Mike North

Possibly yes. It will depend on the door's construction, age, condition, and any available evidence of fire performance. Do you have evidence that the door has successfully achieved a 30‑minute fire resistance test or has certification to support an FD30 rating? If not, and you are relying on the door being a "notional FD30" fire door, a detailed assessment by a competent fire door inspector would be required. Thickness alone does not determine compliance, although a 42 mm door will require closer investigation than a typical 44 mm notional FD30 door.

Probably yes. It all depends on whether the porch forms part of the common escape route serving both flats. A flat entrance door that opens onto a common escape route should be a FD30 standard as they are part of the compartment strategy. It is all a question of how the original design treated the porch, you need to request more information from the FRA and the fire strategy drawing

I don't think that interpretation is supported by current UK guidance. The Government's 2025 update to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance was issued specifically because some responsible persons were incorrectly advising that older doors had to be upgraded or replaced to meet current standards. The guidance states: "the purpose of these Regulations is not to ensure that existing flat entrance doors satisfy the current standards for flat entrance doors in new blocks of flats" and: "a door that satisfied the standards for a fire-resisting flat entrance door at the time the block was built, or the door was manufactured, will continue to provide adequate protection..." It also states: "The absence of intumescent strips and smoke seals, and the absence of any form of certification for the door, does not imply that the door is unfit for purpose." [gov.uk], [gov.uk] Therefore, I am unaware of any legislation that automatically requires replacement of serviceable 1980s hinges simply because they lack CE/UKCA markings, or that minor adjustment work automatically triggers a legal requirement to upgrade the entire doorset to modern new-build standards. The key test remains whether the door assembly is adequate for its intended fire-resisting function, supported by inspection, maintenance, and risk assessment. [gov.uk], [gov.uk] Source: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: fire door guidance (MHCLG/Home Office, updated August 2025). UK fire safety law does not generally contain a formal concept called a "Grandfather Clause" for fire doors. Existing buildings are often assessed according to the standards applicable when they were built, together with current fire-risk requirements, rather than being automatically upgraded to current new-build standards.

1. The position of the door determines the required fire rating and whether smoke control is necessary. 2. PAS 24 relates to security requirements under Approved Document Q and does not affect the fire performance requirements of the Building Regulations. 3. The applicable requirements will ultimately be determined by the Building Regulations and any project-specific specification. Building Control would not normally accept a solution that does not satisfy the relevant regulatory requirements. 4. In many cases it is easier to install a complete doorset that has been tested and certificated as a unit. Replacing only the door leaf may result in a nominal fire door assembly where the complete doorset has not been tested together. 5. Certification should be available to demonstrate compliance with the specified fire and security standards, typically including Certifire (or equivalent fire certification) and PAS 24 where security requirements apply. The best way forwards is to instal a doorset with appropriate fire certification and PAS 24 certification where security requirements apply. This provides the clearest evidence of compliance, avoids uncertainty associated with untested door-and-frame combinations, and simplifies approval and future maintenance.

You need a specialist to survey and advise you. Is the existing common extract arrangement a significant route for smoke spread? Can the risk be tolerated under a risk-based assessment? Would passive measures (fire-rated terminals, intumescent devices, fire stopping, fan control changes) achieve an equivalent outcome? Is a full retrofit of smoke/fire dampers actually required?

Just looking at a door can tell you a lot. You can often establish whether a door is likely to provide fire resistance by considering: Whether it carries a BWF-CERTIFIRE or other recognised certification mark. The weight of the door. Is it light or substantial when operated? The age of the door. Whether it is a solid panel door or lightweight construction. Whether the door remains appropriate for the: escape strategy, occupancy, compartmentation, building height, vulnerability of occupants, and other fire safety measures within the building. Even where documentary evidence is unavailable, an inspector can still assess: The overall condition of the door. Door-to-frame gaps. The quality of installation. Ironmongery and associated hardware. The effectiveness of self-closing devices. Glazing and glazing systems. Smoke and intumescent seals. The absence of certification or test evidence does not automatically mean that a separate fire risk assessment is required for every door. The assessment should normally be based on groups of similar doors and the building as a whole, taking account of the level of risk presented, rather than undertaking an individual risk assessment for every single door.

A hold-open device can place stress on a door, potentially causing it to twist over time. Closing the door when it is not needed relieves this stress. As hold-open devices are primarily used to assist the flow of people through a building, they are generally unnecessary during the night.

It would not generally be regarded as best practice to replace a BAFE-certified fire alarm contractor with a general electrician. However, provided the electrician is suitably qualified, experienced, and competent in the inspection, testing, maintenance and fault-finding of fire alarm systems, this could still be considered acceptable.

If the property is a single dwelling in a two-storey house that has been converted into a three-storey house with a loft conversion, there is no requirement for a door closer, although the door may need to be fire-rated to protect the escape route. In a dwelling, door closers are generally only required on the door between the house and an integral garage. If the property is an HMO, a flat, or a commercial premises, self-closing fire doors will normally be required, and the closer should be a suitable fire-rated/certified device.

Do you need fire rated doors? There are only specific cases where a final exit door needs to be fire rated. 1. Communal escape routes Flat entrance doors opening onto shared hallways or stairwells in multi‑occupancy buildings must be fire‑resisting. 2. Boundary proximity External doors in walls very close to a neighbouring property line may need a fire rating to prevent fire spread between buildings. 3. Commercial / high‑risk areas External doors forming part of a fire compartment line in commercial premises, industrial units, plant rooms, or bin stores may require FD30/FD60 protection. 4. Integral garages the internal door between a dwelling and an attached garage often needs to be fire‑rated, though standard external exit doors do no If they are needed, do a google search for fire door installers near me, then you will need to do your due-diligence to select the installer, if not then any decent chippy can change the doors to swing in the opposite direction

Basically, both doors are part of a single escape route. They must on a simple action locking mechanism i.e. a thumb turn or push bar. The presence of staff does not remove the requirement

Yes, although it won’t be easy! You can 1. Fit an approved liner to reduce the gaps. 2. Relpace the stops and add intumescent system 3. Pack the frame with hardwood and intumescent However, you can not reduce the opening by more than 12mm per-side

Your new FRA appears to be applying LACORS which is not intended for well separated purpose built or properly converted flats. What does the FRA say about compartmentation of the building? If it is silent, then there is no issue and an alarm is not required Go back to the assessor and ask 1. Which compartment has triggered the recommendation? 2. Which part of LACORS do they believe applies to a 3‑flat conversion with confirmed separation? 3. Why is BS 5839‑1 being referenced when no alarm is required under a stay‑put strategy? 4. What has changed since the 2015 FRA?

Approved Document B Volume 2 2010 states that doors on escape routes should be easy to operate, apparent operation, openable from the escape side and openable without a key. A thumb turn or a door handle is fine, but not together

It would not be the case if there was a Signiant hazard · Plant room opening · Fuel tanks · High risk workshop doors · Glass walls · Stored materials · Cars · Wheelie bins · Pallets The list is endless, you will need a risk assessment