Kent · England
Asbestos Survey for Maidstone
Need an asbestos survey in Maidstone? We work across Maidstone and the towns around it, with plain-English advice and a written quote.
- Planned refurbishment work
- Schools, halls and community buildings
- Purchases of older homes and buildings
Asbestos survey for Maidstone
Doing it yourself?
Sanding, drilling, cutting and jet-washing are the worst things you can do to asbestos materials, so avoid them completely.
HSE advises the public not to repair or remove asbestos themselves. Licensed materials are strictly for licensed contractors.
Asbestos survey in Maidstone
What you’re planning in Maidstone decides the survey: normal use and maintenance, refurbishment, demolition or a purchase. We’ll match the survey to the plan. Typical jobs include workplaces built before 2000 and public and community buildings, including floor tiles, garage roofs and water tanks.
Maidstone is a large place with every kind of building, from older terraces to offices, schools and industrial units, and many were built or refurbished before 2000. Nothing is removed until it’s been identified, because the method depends on what the material is.
Maidstone: your questions answered
How far is Maidstone from London?
We cover Maidstone, about 31 miles from central London.
Do you cover Maidstone and the area around Maidstone West station?
Yes. Maidstone West station is about 0.6 miles north-west of Maidstone, and we cover both.
Can asbestos go in my bin?
Never: skips and household bins can’t take asbestos. It must go to a permitted site.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone has to let us into all the areas in the job, and it helps if you are around to answer questions.
Can you survey offices and warehouses?
We do: shops, offices, warehouses, industrial units, schools and halls. Tell us about the building and what you need.
What if the weather’s bad?
Indoor work is not affected. Outdoor removal may be postponed in strong wind or heavy rain, for safety.
Is asbestos dangerous?
It can be, if fibres are released and breathed in. Diseases linked to it, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, can appear many years later, so the aim is never to disturb it unknowingly.
When can you start?
Dates are agreed once the quote is accepted. Notifiable jobs can’t start until they’ve been notified.
A closer look at the materials
Asbestos cement
Garage roofs, sheds and flues made from asbestos cement are common in surveys of older homes. How weathered and damaged it is affects what to do.
Textured coatings
Older textured ceilings can contain asbestos. They’re low risk left alone, but shouldn’t be sanded or scraped dry.
Places near Maidstone
More for properties in Maidstone
Limits to be aware of
The usual limits are:
- A management survey doesn’t open up walls, floors or ceilings, so it is not enough before refurbishment
- Inaccessible areas are recorded, and must be treated as containing asbestos until checked
- The rooms in a refurbishment survey need to be cleared, so timing needs planning
If you are unsure, describe the job and send photos, and we’ll advise.
Materials we see
- Pipe lagging
- Water tanks and flues
- Roofing felt and bitumen
- Cement sheets and cladding
- Ceiling tiles
- Boiler cupboards and panels
- Artex and textured coatings
- Soffits and porch canopies
- Garage and shed roofs
- Floor tiles and adhesive
What happens next
After the survey you get a written report: what was found, where, the laboratory results, the condition of each material and our recommendations.
If asbestos stays in the building:
- For flats, ask the managing agent for the asbestos register for the common parts
- Ask for the report in a format you can share with contractors
- Keep pets and children out of the way on the day
- Make sure we can get into the loft, garage and cupboards
Things not to do
Until the survey is done, don’t drill, sand, cut or break suspect materials.
Do not take samples yourself before the survey: we take samples with wetting and sealing to limit any release.
Asbestos surveys in Maidstone: local notes
Maidstone is about 31 miles south-east of London, in Kent. Wherever your property is in Maidstone, tell us the postcode and what you need. We cover 922 places in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. We work right across the region, from Maidstone to Canterbury (24 miles away).
If you have an older property in Maidstone, near St Philip's Church or anywhere else, survey the areas you are working on before work starts. If you manage lettings around Maidstone West station, a survey gives contractors the information they need. Parts of the Kent Downs National Landscape are within about 5 miles of Maidstone, where farm buildings, barns and stables with cement roofs are common.
This part of Kent takes in ME15, ME16, ME14 and ME17. That could mean a property on Square Hill Road, Arundel Square and Square Hill or the roads around them, wherever it is in Maidstone. Maidstone sits on or near the A20 and A26; tell us about parking if you are on a main road. We also carry out surveys in Tovil (1 mile west), Foley Park (1 mile north), Shepway (1 mile south-east), Penenden Heath (1 mile north) and Weavering (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also work in Sittingbourne (10 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (15 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (14 miles south-west), Gravesend (13 miles north-west), Tonbridge (12 miles south-west) and Northfleet (14 miles north-west). Maidstone is one of the larger places we cover in Kent, with every kind of building, from homes to workplaces.
Other landmarks nearby include Maidstone Carriage Museum (within half a mile north-west) and Oakwood Hospital (1.8 miles west). Open spaces near Maidstone include Burham Down and Boxley Hills.
- Local schools include Maidstone Grammar School (within half a mile south-east) and St Augustine Academy (1.2 miles west)
- Nearby, you will find Paper Makers Arms (under half a mile north)
What it costs
The cost depends on:
- The number of materials to sample
- The building’s size and layout
- The type of material and its condition
- The quantity or area
We don’t publish a price list, because jobs vary so much. Our cost guides show published ranges, with dates and sources.
What to photograph
When you send photos, these help most:
- Approximate dimensions
- How we’d reach it
- An overall view
- Labels, if any
Not sure what you need? Fill in the enquiry form or give us a call on 07833 053 749 and describe the problem, and we’ll recommend the right option.
Typical surveys in Maidstone
Materials age: something in good condition when it was fitted may now be damaged, which a survey records.
Typical jobs in Maidstone include:
- Buying a property built before 2000
- Rented homes due for maintenance
- Demolition projects
- Public and community buildings
For a school like South Borough Primary School, the duty holder must manage asbestos and keep an asbestos register, and a management survey is typically where that starts.
What to look for in a quote
- Areas included and excluded
- That samples are analysed by an accredited laboratory
- The survey type, as defined in HSG264
- What the report or result will contain
Options to consider in Maidstone
A homebuyer report isn’t an asbestos survey. It may flag possible asbestos, but it does not generally take samples, so a pre-purchase asbestos survey fills that gap. Identifying asbestos early is cheaper than stopping work later, when the whole project can be held up.
What you get
- Clear advice on your options
- Domestic and commercial work
- Paperwork you can show your buyer, landlord or builder
- Every main survey type
Take a look at how we quote and published price ranges.
Step by step
In a refurbishment and demolition survey, we open up the fabric of the building: we look behind panels, under floors and above ceilings in the areas being worked on, so the rooms must be cleared. Parking close by makes the day easier.
- Let us know the address and why you need a survey
- We set out the survey type, the areas covered and the price in writing
- On the agreed day, the surveyor inspects, photographs and samples
- An accredited laboratory analyses each sample
- The written report arrives with the results, condition ratings and next steps
Before we arrive
- Leave the suspect material alone until we arrive
- Mention any damage before we arrive
- Mention any parking restrictions
Getting a price
To get a quote, ring 07833 053 749, or send the details through our contact page. Tell us the postcode, what the material is and where, and send photos if you can.
Helpful guides
- Survey or test first when it isn’t clear what a material is
- Done to the regulations: HSE guidance and CAR 2012
- Written paperwork: reports, results and waste consignment notes
- Asbestos waste double-bagged or wrapped and taken to a permitted site