Fire door faults, put right and written down
An inspection tells you what is wrong with a fire door. We do the next part: the remedial work on the list, and a dated record of what was done to each door.
What goes wrong with a fire door
A fire door only does its job if it closes by itself and seals when it gets hot. Most fail through ordinary wear, usually in the corridors that get the most use.
- Doors that no longer close and latch on their own
- Closers that are slow, slamming or broken
- Smoke seals and intumescent strips that are torn, missing or painted over
- Gaps around the door that have opened up over time
- Loose hinges and missing screws
- Damaged door faces and frames
- Fire door signs that are missing or unreadable
A fire door is tested as a complete set, so anything we fit has to suit the door that is there. If a door is beyond repair we will tell you, rather than patch it and hand it back.
Send us the list
If your fire risk assessor or door inspector has given you a list of defects, that is where we start. It does not matter who wrote it. We work through it door by door, around the people in the building, and tell you about anything we find that was not on it.
If you have no list yet, our free monthly building walk covers what to look at on every fire door.
One entry for every door
Each door gets its own entry: where it is, what the fault was, what we did, the date and a photograph. When someone asks what happened to the door on the second floor landing, you can open the record and show them.
What the law asks for
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for a building has to keep its fire safety measures, fire doors included, in good repair.
In England, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 go further for buildings with two or more homes that are above 11 metres. Fire doors in communal areas must be checked at least every 3 months, the responsible person must use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, and those checks must include making sure the self closing devices work.
For other buildings, how often to check comes from your fire risk assessment and how hard the doors are used. This is a plain summary rather than legal advice.
Supported housing, with tenants at home
Fire door remedials are part of our work for IKE Supported Housing, where we have maintained 16 properties since November 2017. That is where our fire door history is. For other kinds of building, we would work the same way.
When carrying out work on site, they provide risk assessments where required, work safely, use appropriate personal protective equipment, and take every reasonable step to protect our tenants and staff.
Assess the building or sign it off
Fire risk assessments and electrical certification need a specialist. We do not write them, and nothing we do replaces them. We will tell you who we would ring, and we will fix what they find.
Tell us where to start
Ring Wayne Cator, our Managing Director, or send us the details and we will come back to you.