A refurbishment can expose weaknesses that have remained hidden for decades: unsealed service risers, compromised cavity barriers, incomplete fire stopping above ceilings, or fire doors altered beyond their tested configuration. A refurbishment fire safety checklist gives the project team a controlled way to identify, specify, inspect and record these risks before the building is handed back to occupants.
For main contractors, developers and building owners, this is not a paperwork exercise. Existing buildings rarely match original drawings, and every opening formed for new services can affect the integrity of a fire-resisting wall or floor. Passive fire protection must therefore be planned as a coordinated building-fabric discipline, not treated as a final-stage trade package.
Refurbishment fire safety checklist: start with the existing building
Before strip-out, establish what is known about the building and what still needs to be verified. Review available fire strategies, building-control records, asbestos information, previous fire-door surveys, operation and maintenance manuals, and compartmentation drawings. On older, altered or heritage assets, records may be incomplete or unreliable. A physical survey is essential.
The survey should identify the building’s fire compartments, protected escape routes, risers, shafts, voids, service penetrations and structural elements requiring fire protection. It should also record the existing construction types. A masonry wall, lightweight partition, CLT panel, concrete soffit and steel beam each demand a system appropriate to the substrate, required fire performance and proposed use.
Establish whether the refurbishment changes the building’s risk profile. A new hotel layout, office subdivision, residential conversion, healthcare area or upgraded plant room can alter occupancy, evacuation arrangements, fire loads and compartment boundaries. The fire strategy must reflect the completed building, not simply the previous layout.
Confirm responsibilities before work begins
Fire safety performance can fail when responsibility is fragmented between design, MEP, fit-out and finishing teams. Agree who owns each fire-safety action, who can approve variations, and who will inspect safety-critical work before it is concealed.
The project team should confirm the applicable requirements under the Building Regulations, including Approved Document B where relevant, alongside the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and any project-specific fire strategy. For higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Act regime and the dutyholder responsibilities it creates must be considered from the outset. Requirements vary with building height, use, scope and location, so generic assumptions are not enough.
A clear responsibility matrix should cover design review, product selection, installation, inspection, photographic evidence, defect close-out and handover. Where specialist firestopping is required, appoint a competent, third-party-approved contractor with experience in the particular substrates and service types involved.
Protect compartment lines and escape routes
During refurbishment, the most significant passive fire protection task is often reinstating compartmentation after demolition and new services work. Walls and floors intended to resist fire and smoke must remain continuous. This includes the interfaces where walls meet soffits, raised floors, external façades, roof zones and structural frames.
Check that every new penetration through a compartment wall or floor has a tested and suitable firestopping detail. The correct solution depends on the opening size, service material, movement requirements, supporting construction and required fire resistance. A sealant alone is rarely a universal answer. Pipes may require collars or wraps; cable bundles may need batt-and-coating systems, pillows, blocks or purpose-designed transit systems; linear gaps may require tested linear joint seals.
Avoid assuming that a product’s fire rating automatically applies in every condition. The installation must follow the relevant tested or assessed detail, including permitted aperture dimensions, backing materials, service spacing and fixing arrangements. Substitutions made for convenience can invalidate the intended performance.
Escape corridors, lobbies, stair enclosures and firefighting shafts deserve particular scrutiny. These routes must retain their protected construction throughout the works as well as at completion. If temporary breaches are unavoidable, agree compensatory controls and reinstate the barrier promptly. Do not leave open risers or incomplete penetrations awaiting a future work package.
Inspect doors, cavities and concealed spaces
Fire doors are engineered assemblies, not just door leaves with a label. Survey each door set for its condition, rating, frame and leaf compatibility, gaps, seals, ironmongery, glazing, closers, hinges and any unauthorised alterations. A new access-control device, ventilation grille or replacement lock can affect performance if it has not been specified correctly.
Where existing doors are to be retained, establish whether they can be upgraded and what evidence supports the proposed method. Where replacement is needed, coordinate the door set with the wall construction, smoke requirements, escape strategy and hardware schedule. The door must close and latch reliably under normal operating conditions.
Cavity barriers require equal attention, particularly in façades, roof voids, ceiling voids and compartment lines above suspended ceilings. Refurbishment works frequently disturb insulation, linings and cavity closures without making the disruption visible in the finished space. Inspect these areas before finishes conceal the work.
For heritage buildings, interventions may need to preserve significant fabric while achieving the necessary fire performance. This calls for early coordination between the fire engineer, conservation adviser, architect and passive fire protection specialist. Sensitive materials do not remove the need for protection; they demand a more carefully justified solution.
Check structural fire protection and new materials
Where steel, concrete, timber or engineered timber is exposed, altered or brought into the refurbishment scope, verify the structural fire strategy. Intumescent coatings, cementitious sprays, board encasements and fire-resistant wall coverings are system-led applications. Thickness, surface preparation, primer compatibility, environmental conditions and dry-film thickness records all affect the result.
Steelwork may need protection where old finishes have been removed, new openings change the structural arrangement, or the use of the building has changed. Concrete can require protection or repair where spalling risk, reinforcement exposure or service alterations affect its fire performance. With timber, CLT and glulam, the required protection may depend on charring allowances, encapsulation, connection details and the extent of exposed timber permitted by the design.
Do not treat visual appearance as proof of compliance. Structural fire protection should be inspected against the specification and manufacturer requirements, with recorded measurements where appropriate.
Manage fire safety while the building remains occupied
Phased refurbishment creates a different set of risks from a vacant-site project. Occupants may be working, living, receiving care or visiting while fire doors are removed, services are rerouted and ceilings are opened. The temporary condition needs a fire-safety plan in its own right.
The plan should address temporary compartment breaches, hot works, site storage, waste removal, temporary alarms, escape-route changes, fire-watch arrangements and communication with the responsible person. Keep fire exits clear, protect existing alarms and detection systems, and ensure contractors understand the live building’s emergency procedures.
Particular care is needed in hospitals, care settings, schools, hotels and occupied residential buildings, where evacuation arrangements may depend on vulnerable occupants or a stay-put strategy. Programme work to minimise the time that protected routes and compartment lines are compromised.
Record evidence and verify before handover
A completed installation that cannot be evidenced is difficult to manage, maintain or defend. Build the fire-safety record as the work proceeds. Photographs should show the opening, substrate, services, installed system and identifying reference before the work is covered. Marking each seal with a unique reference can connect site conditions to inspection records and drawings.
The handover information should include approved firestopping details, product data, installer records, inspection reports, fire-door information, cavity-barrier records, structural protection measurements, variation approvals and a schedule of remaining actions. Update drawings to show the final compartmentation layout and the location of significant passive fire protection measures.
Carry out final inspections with the right parties present. A sample-based inspection may be appropriate for some work, but high-risk areas, complex service zones and repeated defects may justify more extensive checking. Defects should be corrected and reinspected before practical completion, not accepted as a loose end for the facilities team.
A refurbishment is only as safe as the barriers that remain intact after the last trade leaves site. Treat every compartment line, penetration, cavity and door set as part of the final barrier between a developing fire and the people, property and livelihoods it could otherwise endanger.
