Asbestos in pre-2000 homes
A post-war bungalow has a garage roof that looks like asbestos cement. Has the survey sampled it by looking?
No. The survey has not sampled the garage roof by looking at it. A sheet that looks like asbestos cement was recorded as a likeness, not as a laboratory sample. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 can contain asbestos, and a post-war bungalow sits in that age. Appearance does not identify the fibres and does not clear them. The visit did not take a piece away for analysis. Looking is not sampling, and the report has not decided what the sheet contains.
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?
Asbestos cement and later fibre-cement sheets can look alike from the ground. Colour, corrugation and a garage setting are not an analysis. A home survey does not sample by eye and does not break the sheet to see the edge. The finding is limited to what the roof resembles and to the age of the bungalow. Until a competent person samples it properly, the material stays unidentified. The survey has not labelled the coating one way or the other.
Tell the solicitor the garage roof was not sampled. If you need to know the material before works, ask a licensed or otherwise competent asbestos surveyor to sample it without you breaking, drilling or scraping the sheet. Do not have the roof cleaned up by sanding. The home survey will not convert a visual note into an analysis, and it has not told anyone the sheet may be disturbed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the garage roof only seen from the ground?
- Does any refurbishment record say the sheets were replaced?
- Who is competent to sample the sheet if a works project needs an answer?
What are the typical next steps?
- Tell the solicitor the garage roof was not sampled.
- Do not sand, drill, scrape or break the sheet to see what is inside.
- Instruct a competent asbestos survey if you need the material identified.
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 the post-war date by itself name the fibres?
No. An age before 2000 means asbestos is possible in a building of that period. It does not name the garage sheet. Later replacements can be fibre-cement without asbestos, and older sheets can contain it. The survey recorded a likeness and the age. It did not sample the roof, so the date is context, not an identification.
Should a corner be broken off so the layers can be seen?
No. Do not break, drill, scrape or sand the sheet. Breaking an edge is not a home-survey method and it can release fibres. The inspection did not take a sample and you should not improvise one. Identification, if you need it, belongs with a competent person who samples in a controlled way.