The short answer
In England, in blocks of flats with a storey over 11 metres, communal fire doors must be checked at least every three months and flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, on a best endeavours basis, under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Other buildings have no fixed legal interval: the responsible person sets one through the fire risk assessment, and six-monthly checks, with more frequent checks for busy doors, are a common starting point.
On this page
A fire door does its job only when it is shut. Closers fail, hinges drop, seals get painted over and residents swap doors for ones that look nicer. Inspection is how you find out before a fire does. How often depends on what kind of building you are responsible for and, in England, how tall it is.
Blocks of flats over 11 metres in England
Since 23 January 2023, regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 has set fixed intervals for multi-occupied residential buildings with a storey more than 11 metres above ground. That is roughly a building of five storeys or more, though you should measure rather than count floors.
| Door | How often | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fire doors in the communal areas | At least every 3 months | Required |
| Flat entrance doors | At least every 12 months | Best endeavours |
| Lift landing doors | Not covered by these checks | Excluded |
The checks include the self-closing device. A communal door that does not close by itself has failed, however good the leaf and frame look.
What “best endeavours” means for flat entrance doors
You need residents to let you in to check the inside face and the closer. The government fact sheet says the responsible person should keep a record of the steps taken to get access, such as letters and emails to the resident. In practice: write with a date, offer a second date, then a third, and keep copies. If a resident never answers, your record of trying is what shows you met the duty.
The information duty
In any building with two or more flats, regulation 10 also requires residents to be told, when they move in and then every 12 months, that fire doors should be kept shut when not in use, that they must not tamper with closers, and that they should report any fault or damage straight away. This applies below 11 metres too.
Buildings under 11 metres, offices, schools and everything else
There is no fixed legal interval. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to keep fire precautions, which include fire doors, in efficient working order and good repair, and to assess the risk. The interval comes out of that assessment.
Common practice is:
- Every six months for most fire doors, as a minimum.
- More often for busy doors, such as corridor doors in schools, hospitals and offices that are opened hundreds of times a day. High-use doors should be checked at least every six months, and many duty holders go to monthly or weekly visual checks for the busiest ones.
- After any damage, alteration or new hardware, whenever it happens.
Your fire risk assessor should say what interval suits your building. If the assessment does not, ask.
Who can carry out the checks
The law does not name a qualification. The checks must be done by someone competent to do them, which for a quarterly communal check can be a trained member of staff or a caretaker working to a checklist. Detailed surveys, where each door is assessed against its certification and a remedial schedule is produced, are usually done by a specialist fire door inspector.
A sensible split many managing agents use:
- Quarterly checks of communal doors by a trained staff member or block manager, recorded on a simple checklist.
- Annual checks of flat entrance doors, combined with a resident visit.
- A full survey of every door by a specialist inspector when doors are first assessed, when a fire risk assessment flags problems, or every few years.
What a check should cover
Whoever does it, a fire door check normally looks at:
- The closer. Open the door fully and let go. It should close and latch by itself without slamming or sticking.
- Gaps. Around the sides and top of the leaf, gaps are commonly expected to be about 3 mm. The gap at the bottom is usually kept small unless the door was tested with a larger one.
- Seals. Intumescent strips and smoke seals in place, unpainted and not torn.
- Hinges. All present, with every screw, and no wear or drop.
- Glass. Fire-rated glazing with its beads and seals intact.
- Damage and alterations. Holes, splits, new locks, letter boxes or spy holes that are not fire rated.
- Signs. Required signs such as “Fire door keep shut” present on communal doors.
Record the date, the door reference, the result and the action for every door. Photographs help, and a door that fails should get a repair date.
How much inspections cost
Published UK contractor price guides (autumn 2026) put fire door inspection at about £10 to £30 a door for a basic visual check, £25 to £65 for an inspection with a written report, and £35 to £80 or more for a detailed survey with photos and a remedial schedule, with a minimum visit fee on small sites. Our cost guide has an estimator for your number of doors.
When doors fail
Most faults are fixable: closers adjusted or replaced, seals renewed, hinges added. Doors with holes, the wrong glass, or a frame that no longer holds, usually need replacing with a certified door or doorset. See our sheet on fire door installation for what that involves and costs.
This bulletin is general guidance for England, not legal advice. Wales and Scotland have their own rules; check with your fire and rescue service or fire risk assessor.