Two or more domestic premises with common parts
Resident information
The responsible person must give residents information on the importance of fire doors, including keeping them shut, not tampering with self-closers and reporting faults.
England Regulation Map
Fire Door Regulations Explained
Fire door rules in England come from different places at different stages of a building's life. This guide follows that life cycle, from building work through day-to-day management to acting on a defect, so you can see which rules are likely to be relevant to you. It is general information, not legal advice.
What This Page Covers
This page covers England. Wales and Scotland have their own legislation and building standards, so the detail here should not be read across to those nations.
There is no single answer that applies to every door. The relevant duties depend on the type of building, its height and use, its fire strategy and fire risk assessment, whether building work is involved and, for flats, the lease. Where those points matter, the right answer for a particular building needs competent advice.
Stage 1: Design and Building Work
When building work is carried out, the Building Regulations apply, and Approved Document B gives guidance on ways of meeting the fire safety requirements, including where fire doors are needed and the performance expected of them. It is published in two volumes: dwellings, and buildings other than dwellings.
Approved Documents guide compliance for building work. They are not the same thing as the ongoing management duties that apply once a building is occupied, and a door that predates current guidance does not automatically need replacement because it differs from today's new-work standard.
The current GOV.UK collection publishes the 2026-effective documents collated with amendments due in 2029. Those future provisions are shown for information and should not be treated as already in force.
Door ratings such as FD30 and FD60 are explained in our guide to FD30 vs FD60 fire doors.
Stage 2: Occupation and Management
Once premises are in use, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on the responsible person. These include carrying out a fire risk assessment and, where necessary to safeguard relevant persons, ensuring the premises and fire safety facilities, equipment and devices, which can include fire doors, are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. GOV.UK confirms that, following the Fire Safety Act 2021, flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings are within the scope of the fire risk assessment.
The Order does not set one inspection interval for all doors. How often doors are looked at, and in what depth, normally follows the fire risk assessment and the building's circumstances.
Stage 3: Multi-Occupied Residential Buildings and Regulation 10
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10, adds specific fire door duties for residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises. GOV.UK's regulation 10 fact sheet explains how they work in practice.
Above 11 metres only
Communal door checks
Fire doors in communal areas must be checked at least every three months.
Above 11 metres only
Flat entrance door checks
The responsible person must use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least every 12 months.
Below 11 metres
No fixed regulation 10 interval
The quarterly and annual intervals do not apply. Doors still fall within the Fire Safety Order and its risk assessment and maintenance duties.
Checks, Inspection and Remedial Work Are Different
Routine practice is covered in fire door checks and maintenance, and formal inspections in how partner inspections work.
Routine check
Is the door working?
A regular visual and functional check by or for the responsible person. See our guide to fire door checks and maintenance.
Formal inspection
What condition is it in?
A detailed technical inspection and report by a competent inspector. Parsec arranges this through an external specialist partner.
Remedial work
Putting it right
Repair, upgrade or replacement carried out by a works contractor. Parsec's pre-works site assessment scopes and prices this work; it is not an inspection report.
Who Does What
Responsibilities sit with different people. Who holds each role in a given building depends on ownership, management arrangements and the lease.
For a door-specific role and scenario guide, see who is responsible for fire doors. It separates statutory duties, authority to instruct works and payment without repeating this lifecycle map.
| Role | Typical part in fire door matters |
|---|---|
| Responsible person | Holds the duties under the Fire Safety Order, including the fire risk assessment and keeping fire safety measures maintained; in qualifying residential buildings, also the regulation 10 information and check duties. |
| Building control body | Considers compliance with the Building Regulations when building work is carried out, including new or replacement doorsets that form part of that work. |
| Competent inspection contractor | Carries out a formal fire door inspection and issues the report where one is required. Parsec arranges this through an external specialist partner. |
| Works contractor | Scopes, prices and carries out repairs, remedials, installation or replacement, and records what was done. This is the role Parsec Fire Doors fills. |
| Residents | Receive fire door information in qualifying buildings, should keep doors closed and report damage, and may need to allow access for checks or works. Lease terms can affect who arranges or pays for a flat entrance door. |
From a Defect or Report to Next Steps
If you already hold an action list, see remedial works from an FRA action list, or send us your report or photographs for a works quotation.
- Identify the building type, height and who the responsible person is
- Gather the fire risk assessment, any inspection report and door references
- Separate routine-check findings from items needing formal inspection
- Commission a formal inspection through a competent inspector where one is needed
- Have each door's works scoped as repair, upgrade or replacement on its own evidence
- Keep records of checks, access attempts, works and close-out
Sources
Official sources, all accessed 20 October 2026: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (legislation.gov.uk); Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10 (legislation.gov.uk); Approved Document B collection (GOV.UK); Fact sheet: fire doors (regulation 10) (GOV.UK). Check the current versions before relying on them.
Related Pages
Pages that cover each stage in practical detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a Fire Door Report or Defect List?
Send it with any photographs and we will price the repair, upgrade or replacement items door by door.