Buying, Selling or Renting an Older Brisbane Home
One local asbestos team for Greater Brisbane.
We'll be in touch within 30 minutes.
If a Brisbane home was built before 1990, it's likely to contain asbestos somewhere, and only a lab test confirms it.
Queensland's seller disclosure form doesn't cover asbestos, so buyers need to ask and check.
For renters, damaged asbestos is usually the landlord or agent's job to make safe.
- Back to you within 30 minutes
- Fixed quote before any work starts
- Testing to disposal, one local team
Where asbestos tends to hide in older Brisbane homes
Homes built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos, some products were still used into the early 2000s, and low density board has counted as friable since 1 May 2021.
Looks won't settle it. Only a lab test confirms it (QBCC).
A timber Queenslander isn't automatically in the clear either.
Later linings, wet areas and additions are the usual suspects (Queensland Government).
- Wall and ceiling sheeting
- Eaves
- Roofing
- External cladding
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- Fencing
- Vinyl floors
- Wet-area linings
- Switchboards
- Sheds
Buying
Homes built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos, and some products were used into the early 2000s (QBCC).
The Queensland seller disclosure form does not cover asbestos (Queensland Government), so it's up to you to ask.
- Ask the seller if any asbestos work or testing has been done
- Ask for any clearance certificates, and check which area they cover
- Book an inspection if you're planning renovations
- Remember a Queenslander can still have later linings, wet areas and additions
Selling
Even though the disclosure form doesn't cover asbestos, buyers of older homes often ask.
Having an inspection report, or clearance certificates from past work, gives you clear answers.
A clearance certificate only covers the work area it relates to, so describe it accurately (Queensland Government).
Renting
Damaged asbestos in a rental is usually the landlord or agent's job to make safe (Queensland Government).
- Tenants: report cracked, broken or crumbling sheets to your agent in writing
- Don't drill, sand or patch suspect sheets yourself
- Landlords and agents: we can test, make safe and remove between tenancies
Get a fast quote
Send us a few details or photos and we'll be in touch within 30 minutes.
How it works. Easy as.
A quick chat. We reply within 30 minutes.
Testing, if it's needed. A NATA lab confirms it first.
Your fixed quote. One price in writing.
WHSQ notified. Five days before licensed work.
Removal day. Sealed off and kept damp.
Clearance. Independent check and certificate.
Waste to a licensed facility. Nothing left in your yard.
Each step in detail
- 1. A quick chat
- Send the form or tap call. We're back to you within 30 minutes to talk through what you've found.
- 2. Testing, if it's needed
- Not sure it's asbestos? We take a sample and send it to a NATA accredited lab, so you know before anyone touches it. See asbestos testing.
- 3. Your fixed quote
- We look at the job, measure up and put one fixed price in writing. Disposal shows as its own line.
- 4. WHSQ notified
- For licensed removal we notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (Form 65) at least five days before work starts (WHSQ).
- 5. Removal day
- The area is set up, kept damp and sealed off. Sheets come out whole wherever we can, then get double wrapped.
- 6. Clearance
- An independent assessor or competent person checks the work area and issues the clearance certificate.
- 7. Waste to a licensed facility
- Wrapped waste goes straight to a licensed facility. Nothing sits in your yard or your bin.
How we help
- 1
Tell us your timeline
Settlement dates, listing dates and lease changes all shape what's useful.
- 2
Inspect or test
A single test or a full inspection, depending on what you need to know.
- 3
Plain-words findings
What we found, where, and what it means for your plans.
- 4
Fixed quote if needed
If something should come out, you get a fixed quote from the same team.
The Queensland rules for this job
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland sets the rules, and the Queensland Government's asbestos site (asbestos.qld.gov.au) explains them for homeowners.
These are the ones that shape almost every job.
- Two licence types exist. A Class A licence covers friable and bonded asbestos. A Class B licence covers more than 10 m² of bonded asbestos only, never friable (WHSQ licensing).
- Homeowners can remove 10 m² or less of bonded asbestos without a certificate, but still need to work safely and dispose of it legally. More than 10 m² needs a Queensland Health approved homeowner certificate or a licensed removalist. A job can't be split across days to get under the limit, and homeowners can never remove friable asbestos (Queensland Government).
- Licensed removalists notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (Form 65) at least five calendar days before licensed work starts (WHSQ notifications).
- Clearance follows the work. After Class A work an independent licensed asbestos assessor does air monitoring and clearance. After Class B work an independent competent person does it. The certificate covers the work area, not the whole house (Queensland Government).
What changes the cost
- Testing one material or inspecting the whole home
- Number of samples
- Report needs for a sale or lease
- Any removal that follows
See our guide prices on the testing and inspection cost page. You always get a fixed quote before any work starts.
Common questions
Not automatically. A timber Queenslander can still have asbestos in later linings, wet areas, enclosed verandahs and additions (Queensland Government renovation guide).
Older timber homes were often updated in the decades when asbestos sheeting was common, so test before you cut.
The Queensland seller disclosure form does not cover asbestos (Queensland Government). Ask directly, and consider an inspection.
Keep away from it, don't try to fix it, and report it to your agent or landlord in writing. Making damaged asbestos safe is usually their job.
Yes, if the seller or agent allows access. Let us know the date and we'll try to fit in.
No. A clearance certificate covers the work area, not the whole house (Queensland Government).
If other parts of the home might contain asbestos, they need their own inspection.
Usually, yes. Homes built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos, some products were used into the early 2000s, and only a lab test confirms it (QBCC).
A test visit with one sample is around $200, which is small next to the cost of a clean-up after a sheet gets cut or smashed by accident. See asbestos testing.
Prices are a guide only and depend on size, access and condition. You'll get a fixed price before any work starts.
Get a fixed asbestos quote
Tell us what you've found and where. We'll be in touch within 30 minutes, look at the job at a time that suits, and give you one fixed price before any work starts.