Landlords must manage any asbestos-related risks when work is being done at their property.

This is to protect the health and safety of tenants, neighbours, contractors and anyone else who may be affected.

Landlords are PCBUs (persons conducting business or undertaking) under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA). This means that when work is carried out work with a risk of exposure to asbestos, they must prepare an asbestos management plan.

An asbestos management plan can be written by the landlord or by a licensed asbestos remover. The plan is required to manage any related risks. For example, if contractors are doing repairs, this could disturb material that contains asbestos.

As a landlord you must comply with:

Asbestos was commonly used until the 1980s, and may also be in properties built or renovated before 1 January 2000.

The risk of exposure depends on the kind of work you have planned. The types of work that may create risk include renovations, refurbishments, or demolition work, including any work that includes drilling or cutting into asbestos-containing materials.

As a landlord, you may not be doing the work yourself, but you will need to manage any related risks.

The WorkSafe website has comprehensive asbestos information for landlords, including:

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Last updated: 31 October 2022