Asbestos Found in a Survey: What Should You Do Next?

An asbestos survey has identified one or more asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in your property. The immediate question is usually: does it all have to be removed? In many cases, the answer is no. The correct next step depends on the material, its condition, where it is located, how likely it is to be disturbed and what work is planned.

For London property owners, landlords, managing agents, dutyholders and refurbishment teams, the important point is to treat the survey as the start of a management decision rather than the end of the process. This guide reflects current Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance available in September 2026.

Asbestos found in a survey: the short answer

If an ACM is in good condition and is unlikely to be disturbed, HSE guidance says it is usually safer to leave it in place and manage it. If it is damaged, likely to deteriorate or likely to be disturbed during normal use, maintenance or planned building work, action may be needed. That action can include repair, protection, sealing, encapsulation or removal depending on the circumstances.

Step 1: read the survey findings carefully

Do not look only at the word “asbestos”. Read the whole survey entry. A useful survey report should tell you where the material is, what type of product it appears to be, whether it was sampled, its condition, its extent where reasonably practicable, and any recommendations or limitations.

Pay particular attention to rooms or voids that were not accessed. A survey is only as useful as its agreed scope and access. HSE warns that restrictions can seriously undermine the usefulness of a survey, especially where later work may disturb hidden building fabric. Our asbestos survey report guide explains how to interpret the key sections of a report.

Step 2: decide whether the ACM can be managed in place

Removal is not automatically the safest or most proportionate response. HSE guidance states that ACMs in good condition and unlikely to be worked on or disturbed are usually safer left in place and managed. This avoids unnecessary disturbance of a material that may currently be stable.

Managing asbestos in place normally means recording its location and condition, assessing the likelihood of disturbance, setting an inspection or monitoring schedule and making sure relevant workers know about it before they carry out work.

For premises where the legal duty to manage asbestos applies, the asbestos information should feed into an up-to-date register and management plan. You can also see our asbestos register and re-inspection guidance.

Step 3: identify materials that need action

HSE says damaged ACMs must be repaired, protected, sealed or removed. The correct option depends on the condition and extent of the damage, the type of material and how likely it is to be disturbed again.

• Minor damage may sometimes be suitable for repair or sealing by a properly trained and competent person using the correct controls.
• An ACM in a vulnerable location may need protection or enclosure so normal activity does not damage it.
• An ACM that cannot be safely repaired or protected without disturbing it may need removal.
• Planned refurbishment may justify removal even where the material is currently in good condition, because the future work will disturb it.

The survey report should help prioritise the risk, but the final work decision must also consider the task that will be carried out. A material that is low risk while left untouched can become a much greater concern once drilling, cutting, stripping-out or demolition begins.

Step 4: check whether the proposed asbestos work is licensed

Not every asbestos task requires an HSE-licensed contractor, but higher-risk work does. HSE identifies work such as removal of sprayed coatings, most repair or removal of asbestos insulation or lagging, and most work on asbestos insulating board (AIB) as licensable in many circumstances.

Other lower-risk tasks may be non-licensed or notifiable non-licensed work, but that does not mean they are unregulated. Appropriate training, risk assessment, control measures and safe working methods are still required. The work category depends on the material, its condition, the activity and the expected exposure, so it should not be guessed from a photograph or survey label alone.

For official guidance, see HSE information on deciding whether asbestos work requires a licensed contractor and notifiable non-licensed work.

Step 5: update your asbestos register and management plan

Where the duty to manage applies, survey findings should not remain isolated in a PDF. They need to become working information. HSE says the asbestos register is a live record of known and presumed ACMs and should be kept current as conditions change.

• Add newly identified ACMs and their locations to the register.
• Record materials that are presumed to contain asbestos where appropriate.
• Record current condition and relevant risk information.
• Set dates for re-inspection or monitoring where ACMs remain in place.
• Record any repair, encapsulation, protection or removal work completed.
• Update the register after removal so workers are not relying on obsolete information.
• Make the information available to people who may disturb the building fabric.

HSE also requires dutyholders to put the management plan into action and keep it under review. See our article on the difference between an asbestos register and management plan.

Step 6: stop planned refurbishment until the survey scope is adequate

An asbestos management survey is designed primarily to support normal occupation and routine maintenance. It does not automatically clear an area for intrusive refurbishment or demolition.

Where building work will disturb the fabric, HSE guidance says a refurbishment or demolition survey is intended to locate asbestos in the relevant area as far as reasonably practicable before the work starts. It is more intrusive and may require access behind finishes, inside voids and within parts of the structure that would not normally be opened during a management survey.

If your project involves strip-out, structural alteration, major mechanical or electrical work, ceiling replacement, wall removal or demolition, check the survey scope before contractors begin. Our London refurbishment and demolition survey service explains when this type of survey may be appropriate.

Step 7: give asbestos information to contractors before work starts

Known asbestos information must be communicated before anyone carries out work that could disturb it. HSE specifically says dutyholders should provide relevant asbestos information to workers, maintenance staff and contractors before work on the building fabric begins.

In practical terms, that means the contractor should not discover the asbestos report after arriving on site with tools in hand. Provide the relevant survey, register and limitations early enough for the contractor to plan the work, assess risk and price the correct controls.

What if asbestos is found in a home?

The legal duty to manage under Regulation 4 is mainly directed at non-domestic premises and the common parts of certain multi-occupancy domestic buildings. It does not apply in the same way to the private interior of a typical owner-occupied home.

However, asbestos still needs to be considered before building work. Employers and contractors carrying out work in domestic premises have duties to protect workers and others from asbestos exposure. If a homeowner is planning refurbishment in an older property, the practical issue is therefore still the same: identify suspect materials before they are disturbed and make sure the correct controls are used.

What if the material is damaged now?

If a known or suspected ACM has been accidentally damaged, avoid further disturbance and keep people away from the affected area where practicable. Do not sweep, vacuum with an ordinary vacuum cleaner, drill, sand or attempt DIY removal. The appropriate response depends on the material, the extent of damage and whether fibres may have been released.

For managed premises, follow the emergency arrangements in the asbestos management plan and obtain competent advice. If removal or remedial work is required, make sure the contractor is competent for the specific category of asbestos work. Our asbestos removal information page explains the role of specialist contractors.

Practical checklist after an asbestos survey

• Confirm exactly which rooms and building elements were included in the survey scope.
• Read the material assessment, condition notes, photographs and recommendations.
• Identify any inaccessible or excluded areas before planning intrusive work.
• Decide which ACMs can remain safely in place and which need remedial action.
• Where applicable, update the asbestos register and management plan.
• Set monitoring or re-inspection dates for ACMs that remain in place.
• Check whether planned work requires a refurbishment or demolition survey.
• Provide relevant asbestos information to contractors before they price or start work.
• Use competent contractors and check whether the work is licensed, notifiable non-licensed or non-licensed.
• Update records after any repair, encapsulation or removal work.

Authoritative guidance

For current official guidance, see the HSE pages on writing and monitoring an asbestos management plan, putting the plan into action, providing information to people who may disturb asbestos, and the HSE publication HSG264: Asbestos – The Survey Guide.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The correct response to a survey finding depends on the property, the material, the work planned and the responsibilities of the parties involved.