Asbestos in pre-2000 homes
What is the difference between asbestos insulating board and asbestos cement in a home?
Asbestos insulating board is a board product used in places such as partitions, soffits, ceiling tiles and panels around windows. Asbestos cement is a harder cement product used in roofs, flues, gutters and some pipes. HSE lists them separately because the risk and the type of contractor are not the same. A surveyor naming “asbestos” without saying which material has not finished the sentence.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
HSE’s location guidance describes insulating board, cement products, floor tiles, textured coatings, textiles, lagging, sprayed coatings and loose fill as different materials in different places. Cement roofs and flues are a common domestic find. Insulating board and lagging are a different class of job. The page explains that some work is non-licensed and some must be done by a licensed contractor. A home survey does not make that classification for you by looking across a room.
The RICS Level 3 description says the surveyor reports suspected asbestos-containing materials if they are identified, and does not act as an asbestos inspector. Treat “possible asbestos cement” and “possible insulating board” as two different reasons to stop and ask. Do not drill either of them to settle the question yourself.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which material do you think this is, and where is it?
- Are you identifying it, or only suspecting it because of the age and the look?
- What should we not do to it before a competent person has advised?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not sand, drill or break the material to see what is inside.
- If the report suspects insulating board or lagging, ask an asbestos contractor, not a general builder with a skip.
- If it is cement in sound condition and you had no plan to disturb it, ask whether it can stay. Do not remove it for reassurance.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a garage roof and a ceiling tile need the same contractor?
Not necessarily. HSE separates cement products from insulating board and from licensed work. Ask a competent person which job this is. The survey has not appointed them.
Can you paint asbestos cement?
Painting can disturb the surface. Ask before you do it. The survey is not a licence to coat it.