Direct answer
A management survey is normally used to help a dutyholder manage asbestos during ordinary use of non-domestic premises and common parts of domestic buildings. Before refurbishment, demolition or maintenance that could disturb asbestos, the employer must make a suitable assessment or presume asbestos is present; an intrusive refurbishment and demolition survey is commonly needed for the work area. [1][2][3]
Start with the legal question: who is responsible and what work is planned?
Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 places a duty to manage on the person with maintenance or repair duties, or control, in non-domestic premises. It also covers common parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises, such as shared corridors, lifts, staircases and roof spaces. The dutyholder must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of whether asbestos is, or is liable to be, present, record the conclusions and manage the risk. [2][5]
Regulation 5 is a separate, work-focused requirement. An employer must not undertake demolition, maintenance or other work liable to expose employees to asbestos unless it has made a suitable and sufficient assessment of what may be present, or has presumed asbestos is present and followed the applicable regulations. This is why a survey decision should begin with the proposed work and the area it may affect, not simply with a building’s age. [3]
- Normal occupation of a workplace or shared residential area: establish who the dutyholder is and whether a suitable current assessment exists.
- Planned building work: define the rooms, structures, services and materials that the work could disturb before choosing a survey scope.
- Private domestic occupation with no planned disturbance: the continuing Regulation 4 duty does not normally apply to the inside of an individual home, but a survey may still be sensible before later work. [5]
A survey is evidence for a defined decision
A survey is not a certificate that every part of a property is asbestos-free. Its report must be read against its purpose, area of coverage, access limits and any materials that were presumed rather than sampled. [1]
Choose the survey that matches the activity–not the property label
HSE identifies two survey types: a management survey and a refurbishment or demolition survey. They answer different questions. A management survey supports day-to-day management; a refurbishment or demolition survey is designed to find asbestos, including hidden material, in the part of the building affected by planned structural work. [1]
| Survey type | Best suited to | What it is designed to establish | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management survey | Premises in normal use where asbestos must be managed | The location, amount and condition of asbestos-containing materials, or presumed materials, so a register and management plan can be prepared | It is not the survey to rely on for intrusive refurbishment or demolition work |
| Refurbishment and demolition survey | A defined area before refurbishment, major alteration or demolition | Hidden asbestos-containing materials within the building fabric that could be disturbed by the specified work | It is intrusive and potentially disturbing, so the relevant area must be vacated while the survey is undertaken |
| Targeted sampling or testing | One known, accessible suspect material where the question is whether that material contains asbestos | Laboratory confirmation of a representative sample | It does not map asbestos elsewhere or replace a work-area survey where building work may disturb other materials |
Higher-risk work needs the right route
Most higher-risk asbestos work must be carried out by an HSE-licensed contractor. Pipe lagging, sprayed coatings and some work on asbestos insulation board may require that route; the correct category depends on the material, its condition and the planned work method, not on the material name alone. [6]
When a survey is required, and when it is recommended
The table below separates the continuing duty to manage from the need to identify asbestos before work. It is a practical starting point, not a substitute for checking lease terms, contracts, the work scope and the existing asbestos information for a particular premises. [2][3][5]
- Do not use a previous management survey as a blanket clearance for later refurbishment; check its date, scope, inaccessible areas and whether the planned work goes beyond it.
- If there is doubt about asbestos before employer-led work, Regulation 5 allows the employer to presume it is present and follow the applicable controls rather than treat uncertainty as proof of safety. [3]
- If a lease or contract allocates maintenance duties, it may help determine who shares or holds the Regulation 4 duty. [2][5]
| Situation | Usual survey decision | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Office, shop, school, warehouse or other non-domestic premises in normal use | A suitable assessment is required for the dutyholder; a management survey is the usual way to obtain the information where asbestos may be present | Regulation 4 requires the dutyholder to assess whether asbestos is or is liable to be present and to manage the risk |
| Shared areas in a block of flats or other multi-occupancy domestic premises | The person responsible for those common parts needs suitable asbestos management information; a management survey may provide it | Common parts fall within HSE’s duty-to-manage guidance, unlike the inside of an individual flat |
| Refurbishment, intrusive maintenance or major alteration in any type of premises | Obtain information for the specific work area before work begins; an appropriate refurbishment and demolition survey is commonly required | The employer must assess for asbestos or presume it is present before work liable to expose employees |
| Demolition | A refurbishment and demolition survey covering the demolition area is needed before structural work | HSE says this survey must locate and identify asbestos-containing materials, including those hidden in the building fabric |
| Owner-occupied home with no work planned | A full survey is not automatically required by the Regulation 4 duty; consider the next planned activity and the condition or uncertainty of any suspect material | The legal trigger changes when work could disturb materials, and a visual check cannot rule asbestos in or out |
What the report should help you do–and what it cannot promise
For a management survey, HSE says the survey information should feed an asbestos register and management plan. The register is a live record of known and presumed asbestos-containing materials, their location and condition, and it needs updating when the risk changes. It gives the dutyholder information to share with people who may disturb the material. [1][7]
A survey’s usefulness depends on access and scope. HSE warns that restrictions can leave areas uninspected; those areas may need to be presumed to contain asbestos until they can be inspected. Equally, laboratory analysis confirms a sampled material, but it cannot promise that materials outside the sample or survey scope are asbestos-free. [1][4]
- Check that the report clearly identifies the survey purpose and the areas it covers.
- Check that inaccessible areas, assumptions and limitations are recorded rather than overlooked.
- For premises under the duty to manage, use the report to keep the register and management actions current–not as a document to file away. [7]
- If the work changes, review whether the existing information still covers the new disturbance risk. [2][3]
Laboratory analysis matters
HSE states that a suspect material can be confirmed only by analysing a representative sample. For asbestos sample analysis, the commissioning party must ensure the analytical laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025; in Great Britain, HSE recognises UKAS accreditation for this purpose. [4]
Choose competent help and plan the next route after the survey
HSE strongly recommends using accredited asbestos surveying organisations. A survey provider should be able to show competence and training, independence and impartiality, effective quality systems, and work in line with HSG264, Asbestos: The Survey Guide. HSE also recommends surveyors accredited to ISO/IEC 17020; UKAS is the accreditation body it recognises in Great Britain for these purposes. [1][4]
Diamond Asbestos Services handles non-licensed asbestos work. Where a survey and risk assessment identify work that requires an HSE licence, including work that may involve higher-risk materials or conditions, Diamond refers the work to an HSE-licensed asbestos contractor. Where samples are tested, they may be analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory. This routing keeps the service scope clear; it does not mean Diamond Asbestos Services is HSE licensed or UKAS accredited.
- Give the surveyor the intended work scope so the survey can be specified for the actual disturbance risk.
- Ask how inaccessible areas, presumed materials and sampling decisions will be recorded in the report.
- Use the survey findings to decide whether the next step is management, non-licensed work within the applicable controls, or referral to an HSE-licensed contractor. [6]
A clear route, not a one-size-fits-all answer
Diamond’s defined role is to handle non-licensed asbestos work and to refer licensable work to an HSE-licensed contractor. The decision follows the material, condition and planned method of work; it should never be based on appearance alone.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
If renovation, maintenance or demolition work could disturb asbestos, the employer carrying out that work must make a suitable assessment or presume asbestos is present and follow the applicable controls under Regulation 5. An intrusive refurbishment and demolition survey for the affected area is commonly the appropriate way to obtain the needed information. A management survey is not a substitute for that work-specific survey. [1][3]
Sources and further reading
- 1. HSE. Arrange an asbestos survey Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 2. legislation.gov.uk. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Regulation 4: Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 3. legislation.gov.uk. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Regulation 5: Identification of the presence of asbestos Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 4. HSE. Sourcing professional advice and services on asbestos issues Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 5. HSE. Check if you have the duty to manage asbestos Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 6. HSE. Licensable work with asbestos Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 7. HSE. Make a register and assess the risk Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 8. HSE Consultation Hub. Legislative and guidance proposals for the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 9. Society of Radiographers. SoR joins independent asbestos task force in seeking national register Accessed 24 September 2026.