Legally, yes. If you own your home and the garage roof is made of bonded asbestos cement sheets, you are allowed to remove it yourself. It is normally classed as non-licensed work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and no law stops a householder doing it on their own property.
Whether you should is a different question. The HSE strongly advises against DIY asbestos work, the method is slow and unforgiving, and the disposal rules catch out almost everyone who tries.
Once you price up the kit, the wrapping, the disposal fees and a weekend of careful work at height, most people find that a professional quote of £500 to £1,000 is the cheaper option. Here is the full picture, so you can decide properly.
What the Law Actually Says
Almost every asbestos garage roof in the UK is bonded asbestos cement, usually corrugated sheets fitted before asbestos was banned in November 1999. The fibres are locked into the cement, which is why removal is normally non-licensed work rather than a job reserved for licensed contractors.
As a householder working on your own home, that means no licence and no notification. The law treats the work differently the moment money changes hands.
A tradesperson paid to remove the roof must have asbestos training, complete a proper risk assessment and follow safe working methods, and if the sheets are badly weathered or broken the job can become notifiable non-licensed work with extra duties. Landlords should not treat a rented property like their own home; removal there belongs with trained contractors working to HSE guidance.
The HSE Method if You Insist
The HSE publishes guidance for exactly this task, and it shows why the job is harder than it looks. Everything depends on keeping the sheets whole and damp, because fibres are only released when the cement is broken or abraded.
Never break, cut, drill, drag or power-wash the sheets. If a sheet will not come free without snapping, that is the point where most DIYers should stop.
At a minimum you would need:
- A properly fitted FFP3 disposable respirator, not an ordinary dust mask
- Type 5/6 disposable coveralls and disposable gloves
- A garden sprayer to dampen the sheets before and during handling
- 1000-gauge polythene sheeting or purpose-made asbestos bags, plus warning labels and tape
- Bolt croppers or nut splitters to remove fixings without shattering the sheets
- Safe access such as a scaffold tower and crawl boards, because asbestos cement is fragile and will not take your weight
The method is simple to describe and slow to do well. Dampen each sheet, remove the fixings carefully, lift the sheet clear without levering it, and lower it to the ground rather than dropping it.
Double-wrap each sheet in polythene, seal it and label it. Then pick every broken fragment out of the gutters and off the roof timbers, where decades of debris usually hides.
Disposal Is Where DIY Falls Apart
Removing the sheets is only half the job. Asbestos is hazardous waste, and this is where most DIY plans quietly collapse.
Many council recycling centres refuse asbestos altogether. Those that accept it usually demand an advance booking, strict double-wrapping and quantity limits that a full garage roof will exceed. Our guide to the asbestos disposal rules in the UK covers the detail.
Transport is the next problem. A garage roof is a stack of heavy, brittle, hazardous sheets, and you cannot move that safely in a normal car.
The real trap is the cheap man-and-van advert. If the person who takes your asbestos is not a registered waste carrier and it ends up fly-tipped, the liability lands on you as the producer of the waste, with unlimited fines and up to five years in prison for fly-tipping offences. Professional asbestos disposal exists precisely so householders never carry that risk.
Still weighing it up? Get a free fixed quote for removal and disposal from The Garage Roof Company. No deposit*, pay on completion, and most single garages are cleared in a morning. Request a quote or call 0203 468 1242.
DIY vs Professional: The Honest Numbers
Professional removal of a single garage roof, including disposal and the paperwork, typically costs £500 to £1,000. That sounds like the expensive option until you price the DIY route properly.
| Item | Typical DIY cost |
|---|---|
| FFP3 respirators and type 5/6 coveralls | £40 to £70 |
| 1000-gauge polythene, tape and labels | £30 to £60 |
| Scaffold tower or platform hire | £60 to £120 |
| Licensed collection, skip or tip fees | £100 to £300 |
| Your time | A full weekend, done properly |
A realistic DIY total sits between £230 and £550 before anything goes wrong, and it buys you the risk instead of removing it. A professional price also includes the disposal certificate that proves the asbestos left your property legally, which matters when you come to sell.
For a fuller breakdown by garage size, see our guide to asbestos garage roof removal costs.
When DIY Genuinely Makes No Sense
Some jobs should never be a DIY debate. A double garage or a block of garages multiplies the sheet count, the weight and the disposal volume far beyond what one householder can manage.
Broken, crumbling or heavily weathered sheets are harder to keep whole, and old sheets often crack the moment the fixings are disturbed. If the roof is already damaged, the fibre risk rises and so does the case for leaving it alone.
Height and access settle the rest. Falls through fragile roofs remain one of the most common causes of death in UK construction, and asbestos cement will not hold a person. If you cannot rig safe access across every sheet, the job is not safe to start.
What a Professional Job Looks Like
A proper asbestos roof removal is quick because the method is rehearsed. Our UKATA-trained teams work to HSE guidance and the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and a single garage is normally stripped, wrapped and loaded in a morning.
The sheets are dampened, unbolted, lowered and double-wrapped on site. Gutters and timbers are picked clear of fragments, and everything leaves with us as an Environment Agency registered waste carrier, licence CBDU516703. You receive a Hazardous Waste Consignment Note as proof of legal disposal.
Most customers have a new roof fitted the same day. Our garage roof replacement service comes with a 10-year workmanship guarantee, so the asbestos question is settled for good.
The Garage Roof Company is based in Chessington, Surrey and covers London and the South East, including Greater London, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. With more than 210 Google reviews at a 5.0 rating, free fixed quotes, no deposit* and payment on completion, the safest answer to the DIY question is one phone call: 0203 468 1242.
