What are landlords' duties about asbestos?
Asbestos was widely used in buildings before 2000, in materials such as textured ceilings, floor tiles, pipe lagging and garage roofs. It is usually safe if left undisturbed. Landlords must manage asbestos in the common parts of flats and HMOs, and must have a refurbishment survey before work that could disturb it.
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Asbestos at a glance
| Point | Position |
|---|---|
| At risk buildings | Built or refurbished before 2000 |
| Common locations | Textured coatings, tiles, boiler flues, lagging, soffits, garage roofs |
| Duty to manage | Common parts of flats and HMOs (non-domestic areas) |
| Before works | Refurbishment and demolition survey |
| Removal | Higher-risk materials by licensed contractors |
| Single dwellings | No duty to manage, but HHSRS and safety at work still apply |
Where it is found
Most asbestos in homes is low-risk material bound into cement, coatings or floor tiles. Higher-risk forms such as sprayed coatings, lagging and insulating board are less common but more dangerous. Damage, drilling or sanding releases fibres, which can cause serious disease decades later.
Landlords' legal duties
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 place a duty to manage asbestos on whoever controls non-domestic premises, which includes the shared hallways, stairs and plant rooms of blocks and HMOs. That means finding out whether asbestos is present, assessing it, recording it and managing the risk. Inside a single let home there is no duty to manage, but asbestos can still be an HHSRS hazard if damaged.
Before any works
Contractors must be told about known asbestos. Before refurbishment, such as a kitchen replacement or EPC upgrade work in an older property, a refurbishment survey should identify materials that will be disturbed. Licensed contractors must remove higher-risk materials.
Asbestos and a sale
Surveyors often flag suspected asbestos in older properties. Buyers of flats and HMOs ask for the asbestos register for common parts. Having a survey and register ready reduces uncertainty; most low-risk asbestos has little effect on price once it is identified and managed.
Official Sources and Further Reading
General information for landlords in England, checked against official sources in October 2026. It is not tax, legal or financial advice: speak to a qualified accountant or solicitor about your own circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Asbestos was widely used in buildings before 2000, in materials such as textured ceilings, floor tiles, pipe lagging and garage roofs. It is usually safe if left undisturbed. Landlords must manage asbestos in the common parts of flats and HMOs, and must have a refurbishment survey before work that could disturb it.
Usually not. Undamaged low-risk asbestos is often safer left in place and managed. Removal can disturb it.
Not always. Textured coatings applied before the mid-1980s may contain it; only testing confirms.
Tell them where known asbestos is and not to drill or sand it, especially in older properties.
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