How long does a survey take?

Two to four hours for a typical home, half a day for a small commercial unit, longer for larger sites.

Does the surveyor make holes in walls?

Only during a refurbishment survey, and only in areas where planned works will disturb the fabric.

How long until I get the report?

Most reports land within five to seven working days of the survey.

Do I have to be at home?

Yes for the access, but you do not need to follow the surveyor around. Most are happy to talk you through the findings at the end.

What if no asbestos is found?

You still get the written report, which is the document mortgage surveyors and conveyancing solicitors will ask to see.

What happens during an asbestos survey in Greater Manchester

An asbestos survey is the most useful piece of paper in any pre-2000 Greater Manchester building. It tells you what is present, where it is, what condition it is in and what to do about it. This guide walks through what actually happens on survey day so you know what to expect.

The two survey types

A management survey is for occupied buildings where you need a register of what is present so it can be managed in place. A refurbishment and demolition survey is more intrusive and is required before any structural work, soft strip or demolition.

What happens on the day

The surveyor arrives, walks the building and identifies materials that are likely to contain asbestos. Suspect items get sampled in tagged bags. For a management survey, that is largely it. For a refurbishment survey, the surveyor lifts boards, opens ceilings and cores walls in the areas where works are planned.

Samples go to a UKAS-accredited lab for bulk identification. The lab confirms whether asbestos is present, the type, and the approximate percentage. Those results feed into the written report.

The report

A good survey report includes a floor plan with each item marked, photographs of every suspect item, the sample reference and lab result, a condition score, a risk score and a recommended action. The action register is the part you actually use: it tells you which items to manage, which to remove and which to leave well alone.

From report to next steps

Where removal is needed, the report tells the contractor exactly what they are dealing with so the quote is accurate from the start. Where management in place is the answer, the survey forms the basis of an asbestos management plan and feeds the contractor brief for any future works.

Find a survey in your area

Read more about Asbestos Surveys and Sampling across Manchester, or jump to the area page for your postcode: Asbestos Surveys and Sampling Altrincham, Asbestos Surveys and Sampling Sale, Asbestos Surveys and Sampling Rochdale, Asbestos Surveys and Sampling Ashton-under-Lyne or Asbestos Surveys and Sampling Oldham. For removal that follows on from a survey, see Asbestos Removal across Manchester and the testing options at Asbestos Testing and Analysis across Manchester.