Flat fire door for private entrance

[Guest Amanda]

Hi there, looking for similar advice please! I have just bought a main door flat. It is on the ground floor. The main  door leads directly outside. There is, however, another door that leads into a communal close used by other residents. The door is original Victorian with painted glass. I'd hate to have to remove this historic feature. Does it need to be a fire door? Is there any way around this? Thanks.

[AnthonyB]

Not needed to be a fire door unless they have to pass directly past the door as their only means of escape.

[Guest Amanda]

I live in a maisonette. The front entrance a upvc door is a shared door with only 1 ground floor neighbour, and we both enter into our shared porch. From there I pass by my ground neighbours fire door on the right side and at the end of the porch is my flat door to go upstairs. My neighbour below has also a back door and also a fire window in his livingroom. 

It is suggested I need replace my door and all glass above it. Why? But it does not affect my neighbour who would not pass by me. They would be in front of me, use the back door or their livingroom window. And likely the fire would not be going down my 30 steps! I also have a back door that takes me directly out the rear of the building down concrete steps.

Is this right to force me to rip out the door and window. 

[Guest James Whitmarsh]

We are permitted to replace a front door in a block of flats. The front door opens to a open air stair well. Does the front door need to be a fire door?

[AnthonyB]

Is it the only stair or would the floors above have access to a second stair?

[Guest Second fire exit]

Hello,

we are buying a 2 floors (ground floor and 1st floor) maisonette which is share owned with another person. There are 2 separate entrance, we enter directly form the ground floor and the other owner front he first floor, we do not share an entrance halloway.

It results that based on current Building Regs the flat doesn’t comply in terms of means-of-escape because It should have a second exit, on the Upper Grd floor, but there is no space as we would need to get the upstairs flat to agree an exit door into the Hallway (now part of their house).

 

the ground floor has a garden and first floor a terrace and the window facing the street. Is there any other solution to replace the second exit door?

 

martina

 

[AnthonyB]

Building Regulations aren't retrospective so if an existing situation it isn't an issue unless some alterations are being carried out that would make the premises subject to the latest edition.

Sprinklers and protected stairways are sometimes accepted as an alternative.