Takeover guide
Hotel takeover checklist: what to do in the first 90 days
Chris Morgan, Founder of Fixray · Last updated
In week one, walk every room and plant area and log each fault with a photo. By day 30, find or commission the fire risk assessment and the gas, electrical, lift, Legionella and asbestos records. By day 90, put every recurring check on a schedule with an owner, and record every completed job.
What should a new hotel owner do, and when?
A takeover hands you a building you have not run. The previous owner's records may be complete, patchy or missing, and the staff know faults that no record shows. Work in this order: see the building, find the records, then make the work repeatable.
| By | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Week one | Walk every guest room, corridor, kitchen, plant room and outside area with whoever does the maintenance. Log each fault with a photo and its location. | You cannot rank work you have not listed, and the list is your baseline for everything after |
| Week one | Ask housekeeping, the kitchen and front of house for the faults they already know about, and add them to the same list. | The people who clean and serve the rooms see faults daily; their list is rarely written down |
| Week one | Collect keys, plant-room access, contractor contacts, service contracts and equipment warranties. | A contractor you cannot reach is a contract you cannot use |
| Day 30 | Find the fire risk assessment. Check its date, who made it and whether its actions were done. | The responsible person must keep a record of it and review it regularly |
| Day 30 | Find the latest gas, fixed electrical, lift, Legionella, asbestos and pressure-system records. Commission an inspection for any that are missing. | Each one rests on a separate legal duty; the full list is in our due diligence checklist |
| Day 30 | Rank the fault list: safety first, then faults guests can see, then everything else. Give each job an owner. | A list with no owners is still a list of faults, not a plan |
| Day 90 | Put every recurring check on a schedule with an owner and a due date: fire alarm tests, emergency lighting, water temperatures, contractor visits. | Recurring checks done from memory are the first to slip |
| Day 90 | Record every completed job with who did it, when, and a photo where it helps. | The record is what you show an inspector or a future buyer |
What should the first walk-round cover?
Walk it with whoever does the maintenance, and photograph as you go. Look for these in every area:
- Guest rooms: taps, showers, toilets, extractor fans, heating, windows, lights and sockets. Pick a sample from every floor, then do the rest within the month.
- Fire safety: fire doors that close on their own, clear escape routes, signs, alarm call points and emergency lighting.
- Kitchen: extraction, refrigeration, gas appliances and drainage.
- Plant rooms: boilers, water heaters and tanks, with the last service labels and dates.
- Outside: roof, gutters, paths, lighting and parking.
Do you need a new fire risk assessment after a takeover?
Not automatically. In England and Wales the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to make a record of the fire risk assessment and to review it regularly, and in particular if "there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid" or there has been "a significant change" in the matters it covers.
A takeover often changes staff, layout or how the building is run. Ask a competent person whether yours needs a review. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety law.
How do you get faults reported once you are in?
Most small hotels report faults by WhatsApp, a book at reception or word of mouth. All three lose jobs: messages scroll away, the book stays at the desk, and nobody can see what is still open.
Pick one place every fault goes, make reporting take no more steps than sending a message, and make sure each job has an owner and a closed date.
Where does Fixray fit?
Fixray is the list. Staff snap a photo and pick the location, managers see every issue in one place, and fixers close jobs with a completion photo where one is added or your team requires it. Each recurring check runs as a scheduled job, and every completion is saved with who did it and when.
The Free tier includes one active scheduled job; Plus and Pro lift the limit and export the records as a PDF. Fixray does not replace your contractors' certificates: keep those alongside it.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is general information drawn from the sources below, checked on 4 November 2026. A competent person or your responsible person should confirm what applies to your building.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- What should I check first when I take over a hotel?
- Walk every guest room, plant room and outside area in the first week and log each fault with a photo and its location. Then find the fire risk assessment and the gas, electrical, lift, Legionella and asbestos records, and commission an inspection for any that are missing.
- Do I need a new fire risk assessment when I buy a hotel?
- Not automatically. In England and Wales the responsible person must review the assessment regularly, and in particular when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. A competent person can tell you whether a takeover means yours needs a review.
- What if the previous owner kept no maintenance records?
- Start the record now. Commission the inspections you cannot find evidence for, log every fault you find on the walk-round, and record each job as it is done. From then on the record shows what happened on your watch.
- Which maintenance records should a new hotel owner ask for?
- The fire risk assessment and fire safety equipment logs, gas and fixed electrical inspection records, lift examination reports, the Legionella risk assessment and monitoring records, the asbestos assessment and plan, any pressure-system scheme, and the planned maintenance history. Our hotel due diligence checklist covers each one.
- How do I stop maintenance jobs getting lost after a takeover?
- Send every fault to one list that everyone can reach from a phone, give each job an owner, and close it with a date. Put recurring checks on a schedule so they come round on time instead of from memory.
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