Asbestos testing in London

Worried about a textured ceiling in your flat, old floor tiles under the kitchen lino, or the grey cement roof on a garage or shed? Asbestos testing in London, England comes down to one question: what is this material, before anyone drills, sands or lifts it? London has a local reason to ask it first. The City of London Corporation collects asbestos from homes in almost every borough, but its page says it doesn't test it, take it down or wrap it. This page covers London's homes, flats and their shared parts, renting, getting rid of asbestos, and how testing works.

A city of flats

Most London homes are flats. The Valuation Office Agency records the type of every home on the council tax list. Its figures at 31 March 2025:

That's three homes in four in inner London. The figures count type, not age, but they matter: in a block, some ceilings and floors are yours, and some are shared.

HSE says asbestos may be in any building built or refurbished before 2000, whether that's a mansion block, a terrace or a post-war estate.

What that means in your home

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

Homes built before 1919. In a Victorian terrace or an Edwardian mansion block, the original brick and plaster are rarely the worry. A century of refits might be. A textured ceiling added in the 1970s, a kitchen floor laid in the 1960s, or old tiles hidden under later lino or laminate are the usual suspects.

Homes built from the 1930s to the 1970s. This is the era of vinyl floor tiles and the black adhesive under them, and of cement soffits, gutters, downpipes and garage roofs. 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. Asbestos cement was used until 1999.

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

Flats and the shared parts of a block

In a block, your front door isn't the edge of the building. The entrance hall, the stairs and the landings belong to nobody alone. HSE says the duty to manage asbestos falls on whoever is responsible for maintaining and repairing a building, and that it "also applies to the shared parts of some domestic premises".

So a textured coating on the communal stairwell ceiling is a question for whoever looks after the building: the managing agent, the freeholder or your landlord, depending on how the block is run. Ask what's already known before any work starts there.

Inside your own flat, test what you plan to disturb. Read about asbestos floor tiles before a refit lifts an old floor, and about Artex and textured ceilings before a ceiling is skimmed or drilled.

If you rent in London

If you rent, the ceilings and floors belong to your landlord, whether that's a council, a housing association or a private owner. Speak to them, or your letting agent, before any work that could disturb them, and ask what asbestos information they hold for your home.

The City of London's collection is for residents, who show proof of council tax. It won't take asbestos from landlords, charities or businesses, so a landlord's own works go by other routes. Our guide to renting and asbestos covers who does what.

Getting rid of asbestos in London

The Greater London Authority counts 32 London boroughs, plus the City of London Corporation. For asbestos from homes, the Corporation runs one collection for residents of every borough except Hillingdon, which runs its own scheme. Some tips take asbestos too. Here's what each authority's page says. Check the page for current details before you start.

The City of London collection

• Apply on the Corporation's online form, or leave a message on 020 7332 3433 (voicemail only). A paper form by post is much slower.
• Describe the load. Give your borough and contact details, then the size of each piece, or the number of rubble bags.
• Show you live there. The Corporation asks for proof of recent council tax payments.
• Wrap it yourself. Wrap each sizeable piece on its own in heavy-duty plastic, sealed with strong tape. Broken pieces go in builders' rubble bags that one person can lift. The Corporation doesn't supply wrapping.
• The free allowance. The first 15 square metres, or seven rubble bags, are free: your council pays. Larger loads are quoted individually and paid for before collection.
• How often. One collection per household in a rolling year, from your home.
• Waiting. The Corporation says it can take up to ten working days from receiving your paperwork to arrange a collection. Its contractor works area by area and gets in touch a few days ahead with the date.

The Corporation won't collect plasterboard or general building waste.

Hillingdon's own scheme

Each Hillingdon household gets six asbestos sheets or bags free in a rolling 12 months, and each bag can weigh 10 kg at most. Every extra sheet or bag costs £14.40 including VAT. You make a request through Love Clean Streets, online or in its app. Wrap each sheet twice in thick polythene, one sheet to each wrap.

Tips in north London

The North London Waste Authority serves seven boroughs: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

• Hornsey Street, Islington (40 Hornsey Street, N7 8HU) takes cement-bonded asbestos from north London residents. You must book first, by email or on 07557 205 292, so staff can check the container has room. Bring it double-wrapped in thick polythene sheeting and sealed with strong tape, or as small pieces in thick plastic sacks. The pedestrian drop-off point won't take it.
• Kings Road, Waltham Forest (48 Kings Road, E4 7HR) doesn't take asbestos. It points residents to Hornsey Street or the City of London collection.

No North London Waste Authority centre takes trade waste. Hornsey Street names only cement-bonded asbestos, the kind used in some grey garage and shed roof sheets, so if yours is a textured coating or a floor tile, ask about it when you book. Outside those seven boroughs, check your own borough's page. For the wider picture, see asbestos testing in England.

How testing works in London

1. Send us a photo using the free photo check. There are no questions to answer: it points at what's worth testing, how many samples, and how to take each one. Only the lab can say what a material is.
2. Take your sample in about 10 minutes, step by step. Your kit has the safety gear and the bags: an FFP3 mask, a coverall, gloves, a spray bottle and double sample bags. Add a flat screwdriver and some tape from home. Kits are launching soon: book a test kit with just your email.
3. The lab will analyse your sample. It will be a UKAS-accredited laboratory, named on every certificate.
4. You'll get a written result you can show your builder, plasterer, electrician or buyer.

For a garage roof or outside sheets, take your sample from an edge you can reach standing on the ground. Our guide to how to take an asbestos sample at home goes through each step.

Questions people ask

Updated 25 October 2026