Asbestos testing in Cardiff

Worried about a textured ceiling in Roath, old floor tiles under the lino in Llanishen, or the grey roof on a garage in Ely? You're far from alone. Most of Cardiff's homes were built before 2000, when asbestos could still be used in building materials. This page covers what that means for your home, what Cardiff Council offers, and how to find out what a material is.

How old are Cardiff's homes?

The Valuation Office Agency records the build period of every home on the council tax list. Its figures for Cardiff, at 31 March 2025:

That's about 133,000 of Cardiff's 166,750 homes, or roughly four in five, built before 2000. Across Wales as a whole the figure is even higher, at about 85%.

Two things stand out. Of all the periods the agency records after the war, the biggest is 1955 to 1964, with about 20,550 homes. And Cardiff has a large group, about one in seven, built between 1983 and 1999. Some products contained asbestos right up to 1999, so "built in the 1990s" isn't automatically in the clear.

What that means in your home

The age of your home is a clue to what's worth checking. These are rough patterns, not rules.

Homes built before 1919. The original brick and plaster are rarely the worry. A century of improvements might be. A textured ceiling added in the 1970s, a kitchen floor laid in the 1960s, boxing-in around new pipes, or a panel behind an old fire are the usual suspects.

Homes built from the 1930s to the 1970s. This is the era of asbestos cement garage roofs and soffits, insulation board in airing cupboards and around heaters, and vinyl floor tiles. Textured ceilings were especially common in the 1960s and 70s.

Homes built in the 1980s and 1990s. HSE's survey guide says asbestos was added to textured coatings until about 1984, with old stock used for several years after, and that asbestos insulation board stopped being made in 1980. Asbestos cement was used until 1999. Ceilings, roofs and soffits are still worth testing before work.

You can't tell by looking, whatever the age. Only a lab can tell you what a material is.

If you rent from Cardiff Council

Cardiff Council says it has carried out around 12,000 asbestos surveys of its homes, and will carry on until every property is surveyed. It reports that none of the asbestos found so far was classed as high risk, and most was classed as low or very low risk.

Council tenants can look up their own home in the asbestos checker on the Cardiff Housing website, by postcode or street name. If you're thinking about home improvements that might disturb asbestos, the council asks you to contact it first. It says changes to the fabric of the home without written approval aren't permitted under your tenancy.

Renting privately? In Wales, the Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 list "asbestos and manufactured mineral fibres" among the matters that decide whether a rented home is fit to live in. Speak to your landlord before any work, and see renting and asbestos.

Getting rid of asbestos in Cardiff

Cardiff Council's own page sets out two options for small amounts of asbestos from a home. Check the page for current details before you start.

A free kerbside collection. The council offers a free kerbside collection for small amounts, which must fit into one council asbestos sack (1150 mm by 870 mm). It delivers the sack and a clear outer bag, so the waste is double-bagged. Its contractor then tells you when to put the sack out. You request a sack using the council's online form.

Bessemer Close recycling centre. You can take up to two council-supplied asbestos sacks to Bessemer Close. You must book an appointment first, and for asbestos you can't book online: the council says to call 029 2087 2087.

More than two sacks. The council says you'll need a licensed company to remove it.

Never put asbestos in your garden waste, food waste, recycling or general bin. And never break up sheets to make them fit a sack. If a whole garage roof or shed needs to go, that's a job for a professional.

A bit of local history

Asbestos cement wasn't only used in Cardiff. Some of it was made nearby. Grace's Guide, an archive of British industrial history, records that Turners Asbestos Cement Co bought a factory at Rhoose, in South Wales, in 1935. Products like these were used in homes all over the UK, so this tells you about the past, not about your particular roof.

How testing works in Cardiff

1. Send us a photo using the free photo check. Tell us what it is and what you're planning. We'll point at what's worth testing, how many samples, and anything you shouldn't touch.
2. Take a small sample with the kit, if the material is one you can sample safely. Kits are launching soon.
3. The lab analyses your sample. It's a UKAS-accredited laboratory, named on every certificate.
4. You get a written result you can show your builder, plasterer, electrician or buyer.

Some things you should never sample yourself, including pipe lagging, sprayed coatings, loose-fill insulation, damaged material, and a garage roof you'd have to climb. Insulation board needs a photo first. See should you sample it yourself?

Questions people ask

Updated 23 October 2026