diff --git a/apps/opencs/model/world/collectionbase.hpp b/apps/opencs/model/world/collectionbase.hpp
index 7d829e8342..de3623fac0 100644
--- a/apps/opencs/model/world/collectionbase.hpp
+++ b/apps/opencs/model/world/collectionbase.hpp
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ class QVariant;
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace CSMWorld
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/dialoguemanager.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/dialoguemanager.hpp
index d673ad7fb0..6792cae078 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/dialoguemanager.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/dialoguemanager.hpp
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ namespace ESM
 {
     class ESMReader;
     class ESMWriter;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWWorld
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/mechanicsmanager.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/mechanicsmanager.hpp
index cabd4d2a86..8427711689 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/mechanicsmanager.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/mechanicsmanager.hpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ namespace osg
 namespace ESM
 {
     struct Class;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
     class ESMReader;
     class ESMWriter;
 }
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/scriptmanager.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/scriptmanager.hpp
index dfc1a5ff5e..ceb651e691 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/scriptmanager.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/scriptmanager.hpp
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace Interpreter
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace Compiler
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp
index c4b907032f..5939318856 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/soundmanager.hpp
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ namespace MWWorld
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWSound
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/windowmanager.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/windowmanager.hpp
index a05924d554..0f61939028 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/windowmanager.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/windowmanager.hpp
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace Loading
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwbase/world.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwbase/world.hpp
index 7d050ee54a..c239d5b5e6 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwbase/world.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwbase/world.hpp
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ namespace ESM
     struct CreatureLevList;
     struct ItemLevList;
     struct TimeStamp;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWPhysics
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwclass/lockpick.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwclass/lockpick.hpp
index a258c80d7a..c95dc6ecad 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwclass/lockpick.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwclass/lockpick.hpp
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWClass
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwdialogue/filter.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwdialogue/filter.hpp
index b49a92e1d5..74afb41425 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwdialogue/filter.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwdialogue/filter.hpp
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ namespace ESM
 {
     struct DialInfo;
     struct Dialogue;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWDialogue
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwmechanics/summoning.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwmechanics/summoning.hpp
index f042d5a20a..c322589876 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwmechanics/summoning.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwmechanics/summoning.hpp
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #include <utility>
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 namespace MWWorld
 {
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwscript/compilercontext.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwscript/compilercontext.hpp
index 1c11ed8877..eaf794853b 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwscript/compilercontext.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwscript/compilercontext.hpp
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWScript
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwscript/locals.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwscript/locals.hpp
index 94047f9150..1cc8fecb9b 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwscript/locals.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwscript/locals.hpp
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace ESM
 {
     class Script;
     struct Locals;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace MWScript
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.hpp
index 2e0f8f1b22..bb5a5d89b6 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.hpp
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ namespace SceneUtil
 namespace ESM
 {
     struct Position;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace Files
diff --git a/components/compiler/context.hpp b/components/compiler/context.hpp
index ab600b10dd..f25d0620e3 100644
--- a/components/compiler/context.hpp
+++ b/components/compiler/context.hpp
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #include <string>
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace Compiler
diff --git a/components/detournavigator/navigator.hpp b/components/detournavigator/navigator.hpp
index dbe6e26dad..3e522b72b6 100644
--- a/components/detournavigator/navigator.hpp
+++ b/components/detournavigator/navigator.hpp
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ namespace ESM
 {
     struct Cell;
     struct Pathgrid;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace Loading
diff --git a/components/esm/esmbridge.hpp b/components/esm/esmbridge.hpp
index 5576fccc03..8810e30594 100644
--- a/components/esm/esmbridge.hpp
+++ b/components/esm/esmbridge.hpp
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ namespace ESM
 {
     struct Cell;
     struct CellId;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 
     class CellVariant
     {
diff --git a/components/esm/refid.hpp b/components/esm/refid.hpp
index c93ff4df02..16f42b6915 100644
--- a/components/esm/refid.hpp
+++ b/components/esm/refid.hpp
@@ -13,8 +13,9 @@ namespace ESM
     // RefId is used to represent an Id that identifies an ESM record. These Ids can then be used in
     // ESM::Stores to find the actual record. These Ids can be serialized/de-serialized, stored on disk and remain
     // valid. They are used by ESM files, by records to reference other ESM records.
-    struct RefId
+    class RefId
     {
+    public:
         const static RefId sEmpty;
 
         bool empty() const { return mId.empty(); }
@@ -32,17 +33,16 @@ namespace ESM
         static RefId formIdRefId(const ESM4::FormId id);
         const std::string& getRefIdString() const { return mId; }
 
-    private:
-        std::string mId;
-
-        bool operator==(std::string_view rhs) const;
-
-    public:
         template <std::size_t size>
         bool operator==(const char (&rhs)[size]) const
         {
             return *this == std::string_view(rhs);
         }
+
+    private:
+        std::string mId;
+
+        bool operator==(std::string_view rhs) const;
     };
 }
 
diff --git a/components/esm3/spellstate.hpp b/components/esm3/spellstate.hpp
index 39462f039f..1b273b92fa 100644
--- a/components/esm3/spellstate.hpp
+++ b/components/esm3/spellstate.hpp
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ namespace ESM
 {
     class ESMReader;
     class ESMWriter;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 
     // NOTE: spell ids must be lower case
     struct SpellState
diff --git a/components/esmloader/esmdata.hpp b/components/esmloader/esmdata.hpp
index 556291d3a8..a123210c11 100644
--- a/components/esmloader/esmdata.hpp
+++ b/components/esmloader/esmdata.hpp
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ namespace ESM
     struct Land;
     struct Static;
     class Variant;
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace EsmLoader
diff --git a/components/misc/resourcehelpers.hpp b/components/misc/resourcehelpers.hpp
index 079171c505..64782a8ccb 100644
--- a/components/misc/resourcehelpers.hpp
+++ b/components/misc/resourcehelpers.hpp
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ namespace VFS
 
 namespace ESM
 {
-    struct RefId;
+    class RefId;
 }
 
 namespace Misc