New Fire Safety Regulations are coming into effect in England from January 2023 which require residential buildings to update some of their fire safety equipment and procedures.
One key change to the Fire Safety Regulations 2022 is the new procedures around checking fire doors, including routine checks and inspections of fire doors.
What are fire doors?
Fire doors are constructed using specific materials and ironmongery that allow the door to prevent the spread of fire and smoke. Commonly, they suppress fire for 30-60 minutes and will have been through rigorous testing to gain certification for this.
They usually have a sticker on them saying ‘fire door keep shut’ but fire doors can also look like a standard front door. If you live in a block of flats or a HMO, your front door should be a fire-rated door.
What are the Fire Safety Regulations 2022 updates?
From the 23rd of January 2023, it’s a legal requirement for the Responsible Person for multi-occupied buildings over 11 metres to:
- Carry out quarterly checks of all fire doors in communal areas
- Carry out annual checks on all flat entrance doors
- Provide information to residents about the importance of fire doors
The Responsible Person should be able to check for and identify any obvious issues with fire doors, such as broken closers. Professional help should be acquired for a comprehensive inspection or a fire door replacement.
For more in-depth information about new fire door requirements, please refer to this Government factsheet.
Who is the Responsible Person?
The Responsible Person is ultimately the person who has legal responsibility for the fire safety in the building.
They are usually the person who owns or is in control of a building. In a property, it could be the landlord or the managing agent.
Why is it important for residents to know about fire doors?
The gov.uk website states “In all multi-occupied residential buildings, the regulations require responsible persons to provide residents with fire safety instructions and information on the importance of fire doors.”
It’s natural for a fire door to become damaged over time due to high use and general wear and tear. However, sometimes the damage is caused deliberately, for example breaking or disengaging door closers.
By sharing knowledge with residents on the importance of fire doors and why they need to be closed, it may prevent them from causing damage and also be able to identify if something is wrong with a door.
Where can people learn about fire doors?
It’s currently unclear what the primary source of information being given to residents is. However, there are some great sources within the fire industry such as the FIA, FPA, IFSEC and the BWF. As we’re in the business of offering fire door services here at Fireco, we also create plenty of reliable fire door content. Our blog section and webinar archive are great places to find more information.
This video is a good place to start, defining what a fire door is and how to know if a fire door is compliant.
What other changes are being made to the Fire Safety Regulations?
It’s not just changes to fire doors that are being introduced. There are a number of other elements that will need to be implemented by the Responsible Person, including:
- Provide the Fire Service with electronic and paper versions of the building plan
- Provide information about the materials used on the exterior of the building and the level of risk these materials have
- Regular checks on firefighting lifts and equipment within the building and resolve any issues
- Installation of an information box with documents of the Responsible Person and the building plan
- Installation of evacuation and wayfinding signage visible in low light or smoky environments
For more in-depth information about all of the new requirements, please refer to this Government factsheet.
All of these new requirements have come from the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry, which highlighted some major issues about how fire safety is handled in residential property. Hopefully, with the new elements being actioned, high-rise and HMO buildings will become safer places to live.
In a block of leased flats, who is liable to pay to make individual fire doors comply with the new regulations? The legal owner of the property? The management company? The builder to whom annual ground rent is paid?
Hello Shayne, thank you for the question. There are 2 types of internal fire door sets in a block of leased flats:
– Communal fire door sets. These are either singles or doubles.
– The front entrance doors (FEDs), which lead from the communal areas into each flat.
The cost of upgrading communal doors is the responsibility of either the freeholder or the freeholder & the leaseholders. The cost of upgrading each FED is the responsibility of the leaseholder of the flat.
We can supply & install (accredited by BM Trada) new FD30 & FD60 communal fire door sets, & FD30 FED fire door sets.
Hello if any changes need to be made to the flat who is responsible for it And how will this be fixed and how much it cost or is it free ?
I have been informed that the fire exits in my bar are now too far apart. The distance is too far from one to the other.
Please can you shed any light on this law?
Thanks
I need a quote for a front door in my block of flats ehich meet new fire regulations?
Filomena
Hi we have had a conservatory with solid roof built on the back of our bungalow One of the doors go into the garage we have had a expensive composite door fitted,is that classed as a fire door,do we need a fire door?
Is a window required in a care home bedroom? My mother in law has no window a very tiny window. The door locks outside but can be open from the inside. Lift plus stairs. No natural lighting or ventilation
Sorry I meant tiny bedroom not window no window at all
Are there legal requirements of noise levels that aren’t exceptable. I live I a block of flats Both front door to block and fire doors are making my life hell is there anything that I can tell the landlord to do to help please I have slept of more than 2 hour straight. Mental is and medical condition is worsened by stress and lack of sleep
Hello Clare, thank you for reaching out. We would suggest speaking to your landlord. They may be able to adjust the door closers so they don’t slam. Other than that, you could contact environmental health at your local council to lodge a complaint, for this you would probably need to keep a diary of disturbances.
Hi do fire doors have to have 3 hinges
Many thanks
Hi Ann, fire doors should have at least 3 hinges and they should be CE Marked, approved to BS EN 1935 & be minimum Grade 11.
The fire door sets that we supply have 4 hinges, are CE Marked, and approved to BS EN 1935 & Grade 13! Even better than the required standard!
Where can I find the details of what fittings MUST be on a flat fire door? Web sites are vague.
Hello Bill, thanks for your question. Visit this document https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/937931/ADB_Vol1_Dwellings_2019_edition_inc_2020_amendments.pdf and go to page 135 ‘Appendix C: Fire doorsets.’ You should be able to find all the information there.
You may also find this webinar helpful https://www.fireco.uk/project/ironmongery-and-fire-doors-fire-testing-cpd.
If you still need further help, please reach out to us on contact@fireco.uk or 01273 320650 to speak to a member of our fire door team and they’d be happy to help!
Hello
Can you tell me if the front entrance door to a flat which is off of an internal corridor needs to have a self closing device? Tge corridor is only just wider than the doir and a door mounted cloer would hit the wall when opening the door.
Thanks very much
Mark
Hi Mark, thank you for your question. A flat front entrance door (FED) that opens onto a communal space should be a fire-resistant doorset and will require a self-closing device. The device can be fitted to the inside or the outside of the door, whichever has sufficient space to allow the FED to open at least 90°.
The Fire Safety Regulations coming into effect in England from January 2023.
If the quarterly/ annual fire door checks are found to be not done satisfactorily. What is the likely action/ punishment?
And who will be auditing the regular checks?
Hi Martin, thank you for the question. Please call and ask for a member of our fire door team on 01272 320650 to discuss it further.
I live in a Housing Association flat. There is one communal door. For two separate flats at the top of 14 stairs. My neighbour informs me that she is being allowed to have a chair lift on the communal stairs. This would limit my access to my home. I use a shopping trolley. And am worried about the fire safety of this. Thank you for your help.
Hi
Is it still the case that a ground floor structure (no upper levels) still does not need fire doors (conversion or new build) as per B2 of the Building Regs where there is direct access outside
Ta David
Hi David, thanks for your question. The Building Regulations Approved Documents offer guidance on fire safety for single-storey buildings based on various scenarios. The most recent ‘updated’ version of Approved Document B is accessible on the government website. In general terms, one consideration in deciding whether the final exit door from the structure needs to be a fire door would be whether the area outside the door is part of any escape route from adjacent doors or buildings. If you still need further help, please reach out to us on contact@fireco.uk or 01273 320650 to speak to a member of our fire door team and they’d be happy to help!
Our garage was converted into a utility room some years ago, leaving 4ft at the front for storage. We are now replacing the storage area with a window and knocking through to make a normal room. I want a door from my hall to the room but builder says this must be fire door at £2000 ! as it’s going into a garage, but it’s no longer a garage? We are just in a standard 2 story residential home. This sounds odd to me. None of our other doors are fire doors…….
If there is a corridor with a door on leading to 2 flats, can this communal door not have a twist lock on the inside? We are being told it must remain unlocked at all times
Do fire doors in hotel have to be painted with fire retardant paints
Hi, John, thank you for your question. Fire doors in hotels usually don’t need to be painted with fire retardant paint, but all doors should be fit for purpose and preferably a certified doorset. For more information, you can check your fire risk assessment or ask your fire risk assessor. Fireco offers a fire door inspection service give us a call for further information on how we could help.
In the case of Fire rated doors for escapae stairways, 2 Hr rating. What are the requirements of BS or NFPA for painting of the doors? Do they have to be repainted with an intumescent paint covering and re-certified following cosmetic only damages which have not affected structure or integrity.
Hi Mal, It sounds as though you have doors that have been painted with intumescent paint in an effort to ‘upgrade’ them. This does not allow the doorset to be ‘certified’ (or ‘re-certified’) as a fire doorset of a particular rating. If your Fire Risk Assessment requires 2h fire resistance then you need to ensure you have FD120 or FD120S fire doorsets. If you would like to discuss this further please call and ask for a member of our fire door team on 01272 320650.
I am required by the freeholder/managing agents of the block in which my flat is situated, to fit an FD30s front entrance door and have the installation inspected by the local authority building control officer If Fireco were to fit such a door, would I be required to have it inspected or is your certification sufficient.
Hi Nicholas, thank you for your question. Fireco holds third-party certification from BM TRADA for fire doorset installation. Some local authorities may accept this but some may not, We suggest you ask them. We can provide them with a copy of our BM TRADA certificate in advance if they wish. If you choose Fireco to replace your doorset, you will receive a number of documents to confirm that the fire doorset is certified to achieve FD30S performance and that the installation work is certified and has been completed correctly – and you could then provide copies of that information to the local authority. In my opinion, however, if they still insist on inspection then it is not worth fighting against it. If you would like to discuss this further please call and ask for a member of our fire door team on 01272 320650.
What additional, if any, requirements do Care Homes have to comply with under the new regulations?
I live in a 1bed council property and only have one external fire door. The door freezes and swells at the bottom in the Winter and takes some force to open. The door leads out to 5 concrete steps. Should I contact my local Council to have this seen to as a safety matter?
Should fire doors in long basement corridors be kept open so that they close automatically when the fire alarm goes off. What requirements should front doors have in large blocks of flats
Hi, please could you advise whether internal doors within a rented flat need to be fire doors? I understand flat entrance doors need to be fire doors but someone has told me all internal doors need to be fire doors.
Thanks
good question – I have this a bit too as a question…
really daunted by instruction to replace old, lovely simple door with horrible, probably ugly, but likely to be heavy and hard to get and keep door open door.
I am getting on, but also have a long-term issue which makes pulling this kind of thing detrimental.
don’t see any advantage of electrical operation etc.
is there no way to have a more sensible system?
these kinds of regulations feel pretty pointless, and lip service – costing residents money, and creating awful obstacles in other ways; including what is to happen in hot weather, when the door may be better open.
despairing.
Is there a template form for the information that I need to provide to my tenants?
Hi Keith,
We aren’t aware of a template, but there is guidance on this, which you should be able to find on the government website.
Hi
We have just had a fire risk assessment done on the communal hall of our converted Victorian house. One recommendation that came back was that the main front door (not a fire door) should have all the original glass replace or covered with fire rated glass. I cannot find any regulation that supports this recommendation. Any advice?
Hi Kitty, thanks for getting in touch.
I would contact your Fire Risk Assessor and ask them to explain the reason for their recommendation. There is a lot of legislation, regulation, and guidance covering fire safety but it is not always possible to point to a specific piece of writing that covers a specific situation. I cannot immediately think of a reason to have fire-resistant glazing in a non-fire door, but I am not a fire risk assessor and cannot advise on fire risk assessments.
HI
I have a three store semi that is comprised of two flats one the ground floor and the other consists of the first and second floor. I holiday let them , they have a shared porch. do I need to put fire doors on the individual flats front doors ?
do I need fire doors anywhere else
Hi, Thanks for your question.
Under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, you as the ‘Responsible Person’ are required to conduct a fire risk assessment – if you do not have the knowledge to do this you can appoint a fire risk assessor to help you (although you remain legally responsible). Your Local Authority may also have requirements and may need to be contacted for advice. I am not a fire risk assessor so cannot advise on your risk assessment. That said, the risk assessment will consider many factors, including the legal requirement to provide occupants with a safe means of escape in the event of a fire, which in turn means protecting the escape route(s) from fire and smoke for long enough for occupants to escape and this, again in turn, will determine (among other things) whether and where fire doorsets are required (and whether existing doors are sufficient or whether they need to be replaced).
I live in a Victorian property that has been converted in to flats that are all owned individually. There is communal access to 2 of the flats and separate individual front doors for the the other flats (ground floor and basement). The top flat in the building is owned by a landlord who rents out to 2 professionals. Would every owner be responsible for their own fire doors to their flat and who might be responsible for the communal entrance way? The freehold for the whole house is owned by one of the owners but no management company is involved
In an expensive and only medium rise apartments, paying just to live there not council tax that is extra, about £6,000 a year, we have already fire
extinguishers fitted in every kitchen, fire alarms on each ceiling, new fire doors, and a loud fire alarm system. In the hall fire entrance doors, a fire safety cupboard, large notices in the entrance and inner hall saying GROUND FLOOR (as if that were needed) which meant removing a large mirror not able to be replaced, and a mounted plan of the building. Also nothing in vases etc allowed. Each building has fitted at great expense louvred windows automatically opening in case of fire, mounted notices at each lift. WHAT ELS
Having read the article on fire doors perhaps you can advice on furniture in lift areas.
We live in a retirement flat along with 119 other ownwer. We have been told that a recent fire survey says the small half circle table and two chairs in the lift areas must be removed. The area available is 2 meters wide by a minimum of 5 meters, the widest piece of furniture is 50cm. the table is screwed to the wall with a chair either side.
Many of the residents have disabilities and are unable to stand unaided while waiting for the lift, the chairs also enable residents to move about within the building, visit friends, attend meetings and functions. A flat could be up to 50 metere to the lift, then stand and wait for the slow lift, then another walk to destination on fourth floor and not able to rest on route.
I am the freeholder of a story block of 6 flats built in 1967
I need to alter the back door What do you recommend please?
We live a in purpose built 3 storey flat (ground floor with 2 more levels). It is Victorian and my door is solid wood with 2 slim glass panels. As it a period property, in a conservation area and under 9 meters, am I still obliged to replace the front door?
Hi Dionne, thank you for your question,
As the property is in a conservation area you should seek advice before making any changes as planning consent may be required. Older properties are not exempt from fire safety legislation. The owner/manager of the whole building is responsible for fire safety and should have a Fire Risk Assessment that will indicate any works that need to be done.
In general, a flat front entrance door leading to a communal part of the building is required to be a fire door (building height is not relevant). The first step might be for the building owner/manager to engage a competent fire door inspector, who can report on the current condition of all fire doorsets in the building and advise what can be done if they are not suitable.
Fire Door Regulations Inspection only apply if your building is over 11 metres high, which ours does not apply so McCarthy Stone Leaseholders are forcing us Homeowners to pay their Property Operations Department for this Inspection twice a year to which we will be billed to pay for. As we DO NOT COME WITHIN OR NEAR THIS REGULATION 11 Meters, can I refuse to pay this exorbitant Fee to which they are making a profit? McCarthy Stone are the Leaseholders.
Why have our fire extinguishers been removed from our independent living building.?