My ceiling has Artex. Is that dangerous?

Textured coatings applied before the ban may contain a small proportion of asbestos, generally bound within the material. Undisturbed and in good condition it is usually left alone; the risk arises when it is sanded, drilled or scraped. Have it tested before any of that.

Do I legally need an asbestos survey for my own house?

The duty to manage applies to non-domestic premises and to common parts of blocks, so a single private home is generally outside it. That does not remove the practical need: if you are about to disturb pre-2000 materials, a refurbishment and demolition survey is the sensible course regardless of duty.

Can KJ take a sample while doing my survey?

No. Sampling requires specific competence and accredited analysis. We identify what should be presumed to contain asbestos and refer you to a competent asbestos surveyor.

Asbestos survey (management, refurbishment and demolition)

Asbestos survey

Management, refurbishment and demolition asbestos surveys explained: which one applies, who is legally competent to do it, and what happens with samples.

Ask KJ about asbestos 01706 318200

Last reviewed 31 August 2026

What type of asbestos survey do I need?

There are two survey types under HSE guidance. A management survey locates asbestos-containing materials so they can be managed in place during normal occupation. A refurbishment and demolition survey is fully intrusive and is required before any work that will disturb the fabric. Both must be carried out by someone competent in asbestos surveying, with samples analysed by an accredited laboratory — not by a general building surveyor.

At a glance

Two survey types: Management survey, and refurbishment and demolition survey.
Age indicator: Buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos.
Legal duty: The duty to manage applies to non-domestic premises and shared parts of blocks.
Our role: We identify the need and refer to a competent asbestos surveyor. We do not sample.

Which survey applies to your situation

A management survey is the standard, minimally intrusive exercise for a building that is going to carry on being used as it is. It aims to locate materials that could be disturbed during normal occupancy and routine maintenance, assess their condition, and support a management plan.

A refurbishment and demolition survey is a different animal. It is intrusive by design, it is carried out in areas that will be vacated, and it exists to make sure nobody's power tool goes into an asbestos insulating board without warning. It is required before refurbishment or demolition work that will disturb the structure.

Where asbestos typically turns up in housing

Domestic buildings from the mid-twentieth century up to 2000 can contain asbestos in a wide range of positions, and it is very often in places that a refurbishment scheme goes straight through.

None of these should be assumed present or absent from appearance alone. Visual identification is not identification; only laboratory analysis of a properly taken sample establishes what a material is.

Artex and other textured coatings applied before the ban
Corrugated cement roofing to garages and outbuildings
Insulating board to airing cupboards, soffits and around boilers
Floor tiles, bitumen adhesives, cistern bodies and flue pipes

The boundary this page will not cross

A building surveyor can tell you that a material is of a type and age that commonly contains asbestos, and that it should be presumed to contain asbestos until tested. That is a referral, and it is where a general survey stops.

Sampling, analysis, risk assessment and removal are regulated activities requiring specific competence and, for some material types, a licensed contractor. KJ Surveyors identifies the need and connects you to a competent asbestos surveyor; we do not sample or analyse.

Management versus refurbishment and demolition survey

Based on HSE survey guidance. The right instruction depends on what you are about to do.

	Management survey	Refurbishment and demolition survey
Purpose	Manage material safely in place	Ensure no asbestos is disturbed by works
Intrusiveness	Minimally intrusive	Fully intrusive, destructive where needed
Occupancy	Building remains in use	Area vacated before the survey
Typical trigger	Duty to manage, ongoing maintenance	Refurbishment, strip-out or demolition

Who this is for

A good fit if

Owners planning refurbishment or strip-out of a pre-2000 building
Duty holders for non-domestic premises and shared parts of residential blocks
Buyers of properties with textured coatings, cement sheeting or old insulating board
Landlords establishing what is present before maintenance work is instructed

Not the right choice if

Anyone expecting a general building surveyor to sample or test materials
Air monitoring, clearance certification or removal supervision
Confirming a material is safe on the basis of appearance

Getting the sequence right before works

Asbestos is the one item in a refurbishment that must be settled before the first wall comes down.

1.Establish the build and refurbishment dates
Pre-2000 construction or alteration is the threshold that makes presumption the safe position.
2.Match the survey type to the intended work
Occupation and management, or disturbance and works — the two need different surveys.
3.Instruct a competent asbestos surveyor
Sampling and analysis are specialist regulated activities, not part of a building survey.
4.Only then let the refurbishment survey inform the programme
Findings change strip-out sequence, cost and duration, so they belong before the budget is fixed.
Refurbishment surveys

When to bring in a specialist

Asbestos surveying, sampling and analysis: a competent asbestos surveyor and an accredited laboratory.
Removal of licensed asbestos materials: an HSE-licensed asbestos removal contractor.
Liability between neighbours, lease repair obligations and seller disclosure: your solicitor or conveyancer.

Common questions

Limitations and sources

KJ Surveyors does not carry out asbestos sampling, analysis, air monitoring or removal, and does not hold itself out as an asbestos specialist.
A general building survey identifies materials that should be presumed to contain asbestos; it does not confirm their composition.
The duty to manage under the asbestos regulations applies to non-domestic premises and the common parts of residential buildings, not to a single private dwelling in its own right.
Nothing on this page is a professional opinion about a specific property. KJ Surveyors has not inspected your building, and general guidance cannot replace an inspection and report.

Source: HSE · checked August 2026

Source: RICS · checked August 2026

Last reviewed 31 August 2026.

Where to go next

refurbishment surveys — the pre-works assessment that flags where asbestos testing must come first.
a Level 3 survey — for older properties where asbestos is one of several concerns.
our surveying advice — for background before you instruct anything.

Working on a pre-2000 building?

Tell KJ the property age and what you plan to disturb. KJ will explain which asbestos survey type applies and who needs to carry it out.

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KJ gives general guidance only and has not inspected your property. A professional opinion follows an inspection by a surveyor.