How often should fire doors
be inspected?
How often you need to inspect your fire doors depends on your building. Here's the legal baseline and sensible intervals, set out by building type.
The legal
baseline.
For multi-occupied residential buildings whose top storey is over 11 m, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 set quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual (best-endeavours) checks of flat entrance doors. In all blocks of two or more flats with common parts — at any height — the responsible person must also give residents fire-door safety information.
| Building / door type | Recommended check | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Communal fire doors, residential blocks over 11 m | Quarterly | Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 |
| Flat entrance fire doors, blocks over 11 m | Annually (best endeavours) | Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 |
| Commercial / public premises (baseline) | Six-monthly | Good practice (BS 8214 / BS 9999) |
| High-traffic or higher-risk premises (schools, hospitals, hotels, busy offices) | More frequent — e.g. quarterly | Good practice (risk-based) |
| After any remedial work, damage or alteration | Re-check | Best practice |
Note: the reg 10 quarterly and annual checks are basic visual checks a competent person can carry out on site — the law sets the checks, not the qualification of who does them. A professional survey is good practice and gives you documented, image-backed evidence plus the deeper assessment your fire risk assessment relies on.
Recommended intervals
by building.
For everything else, the right interval depends on traffic and use — the table above gives sensible guidance. After any remedial work, damage or alteration, re-check the door rather than waiting for the next scheduled interval.
Who counts as the
"responsible person."
In most buildings the duty to keep fire doors checked sits with the "responsible person" — usually the employer, owner, landlord or managing agent with control of the premises. Our responsible person duties guide explains exactly who that is and what the law requires of them.
What an
inspection involves.
A professional survey works through the same checks on every door and gives you an image-backed report, so you can see exactly what you're booking.
Set up a
recurring inspection.
On the right interval for your building — handled by one qualified team across Cornwall and Devon. Get in touch and we'll set it up.
Who the law makes responsible, and what they must do about fire doors.
The audit-ready record every inspection should feed into.
2 to 10 year packages so compliance stays on the right schedule.
Book an
inspection.
Speak directly with a qualified specialist. Each fire door is assessed against a comprehensive 30-point inspection by a certified fire door inspector. You'll receive a detailed, image backed report setting out what is compliant and what requires attention, with clear recommendations. Where it is safe and compliant to do so, we prioritise repair over replacement. Compliant doors are issued with certification on the same day.
Inspections are £30 + VAT per door. Fee deducted from invoice when you book remedial or replacement work within 60 days.