Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions about Signcensus and about signage audits, surveys, sign schedules, safety signs, pricing and data.
About Signcensus
- What is Signcensus?
- Signcensus is signage survey and audit software. You upload a site plan, walk the site with your phone, and pin every sign to the plan with photos, a sign type, a status and the details you need. It gives estate teams and sign companies one up-to-date record of every sign they look after.
- Who is it for?
- Two kinds of team. Organisations that look after the signs across their own estate, such as shopping centres, councils, retailers, NHS trusts, universities and housing associations. And sign companies and facilities providers that survey, quote, install and maintain signs for their clients.
- We look after our own buildings. Does it still work for us?
- Yes. When you sign up, choose "Our own signs" and there are no clients to set up: you go straight to your sites, plans and signs. Sign companies choose "Our clients' signs" and keep each client separate. You can change it later in your account settings.
- Do I need to install an app?
- No. It runs in the web browser on any modern phone, tablet or computer, and uses the phone's camera and GPS on site. You can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app.
- What if a site has no floor plan?
- Use any image as the plan: a photo of a fire plan, a sketch, a site layout or an aerial view. Each sign can also store the phone's GPS position.
- How much does it cost?
- One flat monthly price per company, excluding VAT: Starter £49, Pro £149 and Agency from £399. Read-only logins are free, there's no contract, and you can start with a free trial.
- Who owns the data?
- You do. Your signs, details and photos belong to your company, and you take them with you if you leave.
- Where is the data stored?
- The database is hosted in London and handled under UK GDPR. Every change is logged with who made it and when.
Pricing and plans
- Is it priced per user?
- No. Each plan is a flat monthly price for your organisation, with a set number of staff logins. Read-only logins for clients, colleagues or contractors are free.
- What counts as a map?
- A map is one plan you pin signs to, such as one floor of a building or one site layout. A shopping centre with three floors and a car park uses four maps.
- Is there a contract?
- No. Plans are monthly and you can cancel at any time.
- Do prices include VAT?
- No. All prices are in pounds sterling and exclude VAT.
- Is there a free trial?
- Yes. The free trial includes 2 staff logins and 3 maps, so you can survey a real site before you choose a plan. No card is needed.
Signage audits, surveys and rules
- How long does a signage audit take?
- It depends on the number of signs, how spread out they are and how much detail you record. Recording each sign on a phone while you stand in front of it, rather than writing it up from photos afterwards, removes most of the office time. Read the guide.
- Who should carry out a signage audit?
- Sign companies often audit for their clients as the first stage of a rebrand or maintenance contract. Estate and facilities teams also audit their own buildings. Checks of fire safety signage should feed into the site's fire risk assessment, which is the responsible person's duty. Read the guide.
- What is the difference between a signage audit and a signage survey?
- The terms are often used interchangeably. A survey usually means the site visit and the measurements taken; an audit usually means the resulting record and the judgement on what needs to change. Read the guide.
- How often should signage be audited?
- There is no single legal frequency for signs in general. Many estates do a full audit before a rebrand or new contract and then keep the record up to date as work is done. Safety signs should be checked as part of the regular fire risk assessment review. Read the guide.
- What equipment do I need for a signage survey?
- A phone with a good camera, a power bank, a tape measure, a laser measure for high signs, binoculars or a zoom lens, a torch, and hi-vis or any PPE the site requires. Read the guide.
- Should I survey illuminated signs at night?
- Yes, if you need to know whether they work. Note the lit signs during the day survey and check them after dark, or ask the site to switch them on. Read the guide.
- What is the difference between a sign schedule and a signage audit?
- The audit is the process of surveying and judging the signs; the sign schedule is the table that records the result. New-build projects also have a sign schedule produced from the design, before any signs exist. Read the guide.
- Is there a standard format for a sign schedule?
- There is no single UK standard. Most schedules use the same core columns: reference, location, type, content, size, material, illumination, fixing, condition and action. Read the guide.
- Do I need planning permission to change a shop sign?
- Often, yes. In England many illuminated and larger signs need advertisement consent from the local planning authority, and listed buildings may also need listed building consent. Replacing a sign like-for-like can still need consent if it is illuminated. Check with the local planning authority for each site. Read the guide.
- How do you quote a rebrand across many sites?
- Audit every site, group the signs by type and size, price each standard type, multiply by the counts, then add one-offs, access equipment, consents and installation days. Read the guide.
- Who is responsible for fire safety signs?
- The responsible person for the premises, usually the employer, owner or occupier. They must carry out a fire risk assessment, and the signage it calls for must be provided and maintained. Read the guide.
- Do old-style fire exit signs need replacing?
- Current UK guidance favours the BS EN ISO 7010 pictogram. The key point is that each escape route uses one consistent style, so mixed or confusing signs should be replaced. Ask your fire risk assessor about your building. Read the guide.
- Are safety signs a legal requirement?
- Yes, where a risk remains after other controls. The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 require employers to provide them, and fire safety law requires emergency routes and exits to be signed. Read the guide.
- How often should signs be inspected?
- There is no single legal frequency for signs in general. Safety signs should be reviewed with the fire risk assessment, illuminated and large structural signs need periodic electrical and structural checks, and everything else is usually checked on a routine site walk. Read the guide.
- Who should own a signage asset register?
- Usually the estates, property or facilities team. A sign company can build and maintain it for a client as part of a maintenance contract. Read the guide.
- How is a signage asset register different from a signage audit?
- An audit is a survey at one point in time. A register is the record that is kept up to date afterwards, as signs are installed, repaired and removed. Read the guide.
- What is wayfinding?
- Wayfinding is the system of signs, maps and cues that helps people find their way around a site, such as directional signs, directories, room signs and colour-coded routes. Read the guide.
- How is a wayfinding audit different from a signage audit?
- A signage audit records every sign and its condition. A wayfinding audit looks at whether the signs work together to get people to where they need to go, journey by journey. Read the guide.
- Is accessible signage a legal requirement?
- The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments, which can include signage. There is no single list of required signs; BS 8300 is the main guidance used to design them. Read the guide.
- Do signs need braille?
- Not every sign. Tactile and braille information helps where people need to identify a room or facility by touch, such as toilets, lifts and key rooms. An access audit will say where. Read the guide.
- Can I import my existing spreadsheet?
- Talk to us through the contact page about bringing existing records across. Read the guide.
- How do you keep sign records consistent across many sites?
- Agree sign types, fields and reference numbering before surveying, use fixed values rather than free text for condition and action, and use one shared record rather than a file per site. Read the guide.
- What if I don't have a floor plan?
- Photograph the fire evacuation plan, draw a quick sketch and photograph it, or use an aerial image for outdoor areas. Any clear image can be pinned to. Read the guide.
Can't find your answer? Contact us.
Survey your next site with Signcensus.
Upload a plan, walk the site and pin every sign from your phone. Free trial, no card needed.