Fire door FAQs for leaseholders
How can I check if my door meets the current standards?
If you’ve changed your door since you took on the lease, the company that installed it should be able to confirm if it’s a fire door set and provide you with a certificate to confirm this. If you can’t find any information about your door and you haven’t had a new one since you took on the lease, carry out these checks:
- If your door is UPVC, it’s not a fire door.
- Knock on the door - does it sound hollow? Look inside the letter box - does it look like it’s made of solid wood? Timber fire doors have to be made of solid timber and must not be hollow.
- Measure the width of the door (the thin edge) – fire doors must be a minimum of 4.4cm thick. If your door has panelled sections and they’re less than 4.4cm thick, it’s unlikely that your door is a fire door. (Newer doors can be 3.8cm thick and still meet the standard, but you must have the certificate to show it’s a fire door).
- Look for a coloured plug in the door itself, or any label or markings that may indicate that it’s been fitted by either TRADA’s Q-Mark scheme or BWF’s certification scheme. (Some fire doors don’t have these, but if yours does, it’s a good indication that it will meet the standard).
- If your door has glazed panel(s), the glass should either be wired or l fire resistant (indicated by an etched mark such as BS476:22 or BSEN14449 class 2; there are various British Standard codes that could be etched on the glass, if in doubt, make a note of the code and contact The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF)). If the glazing doesn’t have an etched mark, the door is unlikely to be a fire door and we’ll need a certificate to prove it is.
- Is there a 25mm door stop fitted around the door frame which the door closes to? Or is there a smoke seal? Your fire door must be fitted with a smoke seal to meet the standard.
- Is the door self-closing? Fire doors must be fitted with either an overhead door closer or a jamb closer.
- Doors shouldn’t have any large openings such as cat flaps. Letterboxes are permitted but should be fire resistant (with an intumescent liner) and fitted in the lower third of the door. If you’ve bought your letterbox separately from your door, it must be from a reputable supplier and fitted by a competent carpenter. Fire door sets that come ready fitted with letterboxes and ironmongery (handles, numbers and so on) should be supplied with a certificate stating their fire rating.
- Composite fire doors also have three hinges, intumescent strips and smoke seals, and self-closers – but some composite doors aren’t fire doors. When in doubt, (because there are no markings, labels or coloured plugs in the door itself); the certificate will be the only way to tell whether or not it’s a fire door.
I inherited my door when I took on the lease - do I need to do anything?
Yes – carry out the checks above, and check with your solicitor, who should have copies of any building control consents for alterations such as replacement doors.
I want to change my flat front door
Please get in touch with us by email or by calling 0115 74 69 486.
What is the standard that the door needs to meet?
- All new fire door sets must be FD30s (with a minimum fire resistance of 30 minutes) in accordance with BS476: Part 22 1987 or BS EN 1634-1 2000.
- New flat doors should meet the Secure by Design standard.
- Contractors supplying and fitting the door must issue you a certificate to confirm that the door set meets this standard, or fire door sets must be marked in accordance with TRADA’s Q-Mark Scheme or BWF’s Certifire Scheme.
If you’ve changed your door without letting us know, please submit details of the work to us as soon as possible - as long as the new door meets fire safety standards, we’ll arrange for consent to be granted retrospectively. If the alteration doesn’t meet the standard, you’ll have to get a new door that complies with Building Regulations.
Can I upgrade my current door rather than replace it to meet the standard?
It depends on the door – please email us for more information.
How do I find someone to install a new door?
Correct installation is as important as making sure that the door meets the standard. We recommend that you use an accredited fire door installation company. Find out more here:
BRE Group - installation of fire and security door sets
BM Trada Q Mark fire door installation scheme
Warrington Fire scheme for fire doors
What about internal doors in my flat?
Certain internal doors, such as kitchen doors or, if you live in a maisonette, doors between a room and a staircase, must also be fire doors, to prevent fire from spreading from room to room. If you want change internal doors or alter the layout of your flat, you must get building control consent. If you’re doing any work that includes knocking or drilling holes in walls, floors or ceilings, even if it’s just to run cabling, we need to know so that we can check that the integrity of the wall, floor or ceiling is reinstated and fire and smoke can’t pass through.
When do I have to do this?
As soon as possible. We’re contacting all our leaseholders with non-compliant doors, as identified by our fire risk assessments.
