Yes, you can sell a house with an asbestos garage roof. It is completely legal, there is no obligation to remove it before you sell, and thousands of UK homes change hands every year with asbestos cement garages attached.
What you should expect is for the buyer’s survey to flag it. Most surveyors spot a corrugated asbestos cement roof immediately and recommend further investigation, and that note in the report often becomes a bargaining chip for the buyer.
The good news is that the roof itself is a small, cheap problem to solve. Handled early, it will not derail your sale. This guide explains what surveyors do, what you must disclose, and the four ways to deal with it before or during a sale.
What the Buyer’s Survey Will Actually Say
A RICS Home Survey almost always identifies a corrugated cement garage roof as suspected asbestos. It is one of the most common findings in the whole report, particularly on homes built before 1990.
The surveyor will typically give it a Condition Rating 2 or 3 and recommend testing or a specialist assessment. They are not saying the roof is dangerous; they are covering the possibility, because asbestos cannot be confirmed by eye.
Mortgage lenders are usually relaxed about a detached garage, so the sale rarely falls through on the survey alone. The real risk is buyer jitters and renegotiation, which is where preparation matters. If you are not sure what you are dealing with, our guide on how to tell if your garage roof is asbestos covers the tell-tale signs.
Your Disclosure Duties: The TA6 Form
During conveyancing you will complete the TA6 property information form, which asks directly whether the property contains asbestos. You must answer honestly based on what you actually know.
If you know the garage roof is asbestos cement, say so. Knowingly concealing it can create misrepresentation liability, and a buyer who discovers the truth after completion could pursue you for their costs.
There is no duty to remove the roof, only to be truthful about it. “Not known” is a legitimate answer if the roof has never been tested, but a vague answer will not stop the buyer’s surveyor raising it anyway.
How Buyers Use It in Negotiation
Here is the pattern estate agents see constantly. The survey flags the roof, the buyer searches online for asbestos removal, finds frightening numbers, and asks for £3,000, £5,000 or more off the agreed price.
The actual cost is far lower. Professional removal of a single garage roof, including licensed disposal, typically runs £500 to £1,000, and removal plus a brand new roof is usually £1,500 to £3,000. Our asbestos garage roof removal cost guide breaks those figures down in detail.
That gap between perceived cost and real cost is exactly what buyers exploit. Your job as a seller is to close it with hard evidence: a fixed written quote, or a roof that has already been replaced.
Selling soon? Get a free fixed quote for removal or replacement in writing, ready to hand to your buyer or agent. Request a quote or call 0203 468 1242. No deposit*, and you pay on completion.
Your Four Options as a Seller
There is no single right answer. The best route depends on your timescale, the condition of the garage and the market you are selling into.
- Do nothing and disclose. Zero upfront cost, but you leave the negotiation door wide open and risk a bigger discount than removal would ever have cost you.
- Get a fixed quote to hand to buyers. Free and fast. A written quote for £500 to £1,000 kills a £3,000 price-chip argument on the spot.
- Remove and replace before listing. The tidiest option at £1,500 to £3,000. The survey finds nothing, and a new roof with a transferable 10-year guarantee becomes a selling point instead of a fault.
- Demolish a derelict garage. If the structure is past saving, full garage demolition with safe asbestos disposal leaves a clean, usable plot instead of a liability.
Why Replacing Before You List Often Pays for Itself
Spending £1,500 to £3,000 on a full garage roof replacement routinely saves more than that in avoided renegotiation. Buyers who cannot find a problem cannot price one in.
It also changes the tone of the listing. “Newly replaced garage roof with 10-year guarantee” is a feature; “asbestos noted in survey” is a fault, and only one of them helps your agent sell the house.
Speed matters when you are already on the market, and most garage roofs are removed and replaced in a single day. You can book the work between viewings without pausing the sale.
The Paperwork Buyers’ Solicitors Want to See
Whatever route you take, keep the documents. Conveyancers deal in evidence, and the right paperwork turns an awkward pre-contract enquiry into a one-line answer.
Every asbestos roof removal we carry out comes with a Hazardous Waste Consignment Note and disposal certificate, proving the material was removed and disposed of legally by an Environment Agency registered waste carrier (CBDU516703).
Pass copies to your solicitor as soon as the work is done. If the roof was replaced, add the 10-year workmanship guarantee, which transfers to the buyer and sits neatly in the contract pack.
Fast Pre-Sale Help Across London and the South East
The Garage Roof Company is based in Chessington, Surrey and works across Greater London, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. Our UKATA-trained teams handle removal, replacement and demolition, and most jobs are finished in one day.
Quotes are free and fixed, there is no deposit*, and you pay on completion, so there is nothing to lose by getting a figure before you list. With over 210 Google reviews and a 5.0 rating, we are used to working to exchange deadlines.
Call 0203 468 1242 or request a quote online and have the asbestos question answered before your buyer ever asks it.
