Direct answer
Asbestos testing in London typically costs about £80 to £140 per sample, removing a standard asbestos cement garage roof about £600 to £1,500, and disposal of bonded material about £450 to £800 per tonne. Those are indicative ranges, not a rate card. Asbestos is a specialist hazardous waste job for contractors with the right licence or training, and houseclearance.co carriers handle the rest of a clearance once any asbestos has been dealt with separately.
What asbestos removal costs in London
Indicative ranges for the common jobs, not a rate card.
Asbestos work is priced very differently from ordinary rubbish removal, because it is a regulated hazardous waste that must be identified, handled with precautions, double-wrapped and taken to a licensed site. The ranges below are indicative figures for common domestic jobs in London. Your own price depends on the material, the amount and whether the work needs a licence.
| Job | Indicative cost | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Sampling and lab test of a suspect material | £80 – £140 | Number of samples, surveyor call-out, lab turnaround |
| Removal of a standard asbestos cement garage roof | £600 – £1,500 | Roof size, access, whether panels are intact, disposal fees |
| Bonded (asbestos cement) material, per tonne | £450 – £800 | Contractor and licence level, quantity, distance to site |
Treat these as planning figures only. Asbestos costs rise quickly if the material is damaged, if it is insulation or coating rather than cement, or if the work has to be enclosed. A contractor should visit, or at least see clear photographs, before giving a price.
Is it asbestos? Identifying and testing
Why you should never guess.
Asbestos was banned from use in the UK in 1999, but it can still be found in homes built or refurbished before then. Common places include garage and shed roofs and panels made of asbestos cement, textured coatings on ceilings, pipe lagging, boiler and flue materials, old floor tiles and the backing of some vinyl flooring. You cannot tell by looking, so a suspect material needs to be tested.
A surveyor or contractor can take a sample and send it to an accredited laboratory, which is what the sampling figure above pays for. Until you have a result, leave the material alone:
- Do not drill, sand, scrape, break or sweep it, and do not use a vacuum cleaner on suspect dust.
- Keep children and pets away and, if it is damaged, keep the room closed.
- Do not put it in a skip or ordinary rubbish, and do not take it to a normal household recycling centre unless the council has confirmed it accepts it.
The Health and Safety Executive publishes plain-English guidance on where asbestos is found and what to do.
Licensed contractors and non-licensed work
Not every asbestos job needs a licence, but none is for a general clearance crew.
In Great Britain, work with the more dangerous forms of asbestos, such as sprayed coatings, lagging and insulation board, generally has to be done by a contractor licensed by the HSE. Lower-risk work, such as removing intact asbestos cement sheets from a garage roof, can fall under non-licensed or notifiable non-licensed work, but it still has legal requirements for training, precautions and notification.
In practice that means you should get quotes from contractors who specialise in asbestos, ask what licence or training they hold, and ask for their waste carrier registration and the paperwork for disposal. A general house clearance or rubbish removal carrier should not be taking asbestos out of a property, and if suspected asbestos turns up during a clearance, work involving it should stop until it has been identified.
How asbestos waste is disposed of
Hazardous waste has its own rules and paperwork.
Asbestos waste is classed as hazardous waste. It has to be wrapped and labelled, transported by a registered carrier and taken to a site permitted to accept it, and the movement is recorded on a consignment note. That is a large part of why the cost per tonne is so much higher than for general waste.
Most London household recycling centres do not take asbestos. A few councils accept small quantities of bagged asbestos cement from residents by booking, so check your own council's website before doing anything. Never fly-tip it. Leaving asbestos on a roadside is a serious offence, and as the householder you can be held responsible if you hand it to someone without the right registration. See our guides to fly-tipping penalties and the householder duty of care.
Asbestos and house clearance, garage and building work
Where it comes up in practice.
The places asbestos most often affects a clearance are garages, sheds and lofts, older properties being cleared after a death or sale, and renovation work. If you are clearing a garage with a corrugated cement roof, the roof is a separate specialist job from the contents, and our garage clearance cost guide explains how the contents are priced.
For building and renovation waste more widely, see the builders and renovation waste cost guide and the building waste disposal guide. For a whole property, the house clearance cost guide covers how a normal clearance is priced once any hazardous material has been dealt with separately, and our responsible disposal page explains what happens to ordinary waste afterwards.
How to get a sensible price
Three steps from suspicion to removal.
Identify it
Have the material tested. Do not disturb it first.
Get specialist quotes
Ask asbestos contractors for written quotes covering removal, wrapping, transport, disposal and the paperwork, and compare more than one.
Then clear the rest
Once the asbestos is gone, post the remaining clearance and licensed carriers can quote for the rest of the job.
Frequently asked questions
How much does asbestos removal cost in London?
Indicatively, £80 to £140 to test a sample, around £600 to £1,500 to remove a standard asbestos cement garage roof, and £450 to £800 per tonne of bonded material. The real price depends on the material, the amount and whether a licence is needed.
Can I remove asbestos myself?
Do not guess. Some low-risk asbestos cement work is not licensed, but it still carries legal requirements, and the dust is dangerous if disturbed. Get it tested and ask a specialist for advice before touching it.
Will a house clearance company take asbestos?
A general clearance or rubbish removal carrier should not remove asbestos. It is a specialist hazardous waste job, and suspected asbestos found during a clearance should be left until it has been identified.
Can I take asbestos to the council tip?
Most London household recycling centres do not accept it. A few take small bagged amounts of asbestos cement by appointment, so check your council's website first.
How do I know if something contains asbestos?
You cannot tell by looking. Materials in buildings from before 2000 should be treated as suspect until a laboratory test says otherwise.
What happens if I fly-tip asbestos?
It is a serious offence and can lead to prosecution or substantial fines. As the householder you can also be liable if you pass it to someone who is not a registered carrier.
Ready to see your price?
Once any asbestos has been dealt with, post the rest of your clearance for licensed carriers to quote on.
