Managing asbestos in commercial property
Asbestos management in commercial property starts with responsibility. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the duty to manage applies to non-domestic premises such as offices, shops, warehouses, factories and other workplaces. The dutyholder may be the owner, landlord, tenant or another person with responsibility for maintenance or repair, depending on the lease and contractual arrangements.
The purpose is not simply to obtain a survey and file it away. The dutyholder needs reliable information about asbestos-containing materials, a current record of their location and condition, and a practical plan for preventing exposure.
Check who is responsible
Before arranging work, review leases, maintenance agreements and management responsibilities. In multi-occupied commercial buildings, responsibility can be shared. One party may control common areas while individual occupiers are responsible for their own units.
Where responsibility is unclear, it is important to establish who controls maintenance and access before assuming another party holds the asbestos duty.
Find out whether asbestos may be present
Buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 require particular attention because asbestos-containing materials may still be present. Typical locations can include ceiling tiles, service risers, pipe insulation, textured coatings, floor materials, panels, soffits and plant areas.
Age or appearance alone cannot confirm asbestos. A suitable survey or laboratory analysis is needed where reliable identification matters.
Choose the correct survey
A management survey is intended to support normal occupation and routine maintenance. It helps identify materials that could be disturbed during everyday use and provides information for an asbestos register and management plan.
If refurbishment or demolition will disturb the building fabric, the investigation must match the work area. A refurbishment survey or demolition survey is more intrusive and aims to identify concealed materials within the affected areas before work begins.
Keep an asbestos register and management plan
Where the duty to manage applies, the asbestos register should identify known or presumed materials and record their location and condition. The information should be kept current when inspections, maintenance, sampling, refurbishment or removal change what is known about the building.
The management plan should explain how identified risks will be controlled, who is responsible for actions, how materials will be monitored and how information will be shared with people who could disturb them. See our asbestos register guidance and risk assessment information.
Give contractors the right information
Contractors, maintenance workers and anyone planning intrusive work need access to relevant asbestos information before they start. An old report should not automatically be treated as suitable for new work: check its survey type, scope, exclusions and the exact areas that will be disturbed.
Plan the next step
- Identify who controls maintenance and repair.
- Collect existing surveys, registers, plans and refurbishment records.
- Confirm whether the building or relevant parts may pre-date 2000.
- Match the survey scope to normal management or planned intrusive work.
- Keep records current and accessible to those who need them.
Commercial property asbestos FAQs
Does a commercial lease automatically transfer the asbestos duty?
No. Responsibility depends on who has obligations or control over maintenance and repair. The lease, contracts and practical control of the premises should be reviewed rather than assuming one party is responsible.
Is one asbestos survey enough for the life of a building?
Not necessarily. Existing information should be kept under review and updated when building conditions, use, maintenance, refurbishment or removal change what is known about asbestos-containing materials.
Can planned work rely on an old management survey?
Only if the information is suitable for the work being planned. If intrusive work will affect areas that were outside the previous survey scope or recorded as inaccessible, further investigation may be needed before disturbance.
Related commercial property guidance
- Commercial property buyer’s asbestos checklist
- HSE asbestos management inspections 2026: dutyholder checklist
- London asbestos survey cost guidance
For official guidance, see the HSE duty to manage asbestos guide and HSE guidance on arranging an asbestos survey.
If you manage commercial property in London, request a quote with the full address, building use and any planned works so the appropriate survey scope can be discussed.
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