Asbestos Demolition Survey and Management Survey: What You Need

What an asbestos management survey is

An asbestos management survey is an inspection carried out to find asbestos-containing materials in a building, record where they are, assess their condition, and set out how they should be managed. The aim is not to strip everything out. It is to identify the risk so it can be controlled while the building stays in use.

That is different from an asbestos demolition survey, which is the most intrusive type and is used before a building is taken down. We cover that distinction below, because the two jobs are often confused.

The surveyor works through the property looking at materials that commonly contain asbestos: textured coatings, cement roof sheets, floor tiles, insulation board, pipe lagging and more. Where a material is suspected, small samples are taken and sent to a laboratory. The findings go into a register with a plan showing each location.

Asbestos management surveys are a standard part of managing older buildings. Anything built or refurbished before the year 2000 may contain asbestos, so age is the first thing that raises the question.

Chris Bloor, on site

The one I see most in houses is textured coating on ceilings, the old Artex. On a Victorian terrace we looked at last year the vendor had already skimmed over half of it, which tells you nothing about what is underneath. If it is sound and nobody is drilling into it, leave it be. The trouble starts when someone decides to sand it down or take a ceiling out without checking. I flag it, note where it is, and tell the buyer to have it sampled before any work rather than after. That order matters.

The difference between survey types

The management survey is the least intrusive of the three main types. A refurbishment or demolition survey is a different job, used before building work, and it is more destructive because it has to find asbestos hidden inside the fabric.

The practical point is this: if you are planning to knock through, re-roof, or strip out a room, a management survey is not the right tool. You need a refurbishment survey covering the area of work.

What an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey covers

An asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey is carried out before building, alteration or demolition work, not during normal occupation. Its job is to find all the asbestos in the area that will be worked on, including material hidden inside walls, floors, ceilings and service voids. Because of that it is intrusive: the surveyor opens up the fabric to reach materials a management survey would never touch.

In practice the term covers two jobs that sit on a scale of how far the work goes:

• A refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey for an area being altered or stripped out. It is focused on the part of the building affected by the works.
• A full asbestos demolition survey for a building being taken down. This is the most intrusive type, because every part of the structure is in scope and all asbestos has to be located before demolition begins.

The reason the demolition and refurbishment asbestos survey is more destructive is simple. Once work starts, hidden material gets disturbed, and disturbed asbestos is what releases fibres. The survey has to find it first so it can be removed or managed under the right controls before any machinery goes in.

If you are a homeowner planning a loft conversion, a rear extension that opens up existing walls, or a re-roof on an older house, a refurbishment and demolition survey for asbestos in that area is the right tool. A management survey is not, because it is not designed to look inside the fabric you are about to open up.

Chris Bloor, on site

People hear the word and picture the whole house coming out. Most of the time that is the wrong picture. On the jobs I do the asbestos I note is sitting quietly and doing no harm: a bit of board behind a fire, some old floor tiles under vinyl, a cement garage roof. None of it needs touching. What I put in the report is where it is and what state it is in, so whoever buys knows before they lift a floor or take a roof off. Knowing is the useful part. Panicking is not.

When a homeowner or buyer might need one

Most private homeowners are not under a legal duty to hold an asbestos survey for their own house. The duty to manage asbestos applies to non-domestic premises and to the common or shared parts of buildings, so it bites on landlords, managing agents, and owners of flats and commercial property rather than an owner-occupier.

That said, there are good reasons a buyer or owner might commission one:

• The property is a converted or shared building with communal areas.
• You are buying a former commercial building or a property with outbuildings.
• A RICS Home Survey has flagged suspected asbestos and you want certainty before you commit.
• You are planning building work and need a refurbishment and demolition survey for the area affected.
• You are a landlord and the let includes shared parts.

If you are simply buying a house to live in and there are no shared areas, a full management survey is often more than you need at the point of purchase. A RICS Home Survey will still note materials that appear to contain asbestos and recommend caution.

What the survey involves

The surveyor inspects the accessible parts of the building room by room. They record the type of material, its extent, its condition and how likely it is to be disturbed. Each of these feeds a risk score that drives the management recommendation.

A refurbishment or demolition survey follows the same logic but goes further, opening up the fabric so that nothing is missed in the area of works.

Sampling and testing

Where a material is presumed or suspected to contain asbestos, the surveyor takes a small sample under controlled conditions and submits it to an accredited laboratory. The laboratory confirms whether asbestos is present and what type it is.

Some materials may be recorded as "presumed" to contain asbestos rather than sampled, either because sampling would cause more disturbance than it is worth or because access is limited. A presumption is treated the same as a positive result for management purposes until proven otherwise.

The report and register

The output is an asbestos register: a schedule of every material found or presumed, with photographs, a floor plan showing locations, the condition assessment and a recommended action for each item. Typical actions run from "leave and monitor" through "repair or encapsulate" to "remove".

The register is a living document. It should be reviewed periodically and updated whenever the condition changes or work is carried out.

How it fits alongside a RICS Home Survey

A RICS Home Survey and an asbestos management survey are not the same thing, and one does not replace the other. During a Level 2 or Level 3 survey, the surveyor will note materials that appear to contain asbestos and will flag them, usually with a recommendation to have them assessed by an asbestos specialist. What the RICS surveyor does not do is take samples or send them for testing.

So the Home Survey tells you a material is suspect and where it is. The asbestos survey confirms it, grades the risk and tells you how to manage it. For most house purchases the sensible order is to have the Home Survey first, then commission an asbestos survey only if the report flags something that concerns you.

If you want a fuller picture of how the survey levels compare and what each includes, our guide on the homebuyer report versus building survey sets out the differences. You can read more about asbestos as a defect in our page on asbestos in the home.

What to do if asbestos is found

Finding asbestos is not the emergency it is sometimes made out to be. Asbestos is a risk when it is disturbed and the fibres become airborne. Material that is in good condition, undisturbed and sealed is often best left exactly where it is.

The management recommendation follows the condition:

• Good condition, low risk of disturbance: leave in place, label it, and monitor.
• Minor damage: repair or encapsulate to seal the surface.
• Poor condition or in the way of planned work: remove.

Removal is not a DIY job. Some materials can only be removed by a licensed contractor, while lower-risk materials may be handled under controlled conditions by a competent person. Either way, the work needs the right controls, and the waste must be disposed of properly.

If a survey finds asbestos before you complete on a purchase, you have options. The cost of managing or removing it can form part of a renegotiation. Our guide on renegotiating an offer after a survey explains how buyers use survey findings at this stage.

The key is to act on evidence, not fear. Get the material identified, get the condition assessed, and take the recommended action in order of priority.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an asbestos demolition survey and a management survey?

A management survey finds and records asbestos so it can be managed while the building stays in use, and it is minimally intrusive. An asbestos demolition survey is the most intrusive type, carried out before a building is knocked down, and it has to locate every piece of asbestos in the structure so it can be removed before work begins.

Do I need a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey for building work?

If you are altering, stripping out or demolishing part of an older property, yes. A refurbishment and demolition survey for asbestos looks inside the fabric of the area being worked on, which a management survey is not designed to do. It should be done before the work starts, not after, so hidden material is not disturbed unexpectedly.

Do I legally need an asbestos survey to buy a house?

No. The legal duty to manage asbestos applies to non-domestic premises and to the shared parts of buildings, not to a standard owner-occupied home. A buyer may still choose to commission one for peace of mind, particularly where a RICS Home Survey has flagged a suspect material.

Will a RICS Home Survey test for asbestos?

No. A RICS surveyor will note materials that appear to contain asbestos and recommend they are assessed by a specialist, but they do not take samples or arrange laboratory testing. Confirming asbestos requires a dedicated asbestos survey.

Who removes asbestos if it needs to go?

Higher-risk materials must be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor. Lower-risk materials may be handled by a competent person under controlled conditions. It is not work to attempt yourself, and the waste must be disposed of through the proper route.