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Asbestos roof removal in Gauteng the compliant process, step by step, with the timeline
A compliant removal is 7 days of notice, 1 to 2 days on the roof for a house, licensed disposal, and a clearance certificate at the end. About three weeks start to finish.
Estimate your roof
House roofs run 120 to 180 m². Warehouses start around 500 m².
- Strip only
- R22,500 – R37,500
- Strip + new roof
- R97,500 – R142,500
WhatsApp. Reply in minutes during business hours. Or show us the roof from above.
Removing more than 10 m² of asbestos-cement is Type 2 asbestos work. It must be done by a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour, with the Department notified 7 days before work starts, under a written plan of work, using wet hand removal, with the sheets double-wrapped, transported by a licensed carrier and disposed of at a licensed hazardous-waste landfill. An Approved Inspection Authority monitors the air and issues the clearance certificate afterwards.
Who is allowed to remove an asbestos roof
The 2020 regulations sort asbestos work into three types. Ask for the registration certificate before you sign anything.
Type 1
Less than 10 m² of asbestos-cement, or painting without surface preparation. A single small shed. Anyone may do it, with wrapping and licensed disposal.
Type 2
Removal of asbestos-cement sheets, or repair and encapsulation without surface preparation. Every house and factory roof. Registered Type 2 or 3 contractor.
Type 3
Removal, repair or encapsulation where surface preparation is required, or friable material such as lagging. Registered Type 3 contractor only.
What happens, step by step
- Photos and a site check. You send the suburb, size and photos; the contractor visits, confirms it is asbestos, measures, checks access, and looks for asbestos gutters, ridges and cladding.
- Fixed quote. Removal rate per m², the new roof, disposal, air monitoring and the certificate, any timber-repair rate. You co-sign the plan of work.
- Notification, day 1. The Department of Employment and Labour is notified at least 7 days before work starts. The Approved Inspection Authority is appointed in writing.
- Site set-up, day 8. A regulated area is marked and signed. Workers wear disposable coveralls and P3 respirators. Household, pets and neighbours stay clear of the work zone; you do not move out.
- Wet, hand removal, days 8 to 9. Sheets are wetted, fixings undone, each sheet lowered whole. No grinders, no drilling, no breaking, no dropping into a skip. Ridges, gutters, downpipes and fascias come off in the same window.
- Wrap and label. Every sheet double-wrapped in heavy-duty polythene and labelled as asbestos waste. The area is cleaned by wet wiping and HEPA vacuum, never dry sweeping.
- Transport and disposal, day 9 to 10. A licensed carrier takes the load to a landfill licensed for asbestos under the Waste Act. In Gauteng that is typically the Class A Holfontein site at Springs. You receive the disposal certificate.
- Air monitoring and clearance, day 10 to 12. The Approved Inspection Authority monitors the air and issues the asbestos clearance certificate. Keep it: buyers, insurers and solar installers ask for it.
- New roof, days 10 to 14. Purlins checked and repaired where needed, then steel sheeting or tiles. For a 150 m² house, 2 to 4 days; weather-tight by the end of each working day.
Photo: mikecogh, CC BY-SA 2.0How long it takes
| Stage | 150 m² house | 500 m² factory |
|---|---|---|
| Site check to signed quote | 2 – 5 days | 1 – 2 weeks |
| Notification period | 7 days | 7 days |
| Removal on site | 1 – 2 days | 4 – 8 days |
| Clearance certificate | 1 – 3 days after | 1 – 3 days after |
| New roof | 2 – 4 days | 1 – 2 weeks |
| Start to finish | About 3 weeks | 4 – 8 weeks |
Your duties as the client
- Provide the asbestos inventory if the building has one, or have the contractor update it.
- Appoint the registered contractor and the Approved Inspection Authority in writing.
- Co-sign the plan of work; make sure the 7-day notification has gone in.
- Keep everyone who is not part of the work out of the regulated area.
- Keep the disposal and clearance certificates with the property's papers.
What a non-compliant removal looks like
A team that can start tomorrow, breaks the sheets to get them down faster, loads them loose on a bakkie and disappears with the waste, which ends up on open ground on the East Rand. No notification, no monitoring, no certificate, and fibre in your ceiling void. The saving is usually a few thousand rand on a house. The exposure is the whole household's, and the missing certificate turns up at the sale.
Questions people ask about the removal process
Do I have to move out while the asbestos roof is removed?
For a roof, usually not. The work happens outside and above the ceiling, the regulated area is the roof and the ground around it, and the house is closed up during removal. The contractor tells you which rooms to keep shut and cleans by wet wiping and HEPA vacuum, not sweeping.
Why does removal take 7 days to start?
The Asbestos Abatement Regulations, 2020 require the contractor to notify the Department of Employment and Labour at least 7 days before asbestos work begins. A contractor who can start tomorrow either has not notified or is not registered.
What is an asbestos clearance certificate?
A certificate issued by an Approved Inspection Authority after Type 2 or 3 work, confirming the area was cleaned and air monitoring showed fibre levels below the limit. Keep it: buyers, insurers and solar installers ask for it.
Where does the asbestos go?
To a landfill licensed for asbestos under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008. In Gauteng that is typically the Class A Holfontein hazardous-waste site at Springs on the East Rand. The contractor gives you the disposal certificate as proof.
Can the same contractor fit the new roof?
Yes, and it is the simplest route: one quote, one programme, the house weather-tight by the end of each day. The removal must still be done under the asbestos registration and the new roof under normal building rules.
Get the compliant version of this, quoted
Send the suburb, size and a photo. The registered contractor comes back with a fixed quote that covers every step above, including the certificate.