Presumptive Asbestos Management Survey – (previously Type 1 Location and Assessment Survey )
This is the minimum survey as required by Law. A register is required which details any materials used in the property that may contain asbestos. The rule is that unless the surveyor is certain that an item does not contain asbestos then they must presume it does.
While complying with the law, it can be considered worse than useless for you will get charged by a contractor, or prospective purchaser on the basis that the material is asbestos.
For a very modest extra cost of the sampled (Type 2) at £25 (No VAT) per sample these presumed asbestos items will be tested.
Sampled Asbestos Management Survey (previously Type 2: Standard Sampling Identification and Assessment Survey)
In addition to the work required under a presumptive (Type 1) Survey here samples taken of surface materials of any material that the surveyor is not certain of and sent to a specialist laboratory for testing.
Note where a tested sample has proved positive/negative, all similar materials can be assumed to have the same result.
Note that certain items are known to contain asbestos (e.g. a Shires Lynx toilet cistern) or known to the surveyor as asbestos free are not tested and detailed as Strongly Presumed/No asbestos detected as applicable.
Asbestos Demolition/Refurbishment Survey (previously Type 3 Full Access Sampling Identification Survey ) Demolition/Refurbishment Survey
If a property is to be demolished or refurbished it is necessary to take a sample of the core of the material and thus will involve some destructive inspection, (as far as it is necessary), to gain access to all areas in the building. Asbestos has been found in the cavity between brick walls and in ceilings where textured coatings have been plastered over.
A full sampling program is undertaken to identify possible Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) and estimates of the volume and surface area of ACMs. This survey has been designed for use as a basis for tendering the removal of all ACMs from the building prior to demolition or major refurbishment.
If the property is not to be demolished but certain walls and ceilings etc. are to be removed then limiting the scope of the Refurbishment/Demolition Survey to these items with a Management Survey on the remainder would most probably be the best course.
Asbestos Sampling
You may need to know if one or two materials contain asbestos. Can you do it yourself? Yes you can. Email us first and we will send you some sample bags and some brief instructions. Our charge for normal (economy) service is £25 taking on average about 4 – 5 working days, Urgent service is £35 a sample. Read HSG 264 before proceeding. You can see this on line from www.hse.gov.uk. We can also visit your property and take asbestos samples for you, have the samples tested and the results with you in 2 working days, at a cost of £95 including the 1st sample plus £25 per additional sample. Some samples may be avoided if we are satisfied the material is free of asbestos.