Check your internal fire doors

Check your internal fire doors close properly, seal fully, and have sound hinges and frames.

FD-01Gather your tools and find the fire door labelGet a torch, tape measure, coins or a gap gauge, and a screwdriver. Look on the top edge or hinge edge of the door for a coloured plug or a stamp reading something like FD30 or FD60 — this tells you it's a certified fire door. Doors to an integral garage, a converted loft stairwell, flat entrance doors, and doors onto communal escape routes in HMOs and blocks of flats are usually required to be fire doors.

RULES

1 each · Torch

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1 each · Tape measure

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1 each · Screwdriver set

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KNOW THE RULES

Building Regulations Approved Document B requires fire doors in specific locations, including doors between a house and an integral garage and doors enclosing a loft conversion staircase. In HMOs and blocks of flats, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (and the Fire Safety Act 2021 for flat entrance doors) puts a legal duty on landlords and building owners to keep fire doors working.

FD-02Check the door closes and latches on its ownOpen the door fully, then release it and let the closer pull it shut without helping it. Repeat from a quarter-open and half-open position. The door should swing shut fully and the latch should click into the keep every time, with no manual push needed.

FD-03Check the gaps around the door leafUse a gap gauge or a stack of coins to check the gap between the door and frame on the hinge side and closing side — this should be small and even, roughly 2-4mm along the whole edge. Check the gap along the top in the same way. The gap under the door varies depending on the seal fitted, but a large uneven gap, or one you can see daylight through, needs sorting.

1 each · Feeler gauge or fire door gap gauge

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FD-04Check the intumescent and smoke sealsRun a finger along the groove in the door or frame edge and check there's a continuous strip fitted, with no missing sections, splits, or thick layers of old paint clogging it. If there's a fluffy brush-type smoke seal as well, check it's intact along its full length and not squashed flat.

FD-05Check the hingesCheck there are three hinges (sometimes four on heavier doors), all with screws fitted and tight. Tighten any loose screw with the correct screwdriver. If a screw spins without tightening because the hole is stripped, stop — don't just force in a bigger screw, note it for step FD-08.

1 pack · Replacement screws (pack)

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FD-06Check the door leaf, frame and any glazingLook over the whole door for cracks, splits, warping, or holes drilled for a letterbox or cat flap without a proper fire-rated liner. If there's a glazed vision panel, check the glass is marked as fire-rated and the beading holding it in is intact — ordinary glass in a fire door is a serious fault.

FD-07Check it isn't being held open incorrectlyCheck nobody has wedged the door open with a doorstop, hook, or folded carpet. The only acceptable hold-open device is one wired into the building's fire alarm system that releases automatically when the alarm sounds. A wedged-open fire door does nothing to stop smoke or fire spreading.

FD-08Log any faults and get serious ones fixed properlyWrite down anything you found: loose hinge tightened, missing seal, large gap, stripped screw hole, cracked leaf. Minor tightening you've already done is fine, but a stripped hinge, missing or damaged seal, or a damaged leaf needs a joiner or fire door engineer — don't patch a fire door with a DIY fix that isn't tested for fire resistance.

RULES

KNOW THE RULES

If you're a landlord or the 'responsible person' for a flat, HMO, or shared building, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 puts a legal duty on you to keep fire doors in working order — a stripped hinge or missing seal on a fire door in these settings isn't just a maintenance note, it's a compliance issue.

FD-09Tidy up and set your next check datePut your tools away and note the date you checked each fire door. Recheck every 6-12 months, or more often if the property has a fire risk assessment that sets a schedule — busy communal doors in flats and HMOs wear seals and hinges faster than a quiet house door.

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