Does Asbestos Cement Removal Need a Licence?

Three categories of work

HSE sorts asbestos work into groups. Licensed work covers the higher-risk materials, such as sprayed coatings, lagging and insulating board, which release fibres easily. Non-licensed work covers lower-risk tasks, which includes careful work on asbestos cement. A third group sits between them: notifiable non-licensed work, where the task is non-licensed but carries enough risk that the enforcing authority must be told before it starts. The categories are about the risk of the task, not the identity of the roofer.

Asbestos cement is bound with cement and is generally a lower-risk material than the others, so careful removal is in the non-licensed group. That is why the claim that you always need a licensed contractor for an asbestos garage roof is a myth. It does not mean the work can be done carelessly.

When removal becomes notifiable

The trigger is how the sheets are treated. Taking them off whole, releasing fixings so they are not broken, is non-licensed. If the plan is to break the material up substantially, for example by dropping the roof to the ground, smashing it or crushing it, the work becomes notifiable non-licensed work. The notification must be made to the relevant authority before the job begins, and more controls apply.

So the licence question is really about method. A competent firm will avoid breaking sheets in the first place, because it is both safer and simpler. Our guide to demolishing an asbestos garage explains how a whole structure is dismantled.

What is always required

Whatever the category, three things apply. First, a risk assessment, which looks at the material, the condition, the method and who might be affected. Second, controls to keep fibres down, such as wetting the sheets, using hand tools, avoiding abrasion, sealing waste and cleaning up. Third, training for the people doing the work, so they understand the hazard and the methods. HSE guidance covers all three at hse.gov.uk.

Task guidance for small structures such as garages also suggests overlaying as an alternative to removal in some cases. It does not apply if other asbestos materials, such as insulating board, are present on the building.

What stays licensed

Insulating board, sprayed asbestos, lagging and similar higher-risk materials remain licensed work. A garage with a lining of asbestos insulating board, or boarded soffits made from it, needs a different approach for those parts. This is why identifying everything first matters. Our guide on testing a garage roof for asbestos explains how a sample is taken and analysed.

Reading what contractors say

When you collect quotes, ask how the sheets will be removed and what controls will be used. A firm that talks of breaking the roof up and skipping it is describing the higher-risk method. A firm that describes whole-sheet removal, wetting, wrapping and a labelled disposal is describing the safer one. Whether a firm holds a licence says little about whether a particular job needed one, so do not rely on the label alone. Be wary of a quote that is far below the others, since cutting corners on controls and disposal is where savings are made.

Check the waste route as well. Our page on asbestos disposal in Hampshire explains where the waste can go.

Why the myth persists

The idea that only licensed firms can touch asbestos has an honest origin. Licensing does apply to the more hazardous materials, and the word sticks. Cost websites and some contractors repeat it because it sounds safe and it justifies a high price, and because a licensed firm is easier to defend than a debate about categories. The rules are published, and the distinction matters to you because it affects who can do the job, what it costs and how the quotes compare. If a firm says a licence is essential for a sound asbestos cement roof, ask which rule they mean. A good answer cites the task, the material and the method.

Records worth keeping

After the work, ask for a copy of the risk assessment or method statement, the waste consignment note and any notification that was made. They show that the job was done properly and the waste went where it should. A future buyer or their solicitor may ask for them, and they protect you if a question is raised later.

How we do it

The free survey comes with photographs of your own roof and an explanation of the method we would use, from assessing the sheets through to disposal. The fixed written quote covers it. We handle the job under the non-licensed rules for careful removal, and we will say honestly if anything on site changes that. See asbestos garage roof removal for the full process, or return to garage roof replacement for the other options.