Building Information Modelling (BIM) is gaining popularity worldwide as a system of collaboration and data management for the AEC sectors. However, the usefulness of BIM has largely been seen in the design and construction phases, rather than in post-construction-for example in facilities management or occupancy. As the concept of BIM has matured, there has been increasing interest in applying these concepts and technologies to heritage buildings (HBIM), despite some fundamental differences: heritage buildings usually have a long history of use, re-use and alteration; their management is often related to conservation rather than occupancy; and they are often a social and community resource. Therefore, HBIM is faced with a different set of stakeholders to 'standard BIM', which leads us to question the optimistic perceptions of its usefulness when BIM is applied to a historic built environment context. We investigate this question by thinking about how we can characterise HBIM, and what sort of information will give us further insights. Using published case studies as a source of secondary data, we have collected information about specific characteristics, which we analyse and use to discuss the uptake of HBIM, the purpose of HBIM and the role of stakeholders. We conclude that there needs to be a significant change in perception of HBIM by academics and technicians, before it is likely to be adopted by practitioners in the heritage sector. 1