Updated September 2026. This cornerstone guide explains fire-door inspection, maintenance and management in the UK, with particular detail on England-specific requirements for multi-occupied residential buildings. It is written for Responsible Persons, landlords, property managers, care providers and other people who need to understand how fire doors should be managed in practice.
Fire doors are an important part of passive fire protection. Their purpose is to help restrict the spread of fire and smoke, protect escape routes and support the building’s wider fire strategy. A good door can still become ineffective through wear, damage, poor adjustment, inappropriate alterations or failed self-closing devices.
SJ Fire Safety Consultants provides fire door inspections with door-by-door findings, photographic evidence and practical remedial recommendations.
Contents
- Why fire doors matter
- What the law requires
- Fire doors within the fire risk assessment
- What a professional inspection checks
- How often fire doors should be checked
- Blocks of flats and the 11-metre rules in England
- Existing doors and modern standards
- Common fire-door defects
- What a good inspection report should contain
- Care homes and supported living
- Landlords and managing agents
- Repairs, replacement and remedial work
- Frequently asked questions
Why are fire doors so important?
Fire doors form part of the building’s compartmentation and means-of-escape strategy. When closed and maintained in suitable condition, they can help limit the movement of fire and smoke between areas of a building.
A door that is wedged open, fails to self-close, has excessive gaps or has been significantly damaged may not provide the protection expected of it. That can increase risk to occupants and compromise protected routes.
What does the law require?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the Responsible Person to put in place and maintain appropriate fire precautions for relevant premises. Fire doors should be considered within the building’s fire risk assessment where they form part of those precautions.
For blocks of flats in England, the Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified the scope of the Fire Safety Order in relation to the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors between domestic premises and common parts. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional duties, including resident information and routine fire-door checks in certain buildings.
Official sources: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the current GOV.UK fire-door guidance.
How do fire doors fit into a fire risk assessment?
The fire risk assessment should consider whether the fire doors relied upon in the building are suitable for the risk and the escape strategy. In a block of flats, official guidance states that the fire risk assessment should already have identified the relevant fire doors and considered whether they are adequate to resist the spread of fire and smoke into or within common parts.
The risk assessment and a detailed door inspection are related but different:
- Fire risk assessment: considers the building-wide risk, fire precautions, escape strategy and whether fire doors are appropriate and adequately managed.
- Routine check: identifies obvious defects such as failed self-closing, visible damage or doors being wedged open.
- Detailed professional inspection: records the condition of each doorset and its components in greater detail.
Read our Complete UK Fire Risk Assessment Guide for the wider assessment process.
What does a professional fire-door inspection check?
Door leaf and frame
The inspector will look for damage, distortion, splits, holes, inappropriate repairs and other defects that may affect the doorset. The relationship between the leaf and frame is important to how the door closes and performs.
Gaps
Excessive or inconsistent gaps can affect the ability of the door to restrict fire and smoke. The current government guidance for routine checks in blocks of flats refers to an industry-standard maximum gap of 4mm at the top and sides, while noting that the bottom gap should be as small as practicable while allowing the door to operate correctly.
Hinges and fixings
Hinges should be secure and suitable for the doorset. Loose screws, wear, damage or unsuitable replacements can cause the door to drop or fail to close correctly.
Self-closing device
Where a fire door needs to be self-closing, the closer should shut the door fully into the frame from relevant angles of opening. Current government guidance for blocks of flats places particular emphasis on effective self-closing flat entrance and communal fire doors.
Intumescent strips and smoke seals
Where these form part of the doorset, the inspector will consider whether they are present, continuous and in reasonable condition. However, the absence of modern seals on an older existing flat entrance door does not automatically mean the door is unsuitable; the overall adequacy of the door should be assessed in context.
Glazing and vision panels
Fire-resisting glazing should be secure and suitable. Damage, loose beads or inappropriate replacement glazing may affect performance.
Locks, latches and other hardware
Handles, latches, locks, letterplates, access-control equipment and other hardware should not prevent the fire door from performing as intended. Unauthorised alterations can introduce weaknesses.
Surrounding construction
Damage or gaps around the frame and surrounding wall can undermine the effectiveness of the doorset even if the leaf itself appears sound.
For a step-by-step overview, read What Happens During a Professional Fire Door Inspection?
How often should fire doors be inspected?
There is no single detailed-inspection interval that applies to every fire door in every building. The appropriate frequency should reflect the building, use, door location, traffic, vulnerability of occupants, previous defects and the fire risk assessment.
High-use doors can deteriorate faster and may justify more frequent checks. Obvious damage should be addressed when noticed rather than waiting for a scheduled inspection.
Read: How Often Should Fire Doors Be Inspected?
Blocks of flats: what are the specific rules in England?
For multi-occupied residential buildings in England where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require the Responsible Person to:
- carry out checks of communal fire doors at least every three months; and
- use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months.
The regulations also require fire-door information to be provided to residents in relevant multi-occupied residential buildings with common parts.
These are simple routine checks. The government guidance makes clear that they are based on the assumption that the fire risk assessment has already assessed the suitability of the doors.
Official source: GOV.UK Fire Doors Fact Sheet.
Read our detailed article: Fire Door Requirements for Blocks of Flats in England.
Do older fire doors need to meet today’s new-door standards?
Not automatically. This is an important point in the current government guidance.
The 2025-revised fire-door guidance explains that the purpose of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations is not to make every existing flat entrance door satisfy the standards imposed on new doors under current Building Regulations. In many circumstances, a door that met the appropriate standard when the block or door was built may continue to provide adequate protection if it remains undamaged, closes properly and is suitable for the risk.
The guidance also says that lack of modern certification, intumescent strips or smoke seals does not by itself prove that an existing flat entrance door is unfit for purpose.
This does not mean defects can be ignored. It means decisions should be proportionate and based on the actual fire risk, condition and performance expected of the door rather than simply replacing doors because they are older.
10 common fire-door defects
Common defects found during inspections include:
- failed or poorly adjusted self-closing devices;
- doors wedged or held open incorrectly;
- excessive or uneven gaps;
- missing or damaged seals where they are required;
- loose, worn or unsuitable hinges;
- damage to the door leaf or frame;
- poorly installed locks, access control or other alterations;
- cracked or unsuitable glazing;
- doors that bind, fail to latch or do not sit correctly in the frame; and
- defects repeatedly recorded but not repaired.
See our full guide: 10 Common Fire Door Defects Found During Inspections.
What should a good fire-door inspection report include?
A useful report should allow the client to identify each door and understand the action required. Typical information can include:
- door reference and location;
- door leaf and frame condition;
- hinges and hardware;
- self-closing performance;
- gaps;
- seals;
- glazing;
- signage or use issues where relevant;
- photographic evidence;
- overall condition or action status; and
- practical remedial recommendations.
See what you receive and our illustrative sample fire-door report.
Fire-door inspections in care homes and supported living
Care homes and supported-living settings can rely heavily on passive fire protection because some occupants may need assistance to evacuate and fire strategies may rely on compartmentation. Doors in these environments can also receive heavy day-to-day use from beds, trolleys and staff movement.
Read: Fire Door Inspections for Care Homes and Supported Living, our Care Homes service page and Supported Living service page.
Fire-door inspections for landlords and managing agents
Landlords and managing agents need systems that connect inspection findings to remedial action. For larger blocks or portfolios, consistent door references, photographs and repair status make it easier to instruct contractors and demonstrate ongoing management.
Read: Fire Door Inspection Checklist for Landlords and Managing Agents and Fire Safety Compliance for Blocks of Flats.
For wider portfolio support, see our Property Managers fire-safety page.
What happens when defects are found?
Defects should be prioritised according to the risk they create. Some issues may be straightforward adjustments or repairs, while others may require specialist assessment, replacement components or a complete doorset replacement.
Government guidance for blocks of flats states that repair or replacement work identified through checks should be carried out by a competent contractor as soon as reasonably practicable. The right action depends on the defect, the door, the building and the fire strategy.
Fire-door inspection FAQs
Does every fire door need checking every three months?
No. The specific quarterly requirement applies to communal fire doors in multi-occupied residential buildings in England where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground. Other buildings should use an appropriate risk-based inspection and maintenance regime.
Do flat entrance doors need annual checks?
In England, where the relevant block’s top storey is more than 11 metres above ground, the Responsible Person must use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months.
Is a routine check the same as a professional inspection?
No. Routine checks are simple observations intended to identify obvious problems. A professional inspection is more detailed and usually records individual component findings for each doorset.
Does an old door need replacing because it has no certificate?
Not automatically. Current government guidance specifically warns against assuming an existing flat entrance door is unsuitable simply because it lacks modern certification. Its adequacy should be assessed in context.
Can I wedge a fire door open?
A fire door that needs to remain closed cannot perform its intended function if wedged open. Where operational needs require hold-open arrangements, the solution should be suitable for the building’s fire strategy and relevant fire-safety system.
What should I do if a fire door will not close?
Record the defect, consider the immediate risk and arrange appropriate repair or specialist review. Do not leave a known failed closer unmanaged.
Arrange a Fire Door Inspection
SJ Fire Safety Consultants provides detailed fire-door inspections with clear reporting, photographs and practical remedial recommendations for individual buildings and multi-site portfolios.
View our Fire Door Inspection service or contact us for a quotation.