Managing asbestos in your home or business

In good condition, asbestos is not a risk to your health. Asbestos is a strong fibrous material which can resist heat and chemicals. It was commonly used in building materials between the 1930s and 1980s. Many buildings built or changed during this period could potentially contain asbestos. If your property is more than 15 years old, it's possible that it contains materials made from asbestos.

You are not at risk if parts of your home or property contain asbestos, as long as it is undisturbed and undamaged. You and your family are at risk if you do improvements to any parts of your home that may contain asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is a serious risk to your health and can be fatal.

Not all buildings contain asbestos. It’s always safest to assume your home or property contains asbestos unless a qualified surveyor has confirmed otherwise.

Places you might find asbestos:

• roof and exterior walls
  
• boiler and pipework 
  
• ceilings
  
• interior walls and panels
  
• flooring materials
  
• air systems 
  
• domestic appliances 
  
• lift systems
  
• water tank
• on garage or shed roofs
  
• in drain pipes
  
• in insulation board soffit, infill panels and partitions
  
• on the side of bath panels
  

The City of London operates a household hazardous waste collection service on our behalf. You can call them on 020 7332 3433.

If you have a large amount of asbestos, and the City of London are unable to help you, then you should contact an asbestos removal contractor. Find asbestos removal contractors.

You can also call the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association on 01283 566 467.

The City of London does not provide a collection of asbestos for landlords, charities or commercial waste.

If you see flytipped asbestos, or you see someone flytipping asbestos, please report this to our Cleansing Enforcement Team at cleansingenforcement@lewisham.gov.uk.

Get more information about dealing with asbestos.

Before starting any DIY in your home, you must seek advice from our asbestos team. We will check our records and advise you if any asbestos is present. We may carry out an asbestos survey if we think it’s needed. There will be no charge to you for this survey.

We will let you know if there is any asbestos in your home and where it is when you move in.

If you are a leaseholder, our asbestos team can offer information and advice. However, you must arrange and pay for an asbestos survey and any removal that may be necessary. Always use an approved contractor who is licensed with the Health and Safety Executive.

Take a look at these websites to find a licensed asbestos removal contractor. 

• arca.org.uk 
• hse.gov.uk/asbestos