disturb it, such as contractors.

Inside a single let home. The duty to manage does not cover individual houses or flats, so there is no general legal requirement to commission a survey for the inside of a single rented home. HSE’s general advice is that asbestos in good condition and unlikely to be damaged is often best left alone.

Before building work. Contractors must identify any asbestos before starting work that could disturb it. For older properties, that normally means a refurbishment or demolition survey of the area being worked on. In practice, many builders will ask you for one before quoting. Commissioning it yourself means you can pass the report to every contractor who tenders.

If you rent out an HMO or a building with shared areas, also check what your licence conditions and fire risk assessment say.

Who to use

The survey must be done by a competent surveyor. HSE strongly recommends using a firm accredited by UKAS, which it describes as currently the only recognised accreditation body for asbestos inspection bodies in Great Britain. Ask for the firm’s UKAS accreditation number and check what the report will include.

Ways to keep the cost down

• Survey only what you need. For a kitchen refit, a targeted refurbishment survey of that area is enough.
• Do it before getting builders’ quotes, so every quote is based on the same information and nobody adds a contingency for unknowns.
• Ask how samples are charged. Some firms include laboratory analysis in the price and others charge per sample, which matters in an older house with several suspect materials such as textured ceilings, floor tiles and boiler cupboard panels.
• Keep the report. A management survey stays useful for years as long as you keep the register updated, so you shouldn’t need to pay for a full repeat survey.
• Check the build date first. A property built after 2000 is unlikely to contain asbestos, so a survey may not be worth paying for at all. Check what else is due with our landlord certificate checker and the landlord compliance checklist.