What is a Cat B Refurbishment?
A Cat B refurbishment is the renovation or upgrade of the tenant-specific layer of a commercial office space. It covers everything a tenant installs beyond the landlord’s basic shell, including partitions, meeting rooms, kitchen and reception areas, floor finishes, lighting, joinery, furniture, branding, and AV and technology infrastructure.
Cat A vs Cat B: What’s the Difference?
Commercial office space is handed over by landlords in one of two states:
Cat A is the landlord’s base build. It includes raised floors, suspended ceilings, core mechanical and electrical services, and a blank, leasable shell. There is no furniture, no partitioning, and no fit-out. It is a starting point, not a working office.
Cat B is everything the tenant adds. Partitions and meeting rooms. Reception desks and kitchen units. Flooring, lighting, and decorative finishes. Workstations, seating, and storage. Cabling, AV systems, and access control. Cat B is the layer that turns a blank shell into a functioning workplace — and it is entirely the tenant’s responsibility to specify, fund, and maintain.
A Cat B refurbishment is therefore distinct from a new Cat B fit-out. Rather than starting from an empty Cat A shell, it works within an existing occupied or recently vacated space, stripping back, reconfiguring, and renewing the tenant layer that is already there.