Fire Door Checks in Blocks of Flats: What Regulation 10 Requires

Since January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 have set out specific fire door duties for responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings. If you manage a block of flats, it is worth knowing exactly what applies to your building.

Which buildings are covered

Regulation 10 applies to residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 metres in height that contain two or more domestic premises. Some duties, such as giving residents fire door information, apply to all multi-occupied residential buildings with common parts.

Communal fire doors: every three months

Responsible persons must use best endeavours to check fire doors in communal areas, including stair and corridor doors, at least every three months. The check should confirm doors close fully, seals and hardware are intact, and nothing is wedging them open.

Flat entrance doors: every twelve months

Flat entrance doors must be checked at least once a year, using best endeavours. Access can be difficult, so keep a record of every attempt to gain entry as well as the outcome of each inspection.

Information for residents

Residents must be told that fire doors should be kept shut when not in use, that they should not tamper with self-closing devices, and that faults or damage should be reported promptly.

Keeping the evidence

A check is only useful if you can prove it happened. OneTrace records each door’s location, photographs and pass/fail status, so you and your fire risk assessor can see the history of every door at any time.

Which doors are covered

Regulation 10 applies to any door in a residential building over 11 metres that forms part of the common parts and is a fire door, and to every flat entrance door that opens onto the common parts. That includes cross-corridor doors, stair and lobby doors, riser and cupboard doors on escape routes, bin store doors and the entrance doors to flats whether they are owned by the freeholder, a leaseholder or a tenant. Doors inside a flat are not included.

What a check involves

The government’s guidance describes a check, not a survey: confirm the door is a fire door, that it closes fully onto the latch from any position, that the self-closer works, that there is no visible damage to the leaf, frame or glazing, that seals are present and intact, that gaps are not excessive and that no hold-open devices or wedges are in use. Record the result, the date and any action. A door that fails should be repaired or replaced and the record should show when that happened.

When you cannot get in

Flat entrance door checks depend on access, and the regulation only requires best endeavours. Keep a record of every attempt, letter and refusal, offer alternative appointment times, and return in a planned sweep rather than leaving the door blank. A pattern of refusals for one flat should be raised with the fire risk assessor and, where the lease allows, through the formal access process.

Common failures we find

• Closers disconnected or adjusted so the door does not latch
• Letterplates and spyholes fitted without intumescent protection
• Replacement doors fitted by leaseholders with no certification
• Smoke seals painted over or missing on one edge
• Threshold gaps over 10 mm after new flooring
• Glazing replaced with non-fire-rated glass

Making the records work

Twelve months of quarterly and annual checks across a block generates hundreds of records. A spreadsheet rarely survives that. A per-door digital record with photographs, dates and the person who checked it gives the Responsible Person something to hand to the fire service on request and feeds the golden thread for higher-risk buildings.

Frequently asked questions

Does Regulation 10 apply to buildings under 11 metres?

No, but the Fire Safety Order still requires fire doors to be maintained and most risk assessors recommend the same pattern of checks.

Who can do the checks?

Anyone competent. The guidance allows trained in-house staff to do the simple checks, but establishing whether a door is a certified fire door and assessing remedial needs should be done by a trained inspector.

What if a leaseholder refuses to replace a failed door?

Record it, inform the fire risk assessor and follow the lease and, if necessary, the First-tier Tribunal route. The Responsible Person’s duty is to use best endeavours and to be able to show that they did.

Related service: Fire Door Inspections. Talk to us about what your building needs.

Read next: 5 Fire Door Defects You Shouldn’t Ignore.