UK-wide asbestos inspection
UKAS-accredited asbestos surveys across the UK
Management, Refurbishment, Demolition and asbestos re-inspection services for homes, commercial property, schools, healthcare estates, industrial buildings, landlords, developers and multi-site property portfolios across England, Scotland and Wales.
A Management Survey is not a substitute for a correctly scoped Refurbishment or Demolition Survey. Send us the proposed works, drawings and postcode and we can help establish the correct survey before attendance.
Start with the purpose
Which asbestos survey do you need?
The correct survey is determined by what will happen to the building. Normal occupation, planned refurbishment and demolition require different levels of inspection and intrusion. Defining the purpose correctly at the start reduces gaps, duplicated surveys and unexpected delays.
HSG264 identifies Management Surveys and Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys. ASM separates refurbishment and demolition below into practical routes because their work boundaries, access requirements and intended use can be very different.
Read HSE asbestos survey guidance →Management Survey
Used to locate and assess asbestos-containing materials that could be disturbed during normal occupation, routine maintenance and foreseeable minor work.
Management Survey details →Refurbishment Survey
A targeted intrusive survey covering the rooms, voids, finishes, service routes and building elements affected by the proposed works.
Refurbishment Survey details →Demolition Survey
Highly intrusive investigation of the defined demolition area so asbestos removal and the demolition sequence can be planned before structural work begins.
Demolition Survey details →Re-inspection
A condition review of asbestos already identified or presumed, helping keep asbestos registers, assessments and management actions current.
Re-inspection details →Survey before the decision
When should you arrange an asbestos survey?
Buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 can contain asbestos. The information required depends on whether the building is being occupied and maintained, altered, demolished, purchased or managed as part of a wider property estate.
Managing commercial premises
Dutyholders need reliable information about known or presumed asbestos, its location, condition and the measures required to manage it.
Duty to Manage support →Planning refurbishment
Alterations, rewiring, heating replacement, roof work, ceilings, partitions, kitchens, bathrooms and service installations can disturb concealed asbestos.
Plan a Refurbishment Survey →Planning demolition
Full and partial demolition requires sufficiently intrusive asbestos information before removal and demolition sequencing are finalised.
Plan a Demolition Survey →Buying or renovating a home
Private homeowners do not automatically have the same Regulation 4 duties as commercial dutyholders, but suitable asbestos information can be important before intrusive work.
Testing and survey guidance →Managing a property portfolio
Consistent surveys, registers and re-inspections can help housing, education, healthcare and commercial estates maintain useful asbestos information across numerous properties.
Property Portfolio Management →One suspect material only
If the question relates to one isolated material rather than the wider building, controlled asbestos sampling may be more appropriate than commissioning a full survey.
Asbestos Sampling →Useful information, not just a report
What should a good asbestos survey give you?
The value of an asbestos survey is not simply whether a laboratory sample is positive or negative. The report should clearly explain what was inspected, what was found, what could not be accessed and what the information means for the building or proposed work.
- Clearly defined survey type, purpose and agreed scope
- Building, room and component references
- Known, presumed and suspected asbestos-containing materials
- Representative sampling where appropriate
- Material descriptions and photographic records
- Material assessments where applicable
- Laboratory identification results linked to sample references
- Recorded access restrictions, exclusions and limitations
- Plans or clear location information where included in scope
- Practical recommendations and required next actions
Independently assessed technical competence
UKAS-accredited asbestos inspection and testing
Asbestos Surveying & Monitoring Ltd holds UKAS accreditation number 32982 for defined asbestos inspection and testing activities. The precise accredited scope and locations are stated on ASM's current UKAS schedules.
ISO/IEC 17020
Accredited asbestos inspection activities within ASM's current inspection scope.
ISO/IEC 17025
Accredited bulk asbestos identification through the Sunderland laboratory within its defined scope.
HSG264 approach
Survey planning, inspection and reporting structured around recognised HSE asbestos surveying guidance.
One property to national estates
Asbestos surveys matched to the building and project
Survey scope should reflect the property, its occupants, the proposed work and the decision the report needs to support. ASM works across domestic, commercial, public-sector and complex industrial environments.
Homes & residential property
Houses, flats, garages, extensions, purchase investigations and renovation projects where suspect materials may be disturbed.
Landlords & managing agents
Common parts, mixed-use premises, HMOs, apartment blocks, maintenance programmes and managed property portfolios.
Commercial property
Offices, retail premises, hospitality, warehouses, industrial units, acquisitions, fit-outs and planned maintenance.
Schools & education
Individual schools, academies and education estates requiring clear asbestos registers, re-inspections and information before maintenance or capital works.
Healthcare & public buildings
Sensitive occupied premises where access, phasing, contractor controls and reliable asbestos records are particularly important.
Construction & demolition
Refurbishment, enabling works, soft strip, demolition and redevelopment requiring asbestos information matched to the actual work boundary.
Corporate Estates · Acquisitions · Major Projects
When one asbestos survey becomes a wider programme
Larger organisations often need consistent asbestos information across multiple sites, transaction programmes or major construction projects. ASM can connect the survey requirement with portfolio management, acquisition review and major-project support without changing the technical purpose of the individual survey.
Corporate Asbestos Services
National surveying, testing, management, analytical and project support across multiple assets.
Corporate Services →Property Portfolio Management
Standardise asbestos records, survey programmes and re-inspections across multi-site property portfolios.
Portfolio Management →Property Acquisition Due Diligence
Review existing survey information and identify important gaps before acquisition, redevelopment or major investment.
Acquisition Due Diligence →Major Projects & Installations
Align asbestos investigation with major refurbishment, demolition, M&E, roofing and wider construction programmes.
Major Project Support →Local delivery · national coordination
Find your local ASM asbestos survey team
Use the closest local survey page for location-specific guidance, regional property information and links into the wider ASM service cluster. Multi-site programmes and projects outside the listed areas can be coordinated through the national team.
North East England & Cumbria
Yorkshire, Humber & East Midlands
North West, Midlands & Southern England
Scotland
Wales
ASM supports asbestos survey projects throughout Wales for individual properties, commercial clients, construction projects and multi-site portfolios.
ASM asbestos survey service hubs
Explore the areas currently supported by dedicated ASM local service clusters. Select a marker to open the corresponding local asbestos survey page.
From enquiry to usable information
How an ASM asbestos survey is arranged
Good survey information starts before the surveyor arrives. Providing drawings, previous asbestos information and the proposed work scope helps us agree an appropriate survey boundary and access plan.
Send the property and project details
Provide the postcode, property type, approximate size, reason for the survey and required timescale. Include previous reports, photographs, plans or refurbishment drawings where available.
Agree the correct survey scope
We confirm the survey purpose, included buildings or areas, proposed work, access requirements, restrictions and the intended use of the report before attendance.
Inspection and sampling
A competent surveyor completes the agreed inspection and records materials, locations, condition, photographs, representative samples and any areas that could not be accessed.
Reporting and next steps
The report brings the survey information together so it can be used for asbestos management, maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, tendering or further investigation.
Continue with the right service
What happens after the asbestos survey?
Finding asbestos does not automatically mean it must all be removed. The next step depends on the material, condition, location, likelihood of disturbance and what is planned for the property.
Asbestos Management Plan
Where asbestos remains in an occupied building, use the survey information to support the register, responsibilities, contractor controls and ongoing management actions.
Management Plan Support →Re-inspection
Review the condition of known or presumed ACMs and keep the asbestos register current where materials remain in place.
Re-inspection Surveys →Additional Sampling
Targeted sampling can identify isolated suspect materials outside the scope of an existing survey.
Asbestos Sampling →Asbestos Removal
Where removal is appropriate, survey information can help define the material, extent and work category before quotation.
Asbestos Removal →Air Monitoring & Clearance
Analytical support may be required around some asbestos-removal projects, including four-stage clearance where the full process applies.
Air Monitoring →Removal Cost Guidance
Review the main factors affecting asbestos-removal costs before tendering or progressing a remediation project.
Removal Cost Guide →Straight answers before you book
Asbestos survey FAQs
The appropriate survey type and scope must ultimately be confirmed from the building, available asbestos information and proposed work.
Which asbestos survey do I need?
A Management Survey generally supports normal occupation and routine maintenance. A Refurbishment Survey is required where planned intrusive works need investigation of affected building fabric. A Demolition Survey is used before full or partial demolition. Re-inspection is used where asbestos is already recorded and its condition needs reviewing.
Is an asbestos survey legally required?
Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 places duties on those responsible for maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises and the common parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises. The duty is wider than simply obtaining a survey.
Do I need a Refurbishment Survey before renovation?
Where planned work may disturb building fabric and asbestos could be present, the available information must be sufficiently intrusive and specific to the proposed work.
Do I need an asbestos survey before demolition?
Where asbestos may be present, suitably intrusive asbestos information should cover the entire demolition boundary before demolition begins.
Are ASM asbestos surveys UKAS accredited?
Asbestos Surveying & Monitoring Ltd holds UKAS accreditation number 32982 for the defined asbestos inspection activities shown on its current ISO/IEC 17020 schedule.
Where are asbestos survey samples analysed?
Samples within the applicable scope can be analysed through ASM's UKAS-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 asbestos identification laboratory at Sunderland Head Office.
How much does an asbestos survey cost?
Cost depends on survey type, property size, number of buildings, complexity, access, location, sampling requirements and reporting timescale.
Can ASM survey several buildings or a national property portfolio?
Yes. ASM supports individual premises and multi-site programmes across England, Scotland and Wales. Site schedules, existing asbestos information and standardised reporting requirements can be reviewed before mobilisation.
Does finding asbestos mean it must be removed?
No. Depending on condition, location and likelihood of disturbance, asbestos may sometimes remain safely managed in place. Repair, protection, encapsulation or removal may be appropriate.
How often should asbestos be re-inspected?
The inspection frequency should be risk based and reflect material condition, vulnerability, location and likelihood of disturbance.
Get the scope right before attendance
Request an asbestos survey quotation
Send the property postcode, building type, reason for the survey, proposed works and preferred attendance date. For refurbishment or demolition surveys, attach the work scope or drawings where available so the survey boundary can be agreed correctly.
Asbestos Surveying & Monitoring Ltd · National enquiries: 0330 433 9680 · survey@asbestosSM.co.uk · Monday–Friday 08:00–18:00
Send ASM the postcode, property or site details, planned work, photographs and any existing asbestos information. We can direct your enquiry to the appropriate survey, testing, management, removal, demolition, air-monitoring, contaminated-land or corporate project route.