Asbestos Found in Your Survey: What Happens Next?
Finding asbestos in a survey report can be worrying, but it does not automatically mean that the building is unsafe or that every asbestos-containing material must be removed immediately.
The correct next step depends on:
What material contains asbestos
Its condition and location
Whether it is likely to be disturbed
How the building is being used
Whether refurbishment, maintenance or demolition is planned
The recommendations and limitations in the survey report
Asbestos Surveying and Monitoring Ltd provides UKAS-accredited asbestos surveys, sampling, laboratory testing, management support, air monitoring and removal-project support across the UK.
If you already have a survey report and need help understanding the findings, call 0330 433 9680 or send the report to our asbestos team for review.
The quick answer: does asbestos have to be removed?
Not always.
Asbestos-containing material that is in good condition, protected from damage and unlikely to be disturbed can often remain in place under a suitable asbestos management plan. It must be recorded, monitored and communicated to anyone who could disturb it.
Repair, sealing or encapsulation may be appropriate in some circumstances. Removal is more likely to be required when the material:
Is badly damaged or deteriorating
Is releasing or likely to release fibres
Cannot be adequately protected
Will be disturbed by planned work
Is located where repeated damage is likely
Must be removed before major refurbishment or demolition
Presents a risk that cannot be managed reliably in place
The HSE advises that asbestos may sometimes be repaired, sealed or enclosed, but materials that cannot be safely protected may need to be removed by appropriately trained and competent people. Read the HSE guidance on repairing and removing asbestos.
First, understand what the survey actually found
A professional asbestos survey report should identify:
The location of the material
The suspected or confirmed product type
The asbestos type identified by analysis
Its extent and condition
Accessibility and likelihood of disturbance
Material assessment or risk information
Photographs and location references
Areas that were not accessed
Recommendations for management or further action
Read the scope and limitations carefully. A management survey, refurbishment survey and demolition survey have different purposes.
A management survey is intended to identify asbestos that could be disturbed during normal occupation and foreseeable maintenance. It may not investigate every concealed part of the building.
A refurbishment survey is more intrusive and should cover the areas affected by planned refurbishment work.
A demolition survey is intended to locate asbestos throughout the areas being demolished, including hidden materials where reasonably practicable.
If the survey did not cover the proposed work area, you may need a more intrusive refurbishment or demolition asbestos survey before work begins.
Confirmed, presumed and strongly presumed asbestos
Your report may describe a material as:
Confirmed asbestos
A representative sample was analysed by a competent laboratory and asbestos fibres were identified.
Presumed asbestos
The surveyor treated the material as containing asbestos based on its appearance, age, location or similarity to known asbestos products, without taking a sample.
Strongly presumed asbestos
The surveyor had strong evidence that the material was asbestos-containing, potentially because of product markings, characteristic appearance or similar confirmed materials elsewhere.
Presuming a material contains asbestos is often the safest approach where sampling is unnecessary, inaccessible or would create avoidable disturbance.
If a definitive result is needed for a particular material, professional asbestos sampling and testing may be appropriate. A negative result only applies to the representative material and location sampled; it does not prove that the rest of the property is asbestos-free.
Decide whether to manage, repair, encapsulate or remove it
There are four common outcomes after asbestos is identified.
1. Manage the material in place
Management may be suitable when the asbestos-containing material is:
In good condition
Unlikely to be disturbed
Clearly recorded and labelled where appropriate
Protected from accidental contact
Included in an asbestos register
Regularly inspected
Communicated to maintenance workers and contractors
For non-domestic premises and certain common parts of residential buildings, the dutyholder may need a written asbestos management plan.
The plan should explain:
Where asbestos is located
Its condition and assessed risk
How access and disturbance will be prevented
Who is responsible for managing it
How contractors will receive the information
When the material will be inspected again
What will happen if its condition changes
2. Repair or encapsulate it
Slightly damaged asbestos can sometimes be repaired, sealed or enclosed by someone with the correct training, risk assessment and controls.
Encapsulation may involve applying a suitable protective coating or enclosing the material so it is less likely to be damaged. The asbestos remains in the building and must continue to appear in the asbestos register and management plan.
Encapsulation is not automatically appropriate for every material. Its suitability depends on the product, condition, location, future access and planned work.
3. Remove it
Removal may be the most appropriate option where:
The asbestos is badly damaged
It cannot be protected reliably
It is in a high-traffic or vulnerable position
Planned work will disturb it
Repeated maintenance access is needed
Refurbishment or demolition cannot proceed with it in place
Removal offers a more reliable long-term solution
Different asbestos materials require different working methods. Some higher-risk work must be carried out by a contractor holding the appropriate HSE licence. The decision must be based on the material and work-specific risk—not simply on the word “asbestos”.
Read more about UK asbestos removal services or review the factors that affect asbestos removal costs.
4. Arrange further investigation
Further investigation may be needed when:
Areas were inaccessible during the original survey
The planned scope of work has changed
Only a management survey was completed before intrusive work
Suspect materials were presumed rather than sampled
Drawings reveal hidden voids or structures
Additional areas are added to a refurbishment project
Previously concealed materials become accessible
Do not assume that the absence of asbestos in accessible areas means concealed areas are clear.
What if asbestos is found before refurbishment?
Do not allow intrusive work to start in the affected area until the asbestos information is suitable for the planned work.
The next steps will normally include:
Compare the survey scope with the proposed works.
Identify every asbestos-containing material that could be disturbed.
Complete any necessary additional intrusive survey work.
Decide whether materials can be avoided, protected or must be removed.
Determine whether the work is licensed, notifiable non-licensed or non-licensed.
Prepare the appropriate risk assessments and plan of work.
Arrange removal or controlled work where required.
Complete any necessary analytical monitoring or clearance.
Update the asbestos register and project information.
HSE guidance states that work disturbing the building fabric where hidden asbestos could be present requires a suitable intrusive survey before it begins. See the HSE guidance on refurbishment and demolition surveys.
What if asbestos is found before demolition?
A demolition survey must be sufficiently intrusive to locate asbestos throughout the demolition area, including concealed materials where reasonably practicable.
Asbestos-containing materials should be identified and, where required, removed before structural demolition begins. The information is needed to:
Prepare the demolition programme
Specify asbestos work correctly
Obtain reliable contractor prices
Prevent unexpected project delays
Coordinate asbestos removal and demolition contractors
Plan waste streams and disposal
Determine analytical and clearance requirements
Protect workers and other people affected by the work
A limited management survey is not a substitute for a suitable demolition survey.
If made ground, demolition rubble or buried material may also contain asbestos, additional asbestos in soils support may be needed.
Does work have to stop completely?
Work should stop in any area where the available asbestos information is insufficient or where planned activity could disturb confirmed or suspected asbestos.
That does not always mean the entire property or project must close. A competent project team may be able to:
Isolate the affected area
Change the sequence of work
Complete additional investigation
Protect asbestos that will remain
Arrange targeted removal
Continue unaffected work elsewhere
The decision must be based on the building layout, material condition, likely fibre-release risk and ability to prevent access or disturbance.
If asbestos has already been accidentally damaged, do not sweep, vacuum or attempt an unplanned clean-up. Stop work, restrict access and obtain professional advice. Our guide explains what to do if asbestos is accidentally disturbed.
Will air monitoring be required?
Air monitoring is not automatically required simply because asbestos has been found.
It may be appropriate:
During certain asbestos removal projects
To check controls around an enclosure
Following suspected disturbance
Where reassurance monitoring is justified
For personal exposure monitoring
As part of the four-stage clearance process
Before a licensed removal enclosure is returned to normal use
Different monitoring activities have different purposes. A single air test cannot prove that an entire building contains no asbestos.
Where applicable, Asbestos Surveying and Monitoring Ltd provides UKAS-accredited asbestos air monitoring and four-stage clearance.
For relevant licensed removal work, the four-stage clearance process can include:
A preliminary check of site condition and job completeness
A thorough visual inspection
Clearance air monitoring
A final assessment after the enclosure is dismantled
A Certificate of Reoccupation is issued only where the applicable stages have been completed satisfactorily.
How much will the next stage cost?
The cost depends on what the survey found and what needs to happen next.
Important factors include:
Asbestos product type
Material condition
Quantity and extent
Accessibility
Building occupation
Need for scaffolding or specialist access
Whether an enclosure is required
Whether the work is licensed
Waste volume and transport
Air monitoring and clearance requirements
Location and working hours
The refurbishment or demolition programme
A survey report and clear scope of work make removal quotations more reliable. Photographs can assist with an initial review, but they cannot confirm asbestos type or replace appropriate sampling, surveying or site assessment.
See the current guides to asbestos survey costs, asbestos sampling costs and asbestos removal costs.
What should landlords and dutyholders do?
If asbestos remains in a managed building, the survey should not simply be filed away.
The relevant information should be used to:
Update the asbestos register
Prepare or revise the asbestos management plan
Record areas not accessed
Inform employees and contractors
Control maintenance work
Arrange regular condition inspections
Review the plan after changes or incidents
Keep the information available to anyone liable to disturb the material
Known asbestos that remains in place should be monitored through suitable asbestos re-inspection surveys.
HSE guidance says dutyholders should monitor known or suspected asbestos-containing materials and review the management plan at least every 12 months, or sooner when circumstances change. See the HSE duty-to-manage overview.
How ASM can help after asbestos is identified
Asbestos Surveying and Monitoring Ltd can support the next stage with:
Survey-report review
Management, refurbishment and demolition surveys
Targeted professional sampling
UKAS-accredited bulk sample analysis
Asbestos registers and management plans
Re-inspection surveys
Removal scoping and project support
Air monitoring
Full asbestos removal
Encapsulation works
Four-stage clearance
Certificates of Reoccupation where applicable
Asbestos in soils investigation and support
ASM holds UKAS accreditation number 32982 for defined asbestos inspection and testing activities under ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO/IEC 17025. UKAS accreditation applies to the activities on the current schedules and does not apply to asbestos removal.
Our headquarters and bulk-analysis laboratory are located at:
Asbestos Surveying and Monitoring Ltd
9 Defender Court
Sunderland Enterprise Park
Sunderland
SR5 3PE
For UK-wide assistance, call 0330 433 9680, email info@asbestosSM.co.uk, or request an asbestos quotation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a building unsafe because asbestos was found?
Not necessarily. The level of risk depends on the asbestos product, its condition, accessibility and likelihood of disturbance. Material in good condition may often be managed in place, while damaged or vulnerable asbestos may require repair, protection or removal.
Does all asbestos have to be removed?
No. Asbestos in good condition that is unlikely to be disturbed can sometimes remain under an effective management plan. Removal may be necessary where it is damaged, cannot be protected or will be disturbed by refurbishment, maintenance or demolition.
Can builders continue after asbestos is found?
Work that could disturb the asbestos should not continue until the risk has been assessed and suitable controls are in place. Work in genuinely unaffected areas may sometimes continue if the affected area can be properly isolated and managed.
Do I need another survey?
You may need further survey work if the original survey did not cover the planned work area, inaccessible areas remain, the project scope has changed or only a management survey was completed before intrusive refurbishment or demolition.
Can a photograph confirm whether removal is licensed?
No. Photographs may help an initial discussion but cannot reliably establish asbestos content, full extent, condition or work classification. The decision should be based on suitable survey information, analysis and a task-specific risk assessment.
Is air testing always needed after asbestos removal?
No. The analytical requirements depend on the material, work category, controls and removal method. Four-stage clearance is associated with applicable licensed removal work and controlled enclosures, while other projects may require different monitoring or documentation.
Can one negative sample clear the whole property?
No. A negative result applies to the representative material and location sampled. It does not prove that other materials or concealed parts of the building are asbestos-free.
Who should I send my asbestos report to?
Send the complete report, photographs, property address, proposed work scope and project timescale to a competent asbestos consultant or removal professional. ASM can review the information and advise which survey, management, removal or monitoring service may be appropriate.
Need help with an asbestos survey result?
If your survey has identified asbestos and you need clear advice about management, removal, refurbishment or demolition, contact Asbestos Surveying and Monitoring Ltd.
