
UK Property News
Asbestos continues to plague UK homes, finds new Checkatrade report

Asbestos continues to be a significant issue in the UK, with demand for asbestos removal services surging by 21% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, storm damage repairs and households investing in repairs and upgrades led to a huge number of tradesperson jobs being carried out in the UK throughout 2024. Furthermore, demand for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) more than doubled.
This is according to the latest figures from Checkatrade’s UK Home Improvement Index, based on nearly nine million jobs carried out over the past two years by Checkatrade-approved tradespeople, making it the most comprehensive overview of home services work carried out in the UK, and showing how it shifted in 2024.
The increase in the need for asbestos jobs is a particular worry. The research shows that through Checkatrade’s platform alone, more than 22,000 asbestos-related jobs were carried out in the UK in 2024 - up from 18,000 the year before.
Despite the buying, selling, importing, or exporting of any materials containing asbestos being banned in the UK in 1999, around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases, making it the greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. While often seen as an issue consigned to the past, the figures show that its presence continues to be a serious issue in UK homes and buildings.
Most of those who die from the effects of asbestos were exposed to it decades ago, meaning the impact of it could continue to be felt for decades to come. It is also particularly important for younger people renovating homes - who may be less familiar with the dangers of asbestos - to take it into account. Checkatrade has released a homeowner’s guide to the safe removal of asbestos to help.

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Asbestos removal jobs in UK homes increased by over a fifth in 2024 vs the previous year
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Checkatrade’s Home Improvement Index analyses almost nine million jobs
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Remedial fencing work surged as the UK was battered by multiple named storms throughout 2024 - but air conditioning demand cools due to colder summer
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Demand for Energy Performance Certification (EPCs) is up 114% year-on-year
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The index shows increased demand for gardeners, handyman services and furniture restoration, with many prioritising home repairs and upgrades
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Roofers overtake builders as the least trust-worthy trade
EPC demand doubles
The Index shows that nearly 4.5 million tradesperson jobs took place in the UK via Checkatrade’s platform in 2024. The biggest percentage increase for at-home work related to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs,) which saw a huge 114% rise year-on-year. The jump reflects the increased focus and legislation on energy efficiency in homes - particularly in regards to landlords and the selling of properties.
Weather impacts work carried out
The high number of storms in 2024 - a total of eight named storms - also had a significant impact. This led to a 37% increase in call-outs for fencing services to repair damage.
In addition, 2024 was the coolest summer since 2015 according to the Met Office. This led to a 17% decline in air conditioning unit fitting, compared to the year before.
Brits loosening spending on home upgrades
The research also points to a general trend for home upgrades and improvements in 2024. Demand for gardening jobs was up 17% in 2024 vs 2023 and there was a surge of 15% for ‘handyman’ services.
Perhaps wanting to keep their upgraded homes as spick-and-span as possible, cleaning services also increased by a significant 18%. Carpet and upholstery cleaning also saw a 10% increase and oven cleaning jumped by a fifth (19%) As a result of the increase in work carried out, rubbish clearance was up 25% and scaffolding jobs up 20%.
The increase in certain jobs in the home - as well as the rise in ‘luxury’ services such as cleaning - indicates that some households feel like they have a little more money in their pockets as inflation eases or that they are prioritising home repairs.
Make do and mend
Households wanting to make the most of what they already have also emerged in the data, with a 20% increase in furniture repair and restoration.
Least trustworthy trades
Vetting is less common in the home improvement industry than it should be and each year UK consumers lose around £1.4 billion to rogue tradespeople**. Checkatrade is one of the few platforms which continually vets tradespeople, and its data identifies the least trustworthy trades, based on the number of those declined from the platform after failing to meet Checkatrade’s standards.
Roofers overtook builders as the most declined trade on the platform - 2,365 were declined in 2024 vs 1,219 in 2023. The big increases could also be explained by Checkatrade’s restrictions becoming even more stringent in the past year.

Jambu Palaniappan, CEO at Checkatrade, stated: “Checkatrade’s Home Improvement Index gives the most comprehensive overview of home services work carried out in the UK, the trends, and how these shifted in 2024.
“We can see a clear impact from external factors - for example, the unusually large number of storms led to a significant rise in the fencing work to repair damage and the cooler summer led to a fall in demand for air conditioning installation. Meanwhile the increased focus on home efficiency led to much-increased demand for EPCs.
“At the same time, the sustained, rising demand for asbestos removal work demonstrates this is still a worrying issue within the UK. I regularly see homeowners on TikTok and Instagram filming themselves unwittingly removing flooring which almost certainly contains asbestos, without the necessary precautions - it is a job best left to professionals.”
For a map of hotspots for asbestos in the UK, please visit the Checkatrade blog here.
