The monthly building walk

Walk the whole building in the same order every month, including stores, plant rooms and empty rooms. Photograph anything you tick as a problem, with the date showing, and keep the sheet with your records.

This is a walk round prompt for whoever looks after the building. It does not replace your fire risk assessment, your landlord or provider procedures, or any statutory inspection.

Print this checklist

• Closes fully and latches on its own when let go from fully open
• Not wedged or propped open
• Smoke seals and intumescent strips in place, not painted over or torn
• Hinges secure, no screws missing
• Fire door sign present and readable on both sides where needed
• Glass, if any, uncracked

• Routes clear of storage, furniture, laundry and bins
• Exit signs present and lit
• Final exit doors open easily from the inside
• Emergency lighting tested under your own test routine, with faults reported
• Fire alarm call points visible and not blocked

• Asbestos warning signs present and legible wherever known asbestos is recorded, photographed each month
• Fire action notices in place
• No smoking signs where required
• Signs replaced when faded, damaged or missing

• Flooring flat, with no lifted edges, tears or loose stair nosings
• Handrails firm along their full length
• Window restrictors on upper floors present and working
• Doors, locks and closers working on rooms people use
• Lights working in corridors, stairs and outside paths
• Gutters, downpipes and visible roof clear of obvious damage from the ground

• Date, location and what you found
• A photograph of each problem
• Who it was reported to, and the date it was fixed
• Anything still open from last month

Most of what a monthly walk turns up is the work we do every week: fire door remedials, doors and closers, flooring, handrails, signage and the building fabric. Every job we do ends with a dated note and a photograph, so it goes straight back into your records.