Asbestos in pre-2000 homes
Should you drill or screw into a sheet the survey has flagged as possible asbestos?
No. Drilling is disturbance. HSE’s advice on asbestos in buildings is to avoid uncontrolled work on materials that may contain it, and a home survey is not a licence to fix a shelf. Cement sheet and insulating board are not the same risk, and the survey may not have told them apart. Do not make dust to find out.
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?
Buyers want to know if a garage roof, a soffit or a bath panel will take a fixing. The honest answer from a visual survey is that it was not sampled and should not be drilled on a hunch. HSE explains where asbestos was used in pre-2000 buildings and treats products differently. A competent contractor can say what controls apply before anyone cuts. This page will not invent a disposal price.
Leaving a sound cement sheet alone is often the point of the survey note. Breaking it is a different decision. Screwing a light fitting into a board the survey could not identify is how a small job becomes a contamination job. There is no RICS price for that clean-up. Ask before you touch it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which sheet should not be drilled?
- Are you distinguishing cement from board, or saying you cannot?
- Is leaving it in place an option you are describing?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not drill, sand or power-wash the sheet.
- Ask a competent person before any fixing into it.
- Do not take a sample yourself with a household drill.
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
Can you paint a sound cement sheet?
Painting can be leaving it in place. Ask before you rub it down. Preparation that makes dust is disturbance.
Does a plastic covering over the sheet make it safe to drill?
No. The sheet is still there. The plastic is not a sample result.