Most church buildings are looked after by volunteers: churchwardens, a fabric officer, a property steward or a handful of trustees. The building is often old, sometimes listed, and open to the public every week. This guide sets out the jobs that need doing on a regular cycle, who is responsible for them, and the records worth keeping so that nothing lapses when a volunteer steps down.
Who is responsible
It depends on the denomination. In the Church of England, the parochial church council (PCC) is responsible for the care, maintenance and insurance of the church, and the churchwardens act for it day to day: they inspect the building, keep its records and report on it every year. In the Methodist Church the managing trustees, usually the church council, carry the same duties. Baptist, United Reformed and independent churches are normally run by trustees or elders under their own governing document.
Whatever the structure, the legal duties that come with running a building the public uses are the same as for any other venue: fire safety, the safety of the electrics and heating, asbestos, and reasonable care for visitors.
The jobs, and how often
| How often | What |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Fire alarm test, if there is an alarm. A look at the defibrillator, if there is one. Escape routes and exits clear before services. |
| Monthly | Emergency lighting flick test. Carbon monoxide alarms. Hearing loop. First aid kit. |
| Twice a year | Gutters, downpipes and drains cleared, in spring and after the leaves fall. |
| Every year | Fire risk assessment review. Fire extinguisher service. Fire alarm and emergency lighting service. Boiler service, gas or oil. Lightning protection test. Insurance review. Tree inspection. The churchwardens' fabric report. Safeguarding policy review. |
| Every five years | Quinquennial inspection. Electrical installation inspection. |
Test frequencies for the fire equipment are set out in more detail in how often to test fire alarms, emergency lights and extinguishers.
The five-yearly inspection
Every Church of England church must be inspected by a qualified architect or building surveyor at least once every five years. This is the quinquennial inspection. The inspector walks the whole building, from the tower to the drains, and writes a report that lists what needs doing and how urgently. The Methodist Church requires the same, and most other denominations and insurers expect something like it.
Treat the report as the plan for the next five years. Work through its list from the most urgent, keep the paperwork for each job, and have the last report to hand when the next inspector arrives. A report that sits unread in the vestry safe is the most common way a small repair becomes a large one.
The logbook, terrier and inventory
Church of England churchwardens must keep three records. The terrier lists the land belonging to the church. The inventory lists its contents. The logbook records every alteration, addition and repair to the building, and where the documents about each one are kept. All three are checked and signed off at the start of each year.
The churchwardens also inspect the building and its contents once a year, or have it done, and present a fabric report to the PCC and then to the annual parochial church meeting. It covers what has been done since the last report, what still needs doing, and anything that has changed. If the regular checks have been recorded as they were done, most of the report is already written.
Fire safety
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to places of worship in England and Wales. Whoever controls the building, in practice the PCC or the trustees, is the responsible person and must have a fire risk assessment that is written down and kept under review. Review it every year, and sooner if anything changes: building work, a new heating system, a new use for part of the building, or a different pattern of large services.
Churches have their own risks. Candles and Christmas decorations, a single narrow door, bell ringers up a tower, a congregation that fills the building twice a year, and electrical systems that may be decades old all belong in the assessment. A walk-round checklist helps, and an evacuation worth practising is one that includes the tower and the vestry.
Electrics, lightning and heating
Have the fixed wiring inspected every five years. Church guidance and insurers both expect it, and it is sensibly booked alongside the quinquennial. Portable equipment such as urns, heaters and sound desks should be checked on a risk basis.
If the church has a lightning conductor, a specialist should test it about once a year. A system with a broken or stolen conductor can be worse than none, and insurers ask when it was last tested. Missing tapes are often metal theft, and worth reporting.
A gas boiler needs an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer. Many rural churches heat with oil, which needs an annual service by an OFTEC-registered engineer and a regular look at the tank for leaks. Wherever fuel is burned, fit carbon monoxide alarms and test them monthly.
Gutters, roofs and working at height
Blocked gutters and downpipes are the most common cause of damage to old buildings. Clear them twice a year, and look at the roof and walls from the ground after heavy weather. If the roof has lead or copper, a roof alarm is the main protection against theft, and insurers often make cover conditional on one being fitted and serviced.
Volunteers and ladders are a bad combination. Check ladders before use, take damaged ones out of service, and use a contractor for anything above a short stepladder. Access to the tower, the bells and the roof should be limited to named people who know the route.
The churchyard
A churchyard is open to the public, so the same duty of reasonable care applies. Have the trees inspected regularly, more often for large trees near paths and roads, and keep the report. Check gravestones and memorials for stability; a leaning headstone is a known hazard, and dioceses and councils publish guidance on how to test them safely. Keep paths in repair and lit where people use them after dark.
Safeguarding and insurance
Every church needs a safeguarding policy, a named safeguarding officer, and safer recruitment for anyone working with children or adults at risk, including the checks your denomination requires. Review the policy every year and keep a record of who has done which training.
Review the insurance each year, not just the premium. Check that the sum insured reflects the cost of rebuilding, that public liability is in place, that employers' liability covers any paid staff, and what conditions the insurer attaches: alarm servicing, lightning protection tests and unoccupied-building checks are common ones.
If the church or its hall is hired out, the same points apply as for any venue: a written agreement, the hirer's own insurance where relevant, and showing hirers the exits and the fire arrangements. See what to put in a hire agreement.
Before you change anything
Church of England churches need permission for most changes to the building, its contents or the churchyard. Minor matters need none, a middle group needs written notice from the archdeacon, and anything substantial needs a faculty from the diocese. Ask the diocesan advisory committee before starting; work done without permission can be ordered to be undone. Other denominations have their own consent systems, and a listed building outside those systems needs listed building consent from the council.
If the building dates from before 2000, there is also a duty to manage any asbestos in it: know whether it is there, where, and in what condition, and tell contractors before they drill or cut.
Martyn's Law
Martyn's Law applies to a place of worship only if 200 or more people can reasonably be expected to be there at once. Places of worship are always in the standard tier, however large the congregation. For what that involves, see Martyn's Law for churches and places of worship.
Keeping it all in one place
Churches rarely fail because nobody did the check. They fail because the person who did it moved away, and the lightning certificate, the boiler record and the last quinquennial were in their house. Keep every record where the whole council can reach it, with a named person against each job, and hand the list over properly when churchwardens change.
The Venue Record does this job for churches: each check with its due date and a reminder before it, certificates read and filed, and a record you can show the archdeacon, the insurer or the inspecting architect. See what it does.
Common questions
What is a quinquennial inspection?
It is an inspection of the whole church building by a qualified architect or building surveyor, carried out at least once every five years. It is required for Church of England churches, and the Methodist Church requires the same. The inspector's report lists the repairs needed and how urgent each one is, and it becomes the maintenance plan for the next five years.
What are churchwardens responsible for in the building?
In the Church of England, churchwardens act for the parochial church council in looking after the building. They keep the terrier, the inventory and the logbook, inspect the building and its contents each year, and present a fabric report to the council and the annual meeting. The council itself is responsible for the care, maintenance and insurance of the church.
Does a church need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to places of worship in England and Wales. Whoever controls the building must have a written fire risk assessment and keep it under review, which in practice means at least once a year and whenever something changes.
How often should a church's lightning conductor be tested?
About once a year, by a lightning protection specialist. Insurers commonly ask for the date of the last test, and a damaged or incomplete system should be repaired promptly.
How often should church electrics be inspected?
The fixed wiring should be inspected every five years, which is what church guidance and insurers expect. Many churches book it alongside the quinquennial inspection. Portable equipment should be checked on a risk basis.