The flat front door is the one the freeholder does not own and everyone else forgets about.
In most blocks it is a different story from the corridor doors. The corridor doors belong to the building. The flat doors have been fitted, swapped, drilled and painted by whoever lived behind them.
Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, flat entrance doors in a building with two or more homes are part of the responsible person's duty. If the building is over 11 metres, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 say to try to check each one every 12 months.
What goes wrong on a flat door
Letterboxes. A standard one cut through a fire door without a fire-rated liner is a gap in the door.
Spyholes and chains. Small holes, but they go through the core.
Replaced locks. The old mortice goes out, a larger cylinder or a smart lock goes in, and the opening is cut bigger than the door was tested for.
Painted seals. A resident redecorates and the smoke seal goes under the gloss.
Closers taken off. The arm gets in the way of a pushchair, so it comes off. Of everything on this list, that is the one we see most.
Getting into every flat
This is where most of the time goes. We cannot inspect a door we cannot reach.
You can help by sending letters out in advance with a proposed day. We normally book a morning and an afternoon block per floor, and we hold back time for the ones who say they are out.
If you give us a key set through the managing agent, we can do vacant flats without anyone at home. We do not take keys without a record.
What each flat gets
A door number matched to the flat number, the gap readings, notes on every fault and a photo. If a door has no label we say so and say what the options are.
The report goes to you, not to the resident. If you want a short note for a resident whose door has failed, we can write that too.
Price
We price by flat count and how many times we expect to wait outside a door. Send the number of flats and the floors and we will give you a figure.
Questions we get asked
Who pays if a leaseholder's door fails?
That depends on the lease. Often the front door is part of the demise but the fire duty sits with the freeholder. Check the lease or ask your solicitor.
Can the resident refuse access?
They can make it difficult. Keep a record of each attempt. It shows you tried.
Send the postcode and a rough number of doors. A price comes back the same day.
Get a price