Removing asbestos yourself: what may you do as a private person?

The rule is in article 7.9 paragraph 2 under e of the Buildings Decree (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, Bbl). It describes exactly which asbestos a private person may remove without an inventory report. Two things always apply: it concerns your home or the shed or garage that goes with it, and you do it yourself, not with a paid handyman. Find your material in the table.

Buildings Decree, version in force since 24 September 2026, read on 5 October 2026. The 35 m² is the total area you remove, not per sheet. According to IPLO you cannot do part yourself and have the rest done.

Even if you may do it yourself, you notify it in advance: at least one week before you start (article 7.10 paragraph 2 under b Bbl). You notify through the Omgevingsloket, under demolition notification. What exactly applies in your municipality is in the message you get back. You also report two more moments (article 7.12):

1. Demolition notification: at least one week before you start. You give the address, the owner, what you remove, how many square metres, when you do it and which recycling centre it goes to.
2. Start report: at least two working days before you start.
3. End report: on the first working day after you finish at the latest.
4. Keep the message you get back from the municipality or environmental service. The recycling centre often asks for it.

You do not need to apply for a permit: the law asks for a notification. After the period you start, unless the municipality tells you otherwise. If you get a message back from the municipality or environmental service, keep it: it states what applies to you.

Asbestos that stays intact releases hardly any fibres. The aim of every step below is therefore that the sheets or tiles stay intact. Milieu Centraal has a detailed step-by-step plan with video for a shed roof; this is the short version.

1. Get what you need from the DIY store or the municipality: strong plastic sheeting, tape, an FFP3 dust mask, a disposable overall and gloves. Some municipalities hand out a free kit.
2. Wet the sheets or tiles with a plant sprayer. Do not use a pressure washer.
3. Undo the screws and remove each sheet in one piece. No breaking, sawing, drilling or sanding.
4. Put the sheets straight onto the plastic and wrap them airtight, in two layers, taped shut.
5. Put the official asbestos sticker, with the large letter a, on every package. Many municipalities provide them, otherwise buy them at the DIY store.
6. Clean up all pieces and remains, and pack the overall, gloves and mask as well, with the asbestos.

You take packed asbestos within two weeks to a recycling centre that accepts asbestos (article 7.21 under f Bbl). Until then you keep it packed in a closed space, such as a locked shed (under c).

Your municipality's waste page shows which recycling centre accepts asbestos, how to pack it and how much you can bring. Bring your ID and the message about your notification.

If you do it yourself, you follow the steps in this guide (article 7.3 Bbl). If you have it done, the company makes sure the work follows the rules, and you give it a copy of the inventory report in advance (article 7.9 paragraph 3).

Renting your home? The shed roof or the floor belongs to your landlord. Ask the landlord first; often the landlord has it removed. If you want to do it yourself, ask for consent on paper (article 7:215 Dutch Civil Code), and in the notification you also fill in the landlord's name and address as owner.

Live in an apartment? Roof, facade and shared areas are arranged by the owners' association (VvE). Inside your own apartment the rules in this guide apply, for example to old loose floor tiles; your deed of division states what belongs to your apartment.

Since 1 July 1993 asbestos may no longer be processed in the Netherlands. For a structure built after 1 January 1994, no inventory report is therefore needed (article 7.9 paragraph 2 under a Bbl). If it still has asbestos sheets, for example second-hand, you do notify the removal.

The build year of your house is in the WOZ value counter (WOZ-waardeloket). A shed can be older or newer than the house; if in doubt, treat the sheets as asbestos.

No. There was a bill that would have enabled a ban on asbestos roofs from the end of 2024, but the Senate rejected it on 4 June 2019. So you are not obliged to remove an asbestos roof. If you do want to, the rules in this guide help you do it properly.

Is your job outside the table, or would you rather not do it yourself? Then a certified firm first establishes which asbestos is there. That is in the inventory report, which also states who may remove it: for bonded sheets outdoors often an ordinary professional, for the higher risk classes a certified removal company from the Ascert register (article 4.54d Working Conditions Decree).

On JouwPro you post your job for free. Professionals near you send their own price and you choose who to continue with. If a new roof goes on the shed or garage afterwards, add that straight away.