Asbestos check
How can you tell if a garage roof contains asbestos?
Age and material are the first clues, but looking alone does not settle it. Here is what HSE advises, what to check and what to leave untouched.
The short answer
You cannot be sure by looking, so the safe starting point is HSE's advice: if the building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume there is asbestos in it. Cement roof sheets, rainwater goods and soffit panels are the garage parts HSE names. Do not drill, break, scrub or walk on them. A survey, which MyJobQuote puts at around £325 in 2026, replaces the assumption with an answer.
4 min read · Part of Garage roofs
Start with the age of the garage
HSE's wording is exact: "If the building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume that there is asbestos in it." It does not say that every older garage has asbestos, and it does not say a newer one is clear, because a refurbishment can bring materials in later.
So work out two dates: when the garage was built, and when its roof was last renewed or repaired. Old planning records, a previous owner's papers or a neighbour with a matching garage can help, though a neighbour's garage may share your build date and not your roof date, so check instead of assuming. If either date falls before 2000, treat the roof as suspect until a survey says otherwise. Ask the surveyor to record both dates in the report, so that any later quote can rely on them and nobody has to guess again.
HSE's A14 guidance puts it in four words: AC roofs are always fragile. The dates are therefore a reason to stay off the roof, not to go up for a closer look. A fall through a fragile roof is a danger of its own, quite apart from the fibres.
Where asbestos can sit in a garage
HSE's guidance on asbestos cement products names roof sheeting and rainwater goods, and its location list names soffit panels. Check these from the ground, with the roof left alone and the ladder left in the shed.
| Part | What HSE says |
|---|---|
| Roof sheets | Asbestos cement products, such as roof sheeting |
| Gutters and downpipes | Asbestos cement rainwater goods |
| Soffit under the eaves | Asbestos insulating board, white soffit panels |
A visual check is a start and never a confirmation. Two materials can look alike and be different. Sheets that are cracked, lifting or crumbling at the edges are a sign to call someone, not to investigate further yourself. Take photos from the ground so the surveyor can see what you saw. HSE's location list also names damaged AIB soffit, so a soffit that is cracked or hanging down is a reason to call, not to climb. Soffits run under the eaves on every side of a garage, and the sides and rear are worth a look from the ground as well as the front.
What never to do to a suspect roof
The danger comes from disturbing the material, so leave it intact.
- Do not drill, cut or screw into the sheets.
- Do not break, scrub or pressure wash them.
- Do not sweep moss off with a stiff brush.
- Do not walk on the roof or lean a ladder on its surface.
- Do not take samples yourself.
- Do not use a household bin or an open skip, which is never acceptable for asbestos.
On HSE's pages, taking asbestos cement sheeting off whole and with care is non-licensed work, and weathered sheets that are otherwise sound still count. Sheeting broken up or badly damaged, as fire or flood can leave it, becomes notifiable non-licensed work. Most work on asbestos insulating board, the material in soffit panels, is licensed. HSE's EM9 guidance is to use a lockable skip for asbestos, since sheeting thrown over an ordinary skip falls short. If a piece has already fallen or a sheet has cracked through, keep people and pets away, leave it where it lies and have it looked at before anyone clears it. That is why a garage with a suspect roof is a job for a survey first and a removal plan second.
Getting a definite answer
A survey identifies the material, using samples taken with care, and states what it found. MyJobQuote's 2026 average for a survey is around £325, a third-party figure and not our price. If the roof proves to be asbestos cement, MyJobQuote's average removal cost for a roof in the UK is around £2,750.
When we survey a garage we tell you what the roof is, what condition it is in, and whether it can be replaced, repaired or left. One written total price follows. At Kent County Council's centres, all except Sheerness, a householder's own asbestos is accepted double wrapped, to a free limit of 5 sacks a month; a roofer's asbestos is trade waste moved on a consignment note. Bring the photos you took from the ground, both dates and a note of any soffit damage to the survey, since they make it quicker. Our page on asbestos garage roof disposal in Kent covers where the waste goes, and the asbestos garage roofs post covers HSE's wider rules.
The garage roofs hub explains the whole service, from the first survey to the finished roof.
More questions
Is every garage built before 2000 roofed in asbestos?
No. HSE's words are "If the building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume that there is asbestos in it", which is a safe starting point and not a finding. Many older garages carry other coverings. A survey with a sample is what tells you what your roof is made of.
Can I get a sample tested myself?
Taking a sample means disturbing the material, which is the risk you are trying to avoid. Leave the roof alone and have a surveyor take a sample with care. A survey is around £325 on MyJobQuote's 2026 average, and it gives a written result you can use for quotes.
Tell us what's wrong with the roof.
You'll get one written total price.