Common concerns before an asbestos removal in Spain

Will the removal release fibres into my house and garden?

The purpose of the regulated method is precisely to keep fibre release to a minimum. Under Real Decreto 847/2026, the company doing the removal must be registered in the RERA and work under an approved plan de trabajo that sets out how the material is handled on that specific site.

In practice, for asbestos cement that usually means wetting the sheets, removing fixings rather than breaking the material, lowering whole pieces instead of throwing them down, wrapping them immediately and cleaning the work area at the end. The workers use protective equipment, and the zone is closed to anyone else while the work goes on.

What raises the risk is the opposite: smashing sheets, cutting them with a grinder or letting fragments fall into the garden. Those are exactly the practices described in our post on the best and worst ways to deal with old uralita.

Do I have to move out during the work?

For an outbuilding, a garage or a porch roof, owners and tenants can usually stay in the house, keeping windows on that side closed and staying out of the marked zone. For a roof directly over living space, or for interior elements, the RERA company's plan defines what areas must be vacated and for how long.

Ask the question early, especially if the property is a holiday let: it is easier to schedule the job between bookings than to explain a cordoned-off roof to guests. Pets and garden furniture near the work zone should also be moved beforehand.

What will the neighbours say?

Neighbours in urbanizaciones and villages often recognise protective suits and get worried. A short note or a word in advance – what is being removed, by whom, on which days – prevents most complaints. If the property belongs to a community of owners, there is a formal side as well: under Ley 49/1960 de Propiedad Horizontal, works affecting common elements need the owners' meeting agreement, and the community must be informed before structural or façade elements are touched.

Our page on asbestos removal for communities of owners explains how such jobs are organised with the administrador and the owners' meeting.

Which permits and papers are involved?

There are two separate tracks, and it helps to keep them apart:

We do not file municipal procedures ourselves, but we tell you what the ayuntamiento usually asks for and coordinate dates with your técnico. For the municipal formalities the owner identifies with their DNI, NIE or NIF.

Can it all be done while I live abroad?

Yes, and for many of our clients that is the normal case. The typical sequence is photos and dimensions by e-mail or WhatsApp, a quote, a visit to the site if needed with a key holder or neighbour, the work plan prepared and filed by the RERA company, the removal itself, then the documents and photos of the finished work sent to you.

You can write to us in English. What makes remote jobs run smoothly is one reliable local contact for access and one clear decision-maker on your side. Our uralita removal page for overseas owners covers that set-up in more detail, and if the asbestos is part of a bigger project, Demoliciones Málaga explains how to manage a demolition from abroad.

How do I know the waste really goes where it should?

Asbestos cement is hazardous waste, code 17 06 05*, and Ley 7/2022 (art. 30.1) forbids mixing it with other waste. It is wrapped on site, labelled, transported separately and delivered to an authorised manager. The proof is documentary: ask that the delivery documents for the asbestos waste be handed over to you with the rest of the job's paperwork.

The same principle applies to any ordinary rubble from the job: it is sorted on site and the client receives the delivery receipts. If someone offers to "throw the old sheets in with the rest", that is the moment to stop the conversation.

How long does the whole process take?

Owners often ask for a single number of days, but the honest answer has two parts. The removal on site is usually the short part: for a house roof or an outbuilding it is a matter of days rather than weeks, depending on size, access and weather. The preparation is the part that takes longer, because the RERA company has to draw up the plan de trabajo, have it approved by the labour authority and notify the start of works in advance.

For planning purposes, think in this order: quote and decision, work plan and approval, municipal procedure and road permit if needed, removal, waste delivery and documents, then the new roof or the demolition. If you have a deadline – a sale, a renovation start, a tenant arriving – mention it at the first contact so the sequence can be arranged around it rather than squeezed at the end.

What happens to the building afterwards?

Owners sometimes forget that removing a roof leaves the building open to sun and rain. Before work starts, agree what happens next: a new roof straight away, a temporary cover, or the demolition of the structure if it is no longer needed. Our asbestos removal before a demolition service covers the last case, where the asbestos goes first and the ordinary demolition follows.

A clear end state, written into the quote, is the best answer to the last worry on most owners' lists: "Will I be left with a half-finished job?"