There are three different checks. A lab test tells you whether one material
contains asbestos. An inspection looks over the whole property and maps likely
spots. A clearance confirms an area is safe after removal.
Lab testing is around $110 a sample and inspections with a report start from
around $250.
Guide only. We confirm your fixed price in writing after a free on-site quote.
Prices include GST.
People often ask for a test when they actually need an inspection,
or ask for an inspection when a single sample would answer the question.
Choosing the right one saves money and a second visit.
Nobody can tell asbestos by eye. Fibro made after the late 1980s looks almost
identical to the older sheets. Only a lab test confirms it.
Lab test, inspection or clearance?
| Lab test | Inspection with report | Clearance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | Does this one material contain asbestos? | Where might asbestos be across the property, and what condition is it in? | Is the area safe to use again after removal? |
| When you need it | One sheet, tile or patch before you cut, drill or sand | Buying, selling, renting out, renovating, strata works | Straight after removal, before anyone moves back in |
| Who does it | We take the sample; an accredited laboratory analyses it | Our assessor walks the property and writes it up | Someone independent of the removal business, by law |
| What you get | A lab result: detected or not detected, and the type | A plain-English report with photos, locations and next steps | A clearance certificate for the work area |
| Guide price | Around $110 a sample Guide only. We confirm your fixed price in writing after a free on-site quote. Prices include GST. | From around $250 Guide only. We confirm your fixed price in writing after a free on-site quote. Prices include GST. | $385–$990 Guide only. We confirm your fixed price in writing after a free on-site quote. Prices include GST. |
Prices are guides only, inc GST. Your fixed price is confirmed in writing after
we see the job.
Leave sampling to someone trained
Do not break a piece off to send with your enquiry.
Tell us where it is and leave it undisturbed.
We work out how to collect a suitable sample without leaving an exposed edge or
spreading dust.
A photo helps us plan the visit, but it cannot produce a positive or negative
asbestos result. The laboratory needs a material sample.
We explain which materials need separate samples and what that means for your
quote.
Where we look in an older home
Homes built or renovated before 1990 may contain asbestos.
These are the places an inspection covers first:
View the full list
Roofs and gutters
Ceilings
Wall cladding and eaves
Fencing
Bathroom and kitchen sheeting
Vinyl floor tiles
Flues
Switchboard backing
Window putty
What a result does and does not mean
A positive result for one sample covers that material only.
A wall next to it may be different. A negative result means asbestos was not
detected in that sample; it is not a guarantee for the whole house.
Air monitoring is different again. It measures fibres in the air during or after
work and is required with Class A removal.
It does not tell you what a sheet is made of.
Before the inspection
Tell us why you need the information.
A buyer deciding whether to proceed needs a different scope from a builder about
to strip a bathroom. Share the rooms or surfaces involved, any existing reports
and what you can safely see without touching the material.
For an occupied home, tenancy or apartment,
make sure the owner or responsible manager knows about the proposed visit.
We agree which areas can be entered and whether sampling is included before the
inspection starts.
Read the scope as well as the result
An inspection report should make it clear which areas were checked,
where samples were collected and which areas could not be reached.
A locked room, covered wall or inaccessible cavity is a limit on that
inspection, not evidence that no asbestos is present.
Keep the report and lab results together.
Give the relevant pages to anyone planning work so the sample locations can be
matched to the actual surfaces. If the proposed work changes, ask whether the
original scope still answers the question.
Choosing the next step
A laboratory result answers what is in the sample.
It does not, on its own, decide when the whole building needs removal.
We explain the findings and the work you are planning,
then set out any removal scope in a separate written quote.
After removal, the clearance is a new check of the work area.
It is not a replacement for an earlier property inspection and does not certify
uninspected parts of the house. Keep the independent clearance document and
waste paperwork with the job records.