Is an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey a legal requirement?

Yes, it is a legal requirement under UK health and safety legislation. Dutyholders must ensure that asbestos risks are identified and controlled before construction work begins. Carrying out the correct survey helps meet obligations under the Control of Asbestos Regulations and protects workers, occupants, and contractors from exposure.

How is this survey different from an asbestos management survey?

An asbestos management survey is designed to help manage asbestos safely during the normal occupation of a building, with minimal disruption. In contrast, an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey is far more intrusive and focuses only on areas affected by planned works. It is not suitable for buildings that are currently occupied unless those areas are vacated during the survey.

What happens if asbestos is found during the survey?

If asbestos-containing materials are identified, the survey report will detail their location, condition, and type. This information allows appropriate steps to be taken, such as arranging licensed asbestos removal or implementing control measures before work begins. The findings help ensure refurbishment or demolition can proceed safely and legally.

Who should carry out an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey?

The survey must be carried out by competent, trained, and suitably accredited asbestos professionals. Using an experienced surveyor ensures the survey is thorough, compliant with current guidance, and reliable. This reduces the risk of unexpected asbestos discoveries during work, which can cause delays, increased costs, and safety concerns.

Asbestos Refurbishment & Demolition Surveys

Providing asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey services to businesses throughout the UK

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At Oracle Solutions, our accredited surveyors carry out cost-effective asbestos refurbishment and demolition surveys for businesses across the UK. Here, we explain what an asbestos refurbishment survey involves, when you need one, and what to expect from the process.

What is an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey?

Image of asbestos surveyor wearing protective coveralls and a respirator, holding a flashlight while carrying out an asbestos refurbuishment and demolition survey.

Asbestos refurbishment and demolition surveys, also historically referred to as a type 3 asbestos survey, are used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all of a given building or area’s asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), where refurbishment or demolition work is planned.

Asbestos doesn’t pose a risk to human health when left securely sealed in a building in which it may be present. However, if the material is disturbed – as can easily occur during refurbishment or demolition work – fibres may become loose and be released into the air. This would greatly heighten the risk of someone contracting airborne diseases such as pleurisy, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Is a refurbishment and demolition survey a legal requirement?

Yes. The law requires a refurbishment or demolition survey to be carried out for a property or area that will be subject to demolition, renovation, or refurbishment.

Your Construction Design and Management (CDM) Co-ordinator will need this survey to be undertaken in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, which state that all asbestos-containing materials must be removed from a building, as far as reasonably practicable, before major refurbishment and structural work or final demolition.

Skipping this step puts anyone working on or visiting the site at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres, and can lead to prosecution and imprisonment for whoever is managing the building.

When is a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey required?

Asbestos refurbishment surveys are required if you’re planning upgrades, structural work, refurbishment, or more intrusive maintenance and repairs to a building you own or manage.

A demolition survey is required specifically where a building will be entirely demolished and removed. If it’s just a partial project it will be classed as a refurbishment survey instead.

As a general rule, you should book your asbestos survey as early as possible in the project timeline. It needs to be completed, and you’ll need to undertake any required asbestos removal or asbestos management, before any intrusive or demolition work starts. Leaving it until the last minute can hold up the whole programme.

If you are in any doubt about the importance or suitability of an asbestos refurbishment or demolition survey for your own building, you are welcome to contact Oracle Solutions’ own experts for advice and guidance.

What’s involved with an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey?

These surveys need to identify ACMs that might be hidden within the structure of the building, so they’re intrusive and destructive by nature. Our surveyors may need to lift carpets and floor tiles, break through walls, ceilings, cladding and partitions, and open up floors so they can reach areas that would be otherwise inaccessible.

Image of n asbestos surveyor wearing protective coveralls and respirator inspecting a window frame closely during an indoor survey assessment.

The building or area under survey should be unoccupied and non-operational, with furnishings removed. This is to keep everyone on site safe and minimise risks.

Where the refurbishment and demolition survey is being carried out to support removal, we focus on locating the asbestos rather than just assessing its condition. If removal isn’t planned for some time, we’ll also assess the condition of any ACMs so they can be safely managed in the meantime.

Asbestos can often turn up in places that you wouldn’t necessarily expect, such as flue and soil pipes, textured coatings, paper backings, cement sheets, insulating boards, panelled ceilings and under-cloaking tiles. So, these are all common places that we’ll check during the survey.

Asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey cost

The price that you can ultimately expect to pay for an asbestos refurbishment or demolition survey is likely to depend on a range of factors, including the size and layout of the property, its location, and the complexity of the survey required.

Because every building is different, we’ll give you a tailored quote for your specific project once we know a bit more about it. You can call us on 0844 800 0801, or request a competitive quote online.

Why choose Oracle Solutions for your refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey?

We’ve carried out refurbishment and demolition surveys for businesses across every sector, so you get a service built around getting your project moving safely and on schedule.

UKAS accredited surveyors with the experience to work on refurbishment and demolition projects of any size
Nationwide coverage, with surveyors available to travel to sites across the UK
Clear, practical reporting your CDM co-ordinator and contractors can act on straight away
Cost-effective pricing, with quotes based on your specific property and project

For a fast & free asbestos quote call
0844 800 0801 or request your quote online.

Get Quote Now!

Asbestos refurbishment and demolition surveys FAQs

Should a refurbishment and demolition survey identify all asbestos?

Yes. A refurbishment and demolition survey is designed to identify, as far as reasonably practicable, all asbestos-containing materials in the areas affected by the planned work. Because it’s a fully intrusive survey, it can access spaces a management survey can’t reach, such as inside walls, floors, and ceiling voids.

Who is responsible for arranging a refurbishment and demolition survey?

Responsibility usually sits with whoever owns or controls the building. This is often via their CDM co-ordinator or principal designer on notifiable projects. If you’re a landlord, contractor, or facilities manager overseeing the work, you should aim to confirm early who’s commissioning the survey so it doesn’t get missed in the project planning.

How much does an asbestos refurbishment survey cost?

Cost varies by property size, location and survey complexity, so we quote per project rather than publishing a fixed price. Get in touch and we’ll give you a cost estimate based on your building and timescale.

How far in advance should a refurbishment and demolition survey be booked before works start?

As early as possible. Booking a survey as soon as your project timeline is confirmed gives enough time to complete the survey, act on its findings, and remove or manage any asbestos found, without holding up your contractor’s start date. For larger or multi-let buildings, allow extra lead time.

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