RAAC checklist: how to check a building for RAAC

For site, estates and facilities managers preparing for a RAAC survey.

This checklist helps you look and record. It does not confirm RAAC. If you think you have RAAC, or you see sagging, a widening gap, fresh cracking or debris, keep people out of the area and contact a qualified surveyor or structural engineer straight away. Do not drill, fix to or disturb a suspected panel.

1. Which buildings to check

Buildings, blocks and extensions built or altered between the 1950s and the mid 1990s.
Flat roofs first, then pitched roofs, then floors and walls of that era.
Look for old drawings, specifications or maintenance records that mention RAAC or aerated concrete panels.

2. Which rooms to look at

Rooms directly under a flat roof: halls, sports halls, gyms, classrooms, libraries, corridors.
Plant rooms, stores and cupboards, where the ceiling structure is often left exposed.
Rooms with suspended ceiling tiles: the structure may be visible above them through an existing access hatch. Only look where it is safe and your asbestos register says you can.

3. Signs of RAAC panels

Panels about 600 mm (two feet) wide, running from support to support.
V-shaped grooves or chamfered joints between panels at a regular spacing.
Where you can see a broken edge, a light, bubbly texture with no visible stones.
Usually white or light grey where unpainted.
Signs of concern: sagging or bowing, cracking, water staining, or panels that look short at their supports.

4. Stay safe

Look, don't touch. Never drill into, fix to or hang anything from a suspected panel.
Check the asbestos register before lifting any ceiling tile.
Use only safe, existing access. Do not climb onto roofs or into voids without the right equipment and permission.

5. What to record for your surveyor

Each area on the floor plan, with a reference, so everyone talks about the same room.
For each area: can you see the structure, what it looks like, and any signs of concern.
Access: room opening times, keys, heights, ceiling type, and anything in the way.
Photos of the ceiling, the joints between panels, any damage, and the way in.

RAAC Report does all of this in one place, free. Upload your fire evacuation or floor plan, tap each room to label it, give it a RAAC status, add photos and voice notes, and share a scope survey report with your surveyor.

Start a free scope survey