Asbestos advice for a commercial property

If you’re the landlord, tenant or managing agent of a commercial property you may be responsible for managing asbestos, unless your contract or lease says otherwise.

What you must do:

• If you have a lease or contract, check who is responsible for asbestos
• Find out where the asbestos is (you’ll probably need an external accredited surveyor to carry out an asbestos survey)
• Have the material analysed and keep a record of what you find
• Carry out a health and safety risk assessment
• Share the information with anyone likely to come into contact with the area, eg builders
• Keep anything containing asbestos in good repair or have it sealed or removed

You will find more detailed information on the HSE website. This site also has 'asbestos essentials' which is a manual for building, maintenance and allied trades on how to safely carry out non-licensed work involving asbestos.