Renting and asbestos

Rented homes have the same old ceilings, floors and garage roofs as everyone else's. The difference is that there are two people involved: the person who lives there, and the person who owns it. This page is in two halves. The first is for tenants. The second is for landlords.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Housing law differs between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you're in a dispute, get advice from your council or a housing adviser.

If you rent

Ask before you drill, sand or strip

Putting up shelves, fitting a curtain rail, sanding a ceiling or lifting old tiles can all disturb materials that may contain asbestos. Many tenancy agreements need your landlord's permission for alterations anyway. Councils that let homes are clear about asbestos in particular. For example:

• Cardiff Council tells its tenants to contact it before home improvements that might disturb asbestos. It says changes to the fabric of the home without written approval aren't permitted under the tenancy, and that work done without approval can leave the tenant liable for the costs of dealing with any asbestos incident.
• Bristol City Council asks its tenants to get permission before any DIY or home improvement work that may disturb building materials.
• West Lothian Council tells its tenants they must get the council's permission before any DIY works.

If you're not sure, ask first, in writing.

If something looks damaged

If a ceiling, board, pipe covering or old tile is cracked, crumbling or broken:

• stop any work and keep people and pets away from it;
• don't sweep it up or use a vacuum cleaner on it;
• close the door to that room if you can;
• tell your landlord or letting agent straight away, in writing, with a photo.

Bristol City Council's advice to its tenants is to stop work and contact its repairs team. West Lothian Council's advice for emergencies includes closing the door to the affected area.

Can a tenant test for asbestos?

It isn't your property, so ask your landlord before you take any sample.

If you rent from a council or housing association, ask them first. They may already know. Bristol City Council says it checks its asbestos register for any record at your home and may survey and take samples, for free. Cardiff Council says it has carried out around 12,000 surveys of its homes, and its housing website has an asbestos checker that tenants can search by postcode or street. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says Housing Executive tenants should contact the Housing Executive.

If you rent privately and your landlord agrees, our photo check can help you both see what's worth testing. Share the result with your landlord either way.

If your landlord won't deal with damaged asbestos

• England. Councils use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System to assess hazards in homes, rented or owned. The government's 2026 guide for landlords lists, as a baseline indicator, "Asbestos-containing material free from defects and maintained to prevent release of fibres." Councils often inspect after a complaint from a tenant. Contact your council's private housing team.
• Wales. The Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 list "Asbestos and manufactured mineral fibres" among the matters taken into account in deciding whether a home is fit to live in.
• Scotland. Contact your council for advice.
• Northern Ireland. nidirect says private tenants should contact their landlord or letting agency, and that HSENI runs an asbestos advisory service.

If you're a landlord

Flats and shared buildings

If you own or manage a building with shared parts, such as a block of flats with a shared hall and stairs, you're likely to have a legal duty to manage asbestos in those shared parts. HSE says the duty "also applies to the shared parts of some domestic premises". HSENI says the same for Northern Ireland, naming the common parts of buildings such as purpose-built flats.

Inside the homes you let

Your tenants' homes need to be free of serious hazards, and asbestos in poor condition is one of the hazards councils look at (see above). Good practice, in plain terms:

• know what's in the property, especially before works;
• keep a record of anything tested, where it is, and its condition;
• check flagged materials at each inspection;
• tell your tenants what not to drill or disturb, and why;
• share results with them.

When you hire tradespeople, they have duties too. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, before maintenance work that could disturb asbestos, an employer, including a self-employed tradesperson, must assess whether asbestos is present, or assume it is. Tell them what you know.

Should a landlord use a home test kit?

For your legal duties, no. HSE's survey guide says that for people at work, asbestos surveying and sampling is likely to count as work with asbestos, needing a risk assessment and a plan of work. A home kit isn't a survey, and it won't meet a duty to manage asbestos. Use a competent surveyor. HSE strongly recommends surveyors accredited to the standard ISO 17020.

Our photo check can still help you understand what you're looking at before you call one in. Our kits are designed for homeowners, not for landlords' duties.

Questions people ask

Updated 23 October 2026