Medway · England
Asbestos Survey in Gillingham
Worried about asbestos in Gillingham? Our service covers management, refurbishment and demolition, and pre-purchase asbestos surveys, with clear advice at each step.
- Demolition of garages, extensions and buildings
- Contractors’ requests for an asbestos report
- Public and community buildings
Asbestos survey for Gillingham
Asbestos survey in Gillingham
There are two main types of survey, set out in HSE’s guide HSG264. A management survey covers a building in everyday use, while a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before work starts. We will tell you which suits your plans in Gillingham. Typical jobs include workplaces built before 2000 and demolition of garages, extensions and buildings, including soffits, garage roofs and pipe lagging.
Large places like Gillingham mix old and new on the same street, so the age and history of each building decide whether a survey is needed. We identify materials before planning removal, because the method depends on what the material is.
Gillingham questions
Can you deal with asbestos on rural buildings in the Kent Downs National Landscape?
Yes, the same rules apply there, but access to farm and rural buildings can take planning.
Do you cover Gillingham and the area around Gillingham (Kent) station?
Yes. Gillingham (Kent) station is about 1.5 miles north-west of Gillingham, and we cover both.
Can asbestos go in my bin?
Never: skips and household bins cannot take asbestos. It must go to a permitted site.
Can you advise before I buy a property?
Yes. A pre-purchase survey tells you what’s there before you exchange, as long as the seller agrees.
Can you help with a shop or office?
We do. Tell us the size and use of the building and what you need.
How do I know if my property contains asbestos?
Any building built or refurbished before 2000 can contain asbestos. Testing a sample is the only way to know.
How can I get a price?
Send us the details: the postcode, what you’ve found and where it is. Then ring 07833 053 749, or send the details through our contact page.
Will my homebuyer report check for asbestos?
Not really: a homebuyer or building survey may note possible asbestos, but it does not typically sample anything. For an answer, you need a pre-purchase asbestos survey.
A closer look at the materials
Asbestos cement
Asbestos cement turns up on roofs, flues and outbuildings. Its condition matters as much as its presence.
Pipe lagging
Lagging found in a survey is flagged clearly, and it shouldn’t be disturbed.
Weighing up your options
Management or refurbishment and demolition? A management survey suits a building in use; a refurbishment and demolition survey looks behind and under surfaces before building work. Our guide explains which you need. The cost of an asbestos survey depends on the job: the materials, the amount, access and what paperwork is needed. Every quote is individual.
How we work in Gillingham
- Samples analysed by an accredited laboratory
- Recommendations in plain English
- Across London and the South East
- Every main survey type
Take a look at our prices page and our cost guide.
Afterwards
Where planned work would disturb asbestos, the report says what has to come out first, and whether that work is licensed, notifiable non-licensed or non-licensed.
After we’ve finished:
- Book the survey before booking builders
- Keep pets and children out of the way on the day
- Ensure you can pass the report to your builder
- Let us know about locked rooms or unsafe areas
What to avoid
Book the survey before the builders, so the results can shape your plans and your budget.
If a material is damaged before the survey, keep people away from it and tell us, rather than cleaning it up.
Should you do it yourself?
Fragile roofs are a serious falls risk, as well as an asbestos risk, so stay off it.
Home testing kits exist, but you have to disturb the material to use one. HSE recommends a competent person takes samples.
Asbestos surveys in Gillingham: local notes
Gillingham is about 30 miles east of London, in Medway. Gillingham has a mix of older and newer buildings, and anything built or refurbished before 2000 can contain asbestos. Gillingham is one of 68 towns and villages in Medway we cover. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 23 miles away.
Non-domestic buildings, Featherby Junior School among them, come under the duty to manage asbestos; we survey non-domestic buildings by arrangement with the duty holder. If you have an older property in Gillingham, near Holy Trinity Church or anywhere else, get the work areas surveyed before anything is opened up. Gillingham is within about 8 miles of the Kent Downs National Landscape, and rural properties there often have outbuildings worth including in a survey.
Here we cover the ME8, ME7, ME4 and ME5 postcode area. Streets in the area include Leeds Square, London Road and Dorset Square, and an asbestos survey is available on all of them. Gillingham is on the A2 and A231, which makes it simple to get to. For properties just outside Gillingham, we cover Twydall (1 mile east), Lower Twydall (1 mile north-east), Grange (1 mile north), Darland (1 mile south-west) and Hale (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover Rochester (4 miles west), Strood (4 miles west), Lordswood (3 miles south-west), Hoo St Werburgh (4 miles north), Rochester Riverside (3 miles north-west) and Walderslade (3 miles south-west). Gillingham is among the bigger towns we cover in Medway, with every kind of building, from homes to workplaces.
Other landmarks nearby include Medway Maritime Hospital (1.6 miles west) and Six Poor Travellers House (3.3 miles west). The countryside around Gillingham includes Blue Bell Hill and Bishop Saltings.
- Local schools include The Robert Napier School (0.8 miles north-west) and The Robert Napier School (0.8 miles north-west)
- Pubs nearby include The Star pub (0.6 miles west)
- Local facilities include Chatham Free Library (1.9 miles west)
What’s included, and what is not
The usual limits are:
- A management survey doesn’t open up walls, floors or ceilings, so it will not do before building work
- The report describes the building when surveyed; condition can change, so recheck it
- A refurbishment and demolition survey needs the areas to be empty, so timing needs planning
If you are unsure, describe the job and send photos, and we will advise.
What we deal with
- Floor tiles and adhesive
- Cement sheets and cladding
- Roofing felt and bitumen
- Pipe lagging
- Water tanks and flues
- Soffits and porch canopies
- Boiler cupboards and panels
- Artex and textured coatings
- Ceiling tiles
- Garage and shed roofs
What we deal with in Gillingham
For workplaces and common parts, the law requires asbestos to be identified and its risk assessed. A survey is the usual way to do that.
Asbestos can be in plenty of places in buildings from before 2000. Common situations include:
- Purchases of older homes and buildings
- Demolition and strip-out
- The communal parts of blocks of flats
- Workplaces built before 2000
For rented homes close to Gillingham (Kent) station, share asbestos information with trades before work.
What your quote should include
- That the survey follows HSE’s guide HSG264
- The report contents
- Which areas and materials are covered
- Which laboratory analyses samples
How it works
For a management survey, we look into cupboards, voids and lofts that are reasonably accessible and take small samples. Sample points are sealed afterwards. We will tell you when we’ve finished and what you will receive afterwards.
- Describe the property, its age and the work you have in mind
- We agree the survey type and scope, and send a quote
- We inspect and sample the areas in scope
- The samples are analysed by an accredited laboratory
- You get the report, and we talk you through it
How to prepare
- Leave the suspect material alone until we arrive
- Clear belongings, but leave the material alone
- Tell us about parking and access
Ask for a quote
Every job is quoted in writing. Send photos through our quote form, or phone 07833 053 749 with the details, including any survey or test you already have.
Helpful guides
Prices and what affects them
The price of an asbestos survey depends mainly on:
- Which survey type fits your plans
- How easy it is to reach
- How many different materials need sampling
- Roof spaces and outbuildings in scope
How easy the material is to reach affects the price, so tell us about access.
Sending photos
To help us quote quickly, send:
- A rough size or measurement
- Any labels or markings, if you can see them safely
- Damaged areas
- The parking area
Unsure whether you need a test, a survey or removal? Ring 07833 053 749, or send the details through our contact page, and we’ll recommend the right option.
What else we do in Gillingham
- Identify it first: we test or survey before planning removal
- Done to the regulations: HSE guidance and CAR 2012
- Everything in writing: quotes, reports, results and waste notes
- Waste sealed and labelled, then taken to a permitted site