Refurbishment Surveys

What 'refurbishment survey' means under HSG264#

HSG264 defines the refurbishment survey as the intrusive survey required where the building, or a defined part of it, is to be upgraded, refurbished or altered in a way that disturbs the fabric. Its purpose is to identify all ACMs that the planned works could reasonably disturb — not every ACM in the building. The scope is therefore defined by the works package, not by the building footprint. A refurbishment survey for a kitchen replacement opens up the kitchen, the floor below if pipes are being rerouted, and the riser the new feed will be taken from. A refurbishment survey for a full Cat A strip-out opens up everything within the demised area.

When the law requires one#

CAR 2012 regulation 5 prohibits any work liable to disturb asbestos without first identifying whether asbestos is present. CDM 2015 puts the duty on the client and the principal designer to provide pre-construction information that includes an asbestos refurbishment survey for any project on a pre-2000 building. In practice the duty is often delegated to the principal contractor, but the client cannot delegate the original obligation. The HSE's enforcement position has been consistent for over a decade: a contractor encountering asbestos because no refurbishment survey was commissioned is itself evidence of a regulatory failure by the client.

What 'intrusive' looks like in practice#

The surveyor will: lift carpets and vinyl, lift suspended ceiling tiles in full (not just look over the edge), drill exploratory holes through dry-lining to inspect studwork cavities, remove access panels, open boxing-in around pipework, lift loose floorboards, inspect inside risers and IT cabinets, and access loft and roof voids. On a kitchen survey the units are usually emptied and a section of plinth and back panel is removed. On a partition strip-out the surveyor confirms whether the partitions are AIB-lined by sampling at multiple points. Made-good reinstatement (filler, capping plaster, ceiling tile reseat) is usually included; full decorative reinstatement is not.

Scope of works package — the document that drives everything#

Every refurbishment survey should be commissioned against a written scope of works that lists the rooms affected, the elements being changed (ceilings, partitions, floor finishes, M&E first fix, decorations), and the depth of intervention (cosmetic, light refurb, full strip-out, structural). Without this document the surveyor is guessing. With it, the surveyor can plan intrusive openings, agree access with the occupier, and write a report that maps every finding directly to a works element. A properly scoped survey makes the contractor's tender pricing more accurate and protects everyone if a variation arises.

Vacating the area — when and why#

Most refurbishment surveys require the area to be vacated for the duration of the works. This is not bureaucracy — it is because intrusive openings generate suspect dust that must be controlled, and because occupants and stored furniture get in the way of meaningful inspection. On occupied commercial buildings the survey often runs out of hours or at weekends, with the area returned to use by Monday morning. On domestic kitchens and bathrooms the survey is typically half a day with the occupier out. On NHS or school estates the survey is sequenced around half-term, school holiday or planned ward closure.

Cost and timescales — 2026 UK figures#

Domestic kitchen or bathroom refurbishment survey: £350–£650. Small commercial unit (single retail, single floor of 200–500 m²): £700–£1,800. Mid-size office or school block being stripped out (1,000–3,000 m²): £2,500–£6,500. Whole-building Cat A strip-out (5,000–10,000 m²): £6,500–£15,000+. Site time: half a day for a domestic kitchen; 1–2 days for a small commercial unit; 3–10 days for a school or mid-size office. Report turnaround 5–10 working days standard, 48 hours at express premium. Include sampling cost (£30–£60 per sample) and reinstatement budget in the brief.

• •Domestic kitchen / bathroom: £350–£650
• •Small commercial unit (200–500 m²): £700–£1,800
• •School or office (1,000–3,000 m²): £2,500–£6,500
• •Cat A strip-out (5,000–10,000 m²): £6,500–£15,000+
• •Sample analysis: £30–£60 per sample
• •Standard report turnaround: 5–10 working days

Reading the report — what to look for#

A compliant refurbishment survey report should give you, for every works element, either a sampled identification of any ACM present, a 'no asbestos detected' result, or an explicit caveat where the area could not be accessed and an assumption must be made. The report must include marked-up drawings showing every intrusive opening, photographs of every finding, UKAS sample certificates, and a recommended removal scope linked to the works package. Anything left as 'presumed' should be flagged as a residual risk for the contractor to manage, with the cost of confirming it during enabling works costed in.

Linking the survey to the removal tender#

The output of the refurbishment survey should feed directly into a written asbestos removal specification that goes to three or four pre-qualified contractors. The specification names each item, the quantity, the regime (licensed, NNLW, non-licensed), the analyst arrangement, the disposal route and the reinstatement responsibility. Done this way, the removal package routinely prices 20–40% lower than the same scope handed to a single contractor as an informal walk-around. The survey on its own is the diagnostic; the specification is the lever that turns the diagnostic into a competitive tender.

Why projects discover asbestos mid-programme#

The recurring causes are: client commissioned a management survey thinking it was the same thing; the refurbishment survey was scoped only to the obvious rooms and missed an adjacent riser or void the works actually entered; the survey was commissioned against drawings that the contractor then varied; the survey was done before a change of design that introduced new openings; or the building had a previous register that was relied on but never reinspected. Every one of these is avoidable, and the cost of avoiding it is a fraction of the cost of dealing with the consequences.

What happens if asbestos is found#

Found ACMs are either removed under controlled conditions before the works start, encapsulated and worked around with a written method statement, or left in place with a permit-to-work regime. The choice is driven by the works package: anything in the path of the works is removed; anything adjacent but undisturbed can be encapsulated or managed. The removal is sequenced into the programme — typically as an enabling works package before the main contractor mobilises. Air clearance follows licensed work; reassurance air monitoring follows NNLW.

Surveyor competence and independence#

BOHS P402 minimum, ideally P405. UKAS 17020 accredited surveying organisation. Independent of any removal contractor that may bid for the resulting works. Named lead surveyor in the proposal. £5m–£10m PI and £10m PL insurance. On larger or higher-risk projects (schools, hospitals, occupied commercial) ask for two recent references and a CV. The cost difference between a UKAS-accredited firm and a non-accredited one is usually £100–£300 on a small job and is one of the easiest false economies to avoid.

Frequently asked questions