Asbestos in pre-2000 homes

How should you treat asbestos cement gutters, downpipes and flues differently from a boarded soffit?

HSE lists asbestos cement gutters, downpipes and flues as cement products, and lists insulating board separately in soffits and panels. A sound cement gutter you can leave alone is not the same decision as a damaged board someone is about to drill. Ask which material the surveyor means, and do not let one skip cover both.

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?

Cement products are on HSE’s location list because they were widely used, including on domestic garages, sheds and boiler flues. They are not the same material as insulating board or pipe lagging, and HSE does not treat every cement job as licensed high-risk work. The surveyor has still not sampled the sheet. “Looks like asbestos cement” is a reason to stop breaking it up, not a laboratory certificate.

HSE’s diagrams of where asbestos can occur are aimed at buildings built or refurbished before 2000. A replacement plastic gutter on an old fascia does not prove the flue or the soffit was replaced too. If you need to remove a garage roof, ask a competent contractor what controls apply before the sheets come off. This page will not invent a disposal price.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which items do you suspect are asbestos cement, and which did you not see closely?
Are they damaged, or still doing their job?
What work are we planning that would break them?

What are the typical next steps?

Do not smash sheets into a domestic waste bin to “see if they snap”.
If they can stay and they are sound, ask whether removal is necessary at all.
If you must remove them, ask a contractor who will name the controls and the waste route in writing.

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 new felt roof on a garage prove the old cement sheets have gone?

No. Felt can be laid over sheets. Ask what is underneath if the surveyor could not see it.

Is a hairline crack in a flue a reason to drill it?

No. Drilling is disturbance. Get advice before you touch a suspect flue.