Asbestos questions answered

No. Asbestos Enquiries Plymouth is an independent enquiry service. We pass your enquiry to one licensed local contractor who holds an HSE asbestos licence. That contractor quotes and carries out any survey, testing or removal, and any agreement is between you and them.

It depends on the material and the risk. HSE says sprayed asbestos coatings, asbestos lagging and insulation, and asbestos insulating board should only be removed by an HSE-licensed contractor. HSE also says most work on asbestos cement can be done without a licence, provided workers have had the right information, instruction and training.

HSE's website links to the current list of licensed asbestos contractors. The list changes as licences are issued, renewed or expire, so check the current version.

You can't tell reliably by looking. HSE says the only way to confirm whether a suspect material contains asbestos fibres is to take a sample and have it analysed.

HSE says buildings built after 2000 are unlikely to contain asbestos. Older homes may have it in places such as textured ceilings, floor tiles, garage roofs, soffits, panels and pipe lagging.

Leave it alone. HSE advises that if you have not been trained you should not try to repair or remove asbestos yourself, and that material in good condition is often best left where it is. Don't drill, sand, scrape or break it. Then get it checked.

HSE says a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before major refurbishment or demolition, to find asbestos hidden in the building fabric. For a single material you're unsure about, testing a sample may be enough.

A management survey is for the normal occupation and use of a building. Its main purpose is to help the person responsible produce an asbestos register. The legal duty to manage asbestos applies to non-domestic premises and the common parts of blocks of flats.

Plymouth City Council accepts small amounts of bonded asbestos at Chelson Meadow only. You must book two weeks ahead, items must be under 25kg, and it was £12.50 per bag or sheet (card only) when we checked in October 2026. Check the council's asbestos page for current details.

No. HSE says asbestos waste is hazardous waste and must not be mixed with normal household waste.

No. Sending an enquiry is free and there's no obligation to go ahead. The contractor will give you their own quote.

We pass your enquiry to one contractor so they can contact you about it. We don't sell your details or send them round lots of firms. The privacy notice explains this in full.