Fire door checks: the law and the Grenfell connection

Assessment, maintenance and recurring checks are different duties

Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order requires a suitable and sufficient FRA; Article 17 requires suitable maintenance arrangements where necessary for safety. The Fire Safety Act clarifies the scope to include relevant flat entrance doors, structure and external walls. Regulation 10 adds resident information and the height-specific recurring checks. These layers work together. A recent FRA does not automatically establish that every annual flat entrance check was completed, and a door register does not replace an FRA.

Awais on inspection and action

Awais Sarwar’s supplied legislation guide, page 1. The next step after findings is a proportionate maintenance response with a named owner, not an assumption that commissioning the survey completes every duty.

An inspection report alone does not repair a defective door or establish that the whole building is safe.

Awais Sarwar, MSc — Fire Risk Assessor & Fire Safety Consultant, IFSM-registered, National Fire Risk Assessor Register ID 1576

Who carries the responsibility?

The legal definition and control of premises determine the dutyholders. Freeholders, management companies, landlords and others may have responsibilities to the extent of their control. More than one dutyholder can be involved. Appointing an inspector helps deliver checks but does not transfer away the Responsible Person’s duty. Establish responsibility for appointments, findings, repairs and records before commissioning the work.

Routine checks do not always require a specialist

Government guidance says the basic checks do not normally require a specialist. Properly instructed caretakers, housing officers or maintenance staff can undertake them. A contractor can also help. The person needs to understand the checks, record limitations and recognise when more expertise is needed. Regulation 10 does not impose a blanket FDIS requirement. IFSM membership is not product certification; detailed suitability assessments, intrusive investigations and repairs need competence appropriate to that work.

Resident information at all heights

Relevant residents should be told to keep fire doors closed when not in use, not tamper with self-closing devices and report faults promptly. Provide information to new residents as soon as reasonably practicable and repeat it at intervals no longer than 12 months. Regulation 9 separately concerns fire safety instructions. Keep an issue and distribution record, and make arrangements for residents who need information in an accessible format. A fault reported between scheduled visits should receive attention according to risk.

What changed in April 2026?

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 took effect on 6 April 2026 for specified buildings: high-rise residential buildings and residential buildings more than 11 metres high with simultaneous evacuation strategies. They add building emergency evacuation plans and processes for residents whose impairment or condition compromises unaided evacuation. Information sharing has applicable consent requirements. These are additional duties, not a replacement for Regulation 10 or an assumed part of a basic door visit.

New work and existing doors

Building Regulations and Approved Document B address relevant building work, with applicable transitional arrangements. Regulation 38 concerns handover of fire safety information where it applies. They are not interchangeable with a routine operational check of an occupied block. Missing modern seals or certification does not alone prove an existing door unfit; suitability questions belong in the FRA or further competent assessment. Nor should uncertain construction be described as a verified FD30 or FD60 rating.

A management sequence you can use

Confirm the building’s scope and height, review the FRA, identify every relevant door, plan checks and resident information, arrange access, record findings and limitations, assign actions, verify relevant work and retain evidence. Connect inspection records to Section 156 arrangements. This is an England-focused explanation, not an exhaustive account of building, housing and fire-safety law or advice on a disputed lease.