Every fire door checked and on record
Door by Door is our free fire door check. Walk round with your phone, check each door against our 23-point checklist and get a dated PDF report by email.
Free. No account and no app to install. Works anywhere in the UK.
A fire door only works when it is shut
A fire door holds back fire and smoke for long enough for people to get out, but only if it closes, latches and seals. What stops it is usually small and everyday: a wedge under the door, a closer that has weakened, a gap that has crept out of range, a seal painted over during decorating.
None of that shows from the end of a corridor. You find it by checking each door, which is why regular checks matter. Our guides explain the gaps, doors that will not close and strips and seals.
Who has to check, in plain English
In England and Wales, the Fire Safety Order makes the responsible person, usually the employer, owner, landlord or managing agent, keep fire safety measures, fire doors included, under a suitable system of maintenance and in good working order. Since October 2023, fire risk assessments and fire safety arrangements have had to be recorded in full.
In England, blocks of flats with a top storey above 11 metres have a set timetable under regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, in force since 23 January 2023. Communal fire doors must be checked at least every three months, and the responsible person must use best endeavours to check every flat entrance door at least every 12 months, keeping a record.
In care homes, fire and rescue services enforce the Fire Safety Order, and CQC expects premises and equipment to be properly maintained under regulation 15.
Wales follows the Fire Safety Order, and Welsh Government guidance for small blocks of flats recommends checking communal fire doors at least every six months. Scotland has the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and Northern Ireland has the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.
Prosecution is kept for breaches that put people at risk of death or serious injury in a fire. The most serious can lead to an unlimited fine and up to two years in prison.
What Door by Door gives you is a dated record of every check, door by door. It does not make a building safe or legal on its own, and it does not replace your fire risk assessment or an inspection by a competent person. This is a plain summary, not legal advice. More in our guide to how often fire doors should be checked.
The 23 points, door by door
Nineteen checks are asked at every door, the maker's label is read once per door, and the record keeps itself. Smoke doors get one extra gap check.
Closing
5 checks- 1Closes fully and latches on its own from fully open
- 2Closes and latches when let go from nearly shut
- 3Closes without slamming
- 4Not wedged, propped or tied open
- 5Any hold open device lets go when your alarm is tested
Gaps and seals
6 checks- 6Gap looks even along the top and both sides
- 7Gap between 2mm and 4mm at the top and sides
- 8Gap no more than 8mm at the bottom
- 9Door does not rub or catch on the frame or floor
- 10Intumescent strips and smoke seals in place all the way round
- 11Seals not torn, loose or painted over
- +1Smoke doors only (S on the label): gap under 3mm at the bottom
Close the door and let it latch, then measure at several points with a gap card or feeler gauge. Our guide to fire door gaps
Door and frame
5 checks- 12Door face free of splits, holes and impact damage
- 13Frame firm in the wall, with no gap behind it
- 14No open holes left by old locks or fittings
- 15Hinges secure, with no screws missing
- 16Handles and locks working
Signs and glass
3 checks- 17Fire door sign present and readable where needed
- 18Glass uncracked and firmly held
- 19Maker's label or plug on the door, if there is one, noted
Record it
4 checks- 20Door location, date and the fault you found Done for you
- 21A photograph of each fault Done for you
- 22Who it was reported to, and the date it was fixed Space in your report
- 23Anything left open from your last check Asked at each door
checks at every door, with one more for smoke doors, and your report written as you go.
Start the free checkA report you can file or forward
- A one line summary on the cover, such as 3 doors checked, 1 needs attention
- The doors that need attention first
- A page for every door, with every answer, your notes and photos
- Reported to and Date fixed lines, so the fix goes on the same record
- A PDF by email, attached when it is small enough and always as a download link
If you want, tick the box for one reminder email about three months later to check again. It is off unless you choose it, and one click cancels it.
Three steps
Add a building
Give the building a name, pick its type and add the postcode.
Check each door
Answer each check, and add a photo for anything that is Not OK.
Get the report
Press Email me the report, and the PDF arrives in your inbox.
It saves on your phone as you go, so you can stop, lose signal or come back another day. Finish within a week, because some phones clear what a page has saved after seven days without a visit.
From a maintenance firm that fixes fire doors
Door by Door comes from Impress Maintenance in Newton Aycliffe, trading since 2015 and rated 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade from 106 reviews. Fire door remedials are part of our work for IKE Supported Housing, where we have looked after 16 homes since 2017. Wayne Cator, our Managing Director, answers the phone.
“Impress have always treated our tenants and support staff with the utmost respect.”
Looking after a building in the North East? See how we work with supported housing, care homes, funeral homes and landlords and agents.
Before you start
Is this a fire door inspection?
No. Door by Door is a self check for whoever looks after the building. It gives you a dated record of what you checked, but it does not replace your fire risk assessment, a fire door inspection by a competent person or any statutory check.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no charge and nothing to sign up to. If a door needs work and the building is in our area, the report gives our number, and it is up to you whether to ring.
Do I need an account or an app?
No. It runs in your phone's browser, with nothing to install and no account to create.
What happens to my details?
We use them to make and send your report and to keep a record of your check. We only contact you about what you found if you tick the box to say we can. Photos and our copy of the report are deleted after 6 months, and the rest after 12 months unless the check becomes work. Our privacy notice has the full details.
How often should I check?
In England, blocks of flats with a top storey above 11 metres must have communal fire doors checked at least every three months and flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, as far as access allows. For other buildings, your fire risk assessment sets how often.
What if a door fails?
The report puts the doors that need attention first, with your photos. In County Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Tyne and Wear, it gives our number to put it right. Everywhere else, it tells you to show the report to a local fire door specialist.
What if I am not in the North East?
Door by Door works anywhere in the UK. The checks are the same, and your report tells you to take it to a local fire door specialist.