Customers who live in flats are subject to additional safety measures and, as part of our fire risk assessments and estate inspections, we inspect all the fire doors in our properties to ensure they are safe and compliant.
Fire doors are a critical element in fire safety and a requirement in every commercial, public and multiple occupancy building, and in some domestic situations too. In everyday use, the simple purpose of a fire door is just as any other door. However, fire doors are so important in case of fire as they can delay the spread of this, and of smoke, protecting your life and home.
Residents can help us ensure their buildings are safe by telling us if they notice any faults with fire doors by using the 5 Step Check. Please get in touch to report any faults.
The Fire Door 5 Step Check
Customers living in flats are subject to additional safety measures and, as part of our fire risk assessments and estate inspections, we inspect all the fire doors in our properties to ensure they are safe and compliant.
You can help us by reporting any faults you spot with the fire doors.
Here’s a 5 Step Check on what to look out for:
1. Check for certification
Is there a label or plug on top (or occasionally on the side) of the door to show it is a certificated fire door? You can use your mobile phone camera or a mirror to check. If there is, that’s good news, otherwise report it to whoever is in charge of your building.
2. Check the gaps
Check the gaps around the top and sides of the door are consistently less than 4mm when closed. You can use a £1 coin to give a feel for scale: this is about 3mm thick. The gap under the door can be slightly larger (up to 8mm is not uncommon), but it does depend on the door – as a rule of thumb, if you can see light under the door, the gap is likely to be too big. It’s good news if the door fits the frame and it’s not damaged. If not, report it. If the gaps are too big, smoke and fire could travel through the cracks.
3. Check the seals
Are there any intumescent seals around the door or frame, and are they intact with no sign of damage? These seals are usually vital to the fire door's performance as they expand if they’re in contact with heat – making sure fire cannot move through the cracks. Most fire doors also have a smoke seal around the perimeter as well as the intumescent seal. This brush or fin (a bit like a windscreen wiper) seal should fill the gap when the door is closed. If not, report it - the door may not be properly maintained and, in the intensity of a fire, may not protect you long enough.
4. Check the hinges
Are the hinges firmly fixed (three or more of them), with no missing or broken screws? If you see problems, report it - the door needs to be properly maintained.
5. Check the door closes properly
Is the door easy to operate and does it close fully? Open the door about halfway, let go and allow it to close by itself. Does it close firmly onto the latch without sticking on the floor or the frame? If not, report it. A fire door only works when it’s closed. A fire door is completely useless if it’s wedged open or can’t close fully.
More advice is also available from the London Fire Brigade website 
or please contact us.
Fire door replacement programme
We have an extensive door replacement programme underway: prioritising those identified through the fire risk assessments as needing repair. If we have identified your door as needing to be changed, we will contact you.
All the doors we fit are fully certified fire doors, with primary test evidence. Each door is fitted by a third-party accredited contractor to ensure it is installed properly. By taking this approach, we can be confident that the right door is being installed, and it’s being installed properly.