Metal sheets now cover the garage roof. Can the survey confirm that any older cement sheets were taken away?

What is the fuller explanation?

Over-cladding is a common way to stop a tired garage roof leaking without taking the old sheets off. The new metal is then what you see from the garden. The cement, if it is still there, remains a cement roof that nobody should smash, power-wash or break up for disposal as ordinary rubble. HSE distinguishes asbestos cement from insulating board and from textured coating. The home survey’s job is to say the covering now visible is metal, and that the construction underneath was not exposed. Calling the roof “replaced” because it looks silver upgrades the evidence.

Ask the seller whether the old sheets were removed or covered, and ask for any waste note if they say removed. A waste note is still not the surveyor’s inspection. If you plan to strip the roof, tell the contractor the survey could not confirm the cement had gone, and that suspect cement must not be smashed. Do not drill through the metal into an unknown sheet to “find out” on a Saturday. If the loft of the garage was visible from below and the surveyor could see the underside, the report should say what that underside looked like. If it was boarded, it was boarded.

What should you ask your surveyor?

• Could you see the underside of the roof, or only the metal on top?
• Are you saying the cement was removed, or that you could not tell?
• Please confirm you did not sample and you are not an asbestos inspector.

What are the typical next steps?

1. Do not drill through the new sheets to identify what is underneath.
2. If the roof is to be stripped, tell the contractor the old cement may still be there.
3. Do not describe the roof as cleared of asbestos cement because it is now metal.

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

Which pages should you read next?

• The cellar has old pipe lagging. How should you read that when the airing cupboard was a different question?
• Will scraping a corner of a textured coating tell you whether the coating is old?
• What is a combi condensate pipe, and why is a drip under it not a roof leak?
• Guide: What does asbestos mean in a home survey?
• All UK home survey questions

Sources

• RICS: Description of the RICS Home Survey Level 3 (condition rating definitions)
• Health and Safety Executive: Where asbestos can occur in buildings (diagrams; buildings built or refurbished before 2000)
• Health and Safety Executive: Locations of asbestos and taking the right action