How do I know if my home has asbestos?

The first filter: the building’s year

The sale of asbestos-containing materials was banned in Spain from 2002 (Order of 7 December 2001). That is why the Catalan Waste Agency requires the asbestos certificate only for properties built before 2002.

The year of construction appears on the property record of the Catastro (Spanish Land Registry) website, which you can check free of charge by address or cadastral reference. If the building is from 2002 or later, in practice it will not contain asbestos.

Where it is usually found in a home

• Corrugated or flat fibre cement sheets on terraces, sheds, patios and roofs.
• Fibre cement downpipes and pipes, for rainwater or drainage.
• Water tanks on flat roofs and roof terraces.
• Fibre cement ventilation ducts and flues.
• Fibre cement planters and moulded pieces on balconies and terraces.
• Some old vinyl floor tiles and their adhesives, and boiler or pipe insulation.

In the Barcelona metropolitan area, the Catalan Institute of Cartography and Geology (ICGC) has identified more than 9,000 fibre cement roofs visible from the air. Our “Where we work” page summarises the data.

How to recognise fibre cement

It is usually grey, rigid and looks like cement, in corrugated or flat sheets or in moulded pieces such as pipes and tanks. Not all fibre cement contains asbestos, but in a building from before 2002 it is prudent to assume it does until a professional assesses it.

The risk lies in inhaling the fibres, which are released mainly when the material is broken, cut or badly deteriorated. Material in good condition that is left alone poses less risk than a broken sheet.

What you should not do

• Break, cut, drill or sand the material to see what it is.
• Pull off a piece to have it analysed yourself.
• Clean it with a pressure washer or wire brushes.

Law 8/2026 prohibits individuals and companies from handling asbestos-containing materials except in the cases authorised by the regulations (art. 11.a).

How to confirm it

The asbestos presence or absence certificate is signed by a qualified professional after a visual inspection of the accessible spaces and elements. It states whether there is visible asbestos, its condition and the risk it poses (art. 21.3). It is the document the law requires when selling or renting (art. 21.2).

If you then need certainty about a specific material, for example before works that would affect it, confirmation comes from a laboratory analysis of a sample taken by specialist staff. Any work that handles the material must be done by a RERA-registered company (Royal Decree 396/2006).

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