How do you tell if a roof contains asbestos?
- Corrugated and "kunstskifer" sheets made before 1984 almost always contain asbestos.
- Sheets from 1984-1990 may contain asbestos: old stock was still sold.
- Sheets made after 1990 contain no asbestos.
- The number on the sheet helps: letters in the number (usually "NT") mean asbestos-free.
If the number cannot be read, a lab test helps (Bolius). In the tilstandsrapport the roof is often described as "eternit med asbest", and in BBR as "fibercement, herunder asbest". The second category also includes asbestos-free sheets, so only a sample gives a certain answer.
Asbestos is not only in the roof. In houses from before the 1980s it is found in tile adhesive, vinyl flooring, pipe insulation and old facade boards. The tilstandsrapport does not test these materials. If you plan to renovate a bathroom or a floor, a sample before the work starts is cheaper than stopping halfway.
Asbestos roof rules in 2026: what is new?
- From 1 January 2025 asbestos roofs may only be removed by firms approved for asbestos work. Owners may only remove a few individual sheets themselves. Breaking the rule means a fine (Bolius).
- You can check a firm's approval in the Sikkerhedsstyrelsen register.
- From 1 July 2026 high-pressure cleaning of asbestos roofs is being phased out (DI, new asbestos rules).
- As an owner you may: clean with a soft brush and a garden hose, and paint without sanding. But paint does not extend the life of an asbestos roof.
How much does it cost to replace an asbestos roof?
According to an analysis by Dansk Industri (2026), replacing an asbestos roof costs on average about DKK 2,487/m² including asbestos removal and about DKK 1,737/m² without.
A worked example: a house of about 130 m² on one floor has a roof of about 170 m², because the roof slopes and overhangs the walls. 170 m² × DKK 2,487 ≈ DKK 423,000. A local roofer and a simpler material may come out cheaper. Get two fixed quotes.
Calculator: what does a new roof cost?
Roof area and replacement price from the house area
Prices: Dansk Industri 2026, about DKK 2,487/m² including asbestos removal and DKK 1,737/m² without. The roof area is an estimate from pitch and overhang. 21 years: average time Danes live in one house (EDC for Bolius). Get two fixed quotes.
Can there be asbestos in the loft insulation?
Few people think of it: if the roof was ever pressure-washed, dried sludge may have got into the loft and the insulation. Surveyors sometimes note it as a grey item, and it is easy to miss. But when you want to add insulation or replace the roof, that insulation may have to be disposed of as asbestos waste. That is a separate cost, often tens of thousands. A sample of the sludge is cheap and settles the question.
Can you put solar panels on an asbestos roof?
The rules allow it if the work is limited to drilling holes (Bolius). But financially it is often a bad idea: panels last 25-30 years, while an old roof may have far less left. When the roof has to be replaced, the panels must come down and go back up. Bolius advises: if the roof needs replacing within 10-15 years, wait with the panels or do everything at once.
And one more thing about panels: they do not save you from heating bills. The energy label of a house with panels may go up, but in winter the panels produce little, and you use as much heating as before. If the house is poorly insulated, the heating bill hardly changes. Insulation first, panels second.
A seller can put solar panels on an old roof before selling, and the energy label jumps: according to Bolius, each better letter adds on average about DKK 500 per m² to the price. For a 130 m² house that is DKK 65,000 of "value" from a single letter. But the roof is still old, and when it is replaced the panels have to come down and go back up. The nice letter hides the bill rather than reducing it.
When does an asbestos roof need replacing?
Danes live in the same house for about 21 years on average (EDC for Bolius). If the roof has 15 years left according to the statistics, the replacement bill will almost certainly come to you.
And if you sell earlier with an old asbestos roof, the next buyer does the same maths, and the house sells more slowly and for less. An asbestos roof you have not replaced makes the house harder to sell.
So the honest question before you buy: are you ready to pay that DKK 300,000-470,000 while you own the house? If not, the amount needs to be in the price now.
An example from our data
In 27 of 76 condition reports we reviewed (HUSDATA, North Jutland), the main roof is described as eternit with asbestos. In 14 of those 27, the seller answered "no" to the question about asbestos in the house. The question is about what the seller knows, so this is not proof that anyone hid anything. But the documents contradict each other.
The seller question is about what the seller knows, so it is not proof of concealment. Source: HUSDATA Nordjylland 2026.
The point: an asbestos roof does not make a house bad. It makes it more expensive than the listing price says.
For one house in our data, the listing called the roof "eternitskifer", while the seller wrote in his answers for the tilstandsrapport that there was no asbestos. Both documents sat side by side in the agent's pack. Read not only the report but also what three documents say about the same roof.
What should you check before buying a house with an asbestos roof?
- Roof year: in the tilstandsrapport and in the seller's answers (they may differ).
- The number on the sheets or a lab sample.
- The statistical remaining life of the roof in the report.
- Traces of pressure-washing in the loft: dried sludge may contain asbestos.
- Replacement cost: roof area × price per m², into the negotiation.
- Your horizon: how many years you plan to stay versus the roof's remaining life.
- Plans for solar panels: roof and insulation first.
My view
I would not turn down a good house because of an asbestos roof. I would turn down a price that pretends the roof does not exist. An old asbestos roof is not a verdict but a bill someone will pay. Better that the price takes part of it.
Yurii Khlivnenko, founder of NordIndsigt
On your own or with us?
You can find the roof year, the number on the sheets and the price per m² yourself. But to understand what this particular roof will cost, you need to have seen many roofs in reports, and we have seen hundreds. When you like the house, asbestos seems a detail; when you do not, a verdict. For us it is an amount to calculate. With us you get it within 24-48 hours, together with negotiation arguments.
In short
The question for this roof is simple: how many years does it have left, and who pays for the replacement, you or the price?
Does the house have an old eternit roof?
BoligCheck works out the price of a new roof from the house area and shows how to use it in negotiation.
Order BoligCheck, DKK 299Frequently asked questions
How do you tell if a roof contains asbestos?
If the number cannot be read, a lab test helps (Bolius). In the tilstandsrapport the roof is often described as "eternit med asbest", and in BBR as "fibercement, herunder asbest". The second category also includes asbestos-free sheets, so only a sample gives a certain answer.
How much does it cost to replace an asbestos roof?
According to an analysis by Dansk Industri (2026), replacing an asbestos roof costs on average about DKK 2,487/m² including asbestos removal and about DKK 1,737/m² without.
Can there be asbestos in the loft insulation?
Few people think of it: if the roof was ever pressure-washed, dried sludge may have got into the loft and the insulation. Surveyors sometimes note it as a grey item, and it is easy to miss. But when you want to add insulation or replace the roof, that insulation may have to be disposed of as asbestos waste. That is a separate cost, often tens of thousands. A sample of the sludge is cheap and settles the question.
Can you put solar panels on an asbestos roof?
The rules allow it if the work is limited to drilling holes (Bolius). But financially it is often a bad idea: panels last 25-30 years, while an old roof may have far less left. When the roof has to be replaced, the panels must come down and go back up. Bolius advises: if the roof needs replacing within 10-15 years, wait with the panels or do everything at once.
When does an asbestos roof need replacing?
Danes live in the same house for about 21 years on average (EDC for Bolius). If the roof has 15 years left according to the statistics, the replacement bill will almost certainly come to you.
On your own or with us?
You can find the roof year, the number on the sheets and the price per m² yourself. But to understand what this particular roof will cost, you need to have seen many roofs in reports, and we have seen hundreds. When you like the house, asbestos seems a detail; when you do not, a verdict. For us it is an amount to calculate. With us you get it within 24-48 hours, together with negotiation arguments.
