Fire door inspections

We carry out regular fire door checks in your building.

This is a vital inspection as fire doors play an essential role in preventing or reducing the spread of smoke, toxic gases and fire if a fire breaks out.

If you live in a building over 11m (typically 4 or more storeys) we’re legally required in accordance to fire regulations, to undertake prearranged door inspections. Here at Southern Housing, we feel all our buildings require periodic inspections, so we inspect all our buildings, even those under 11m too.  

Buildings under 11m  

• Communal doors inspected every 6 months
• Flat entrance doors every 2 years  

The frequency of the door inspections within buildings under 11m is different to those buildings over 11m.

Buildings over 11m

• Communal doors inspected every 3 months
• Flat entrance doors every 12 months  

For more information about when your building is next due an inspection, please contact us.

The contractor will typically need no more than 15 minutes to complete the inspection of your front door.

•    If there are any gaps around the door frame
•    If seals and hinges are fitted correctly
•    That the door closer shuts the door
•    That the door closes correctly around the whole frame
•    That there’s no visible damage to the door, or door closer
•    If there’s been any alterations or damage to windows or vents in the door.

If we identify an issue with your door, we’ll arrange for our appropriate contractor to complete the necessary action which could be repair or install a replacement as part of a programme of works.  

Whilst there’s no set timeframe for needing to complete works identified as part of this routine inspection, we prioritise works based on the risk rating.  
When the contractor is ready to complete the works, they’ll contact you to arrange an appointment.

If you have concerns about your flat entrance door, please get in touch. Please provide as much information as possible. We can then arrange appropriate action. 

Due to the scale of the programme, we aren’t able to offer individual appointments currently.

Our door inspectors will visit each building over 11m every 3 months to complete inspections and will attempt to inspect all flat entrance doors within during that visit.

If you aren’t available at the time of the visit, they’ll attempt to gain access during their next visit. Access must be provided once every 12 months.

If you live in a building under 11m, the door inspectors will visit the building every 6 months. Again, they’ll attempt to inspect all flat entrance doors within during that visit. If you aren’t available at the time of the visit, they’ll attempt to gain access during their next visit. Access must be provided once every 2 years If you’re struggling to accommodate access request during our visit, please get in touch and we’ll do our best to accommodate your availability.  

Our contractors may attend your building and place a small QR code label on every door within the communal areas, including flat entrance doors.

The QR code labels are small and discreet, measuring 20mm x 20mm. See image to the right.

This label allows us to record information on the type/condition of the door and to keep a log of future inspections.

If you have a concern or query relating to a specific door within your building, the quickest way for us to be able to identify the door is through the reference number underneath the QR code.

We can confirm your personal data isn’t accessible via the QR Code.

We may identify works needed to improve how your flat entrance door will perform if there was a fire. If works are identified our appointed contractors will be able to advise you of the works needed.

A new fire door usually takes 8-12 weeks to manufacture and install. 

To replace a flat entrance door will usually take us typically up to 3 hours. this time frame may vary if you have any specialist adaptions.
 
When an appointment is made to replace your door, the contractor will provide further information on this. 

An intumescent strip is a thin seal usually fixed around the edges of a fire door.

The intumescent material expands when heated up and blocks the small spaces between the door which reduces the chance of fire and smoke spreading throughout the building.

Door lipping is where an additional hardwood strip is added to the sides or base of a door.

This is usually required where gaps are present around door leafs or where the edge of the door gets damaged over time.

Instead of needing to replace a complete door it can be 'lipped' to create a new flush edge to the door, which helps the door to fit tightly into its frame.

Fanlights are small windows above your flat entrance door, often boarded over.
We must ensure whatever material installed, glazing or board, is fire rated.

Fire safety regulation say that all flat entrance doors need to be fitted with a door closer. This is because a fire door will only be effective in preventing fire spread if it's closed. The door therefore needs to be fitted with a compliant self-closing device (an overhead door closer).

Compliant fire doors can be heavier that what you’ve had before. However, we want to ensure the door is not only compliant but is always easily operational for you. Please contact us if you have any concerns, we can explore alternative aids and solutions.  

Our replacement door programme is prioritised on findings from our door and Fire Risk Assessment.  

If there are multiple doors within a building needing to be changed, we’ll assess the feasibility of completing these around the same time. 

A composite door is when the door is made up of combination of different materials. Whilst these can be used, it’s important that they’ve been tested to the fire rated standard.  

If we don’t have copies of associated certification and/or cannot satisfy ourselves that the door is compliant, we’ll look to replace the door as part of our door programme.   

UPVC doors are generally not fire rated doors. For this reason, they shouldn’t be installed within communal areas.

Some UPVC doors may fall under the category of being a 'Composite Door Set'. Please see the answer relating to composite doors above.

We must satisfy ourselves that the doors within our buildings meet current standards to maximise protection to our residents. Regulatory guidance and legislation changes and our approach to our door replacement programme will be determined by the findings from our door inspections and fire risk assessments.