•The main differences are the extent of the refurbishment and the system boundaries.•The reference of the expected service life needs to be established to facilitate comparison.•Process Analysis is the most used LCI method, instead of Input–Output or Hybrid.•Most refurbishment LCAs focus on building energy retrofits: increasing insulation.•The environmental impacts of structure or finishing reparations were not studied. This review organises and summarises the recent contributions related to the environmental evaluation of building refurbishment and renovation using the lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology. This paper classifies the recent contributions in this field and selects the primary methodology options. The review shows that most LCAs focus on energy refurbishment, comparing the environmental impacts before and after refurbishment. In contrast, almost none of the LCAs study the environmental impact of building system reparations, such as structure or finishing. The more frequently studied life cycle stages are those related to the manufacturing and use phases. Similarly, the most considered impact categories are the global warming potential and embodied energy. The main barriers found for disseminations are discussed: system boundaries interpretation of EN 15978, functional unit, LCI methods, operational stage and the end-of-life stage definition.