Fire Door Safety Week - are you compliant?

This week marks the 12th Fire Door Safety Week, an annual awareness campaign highlighting the importance of fitting the correct fire doors to protect your tenants and your property.

Fire doors ensure that, should a fire break out, it can be contained in a 'compartment'. This keeps the fire and smoke trapped for a defined period, allowing time for people to get out and make the fire easier to tackle for the fire service.

What are my responsibilities as a landlord?

Private landlords have a responsibility to ensure that their properties are safe from fire. Depending on the nature of the property, different rules apply - taking into account the level of risk. 

Where a building is multi-occupied with common parts, there are additional requirements under the Fire Safety Order 2005 and subsequent legislation.

The “responsible person” (this could be a management company or an individual) has a legal responsibility to carry out a fire risk assessment and ensure fire safety principles are adhered to. They can be criminally prosecuted if they do not fulfil their duties.

Given the level of fire safety required under the FSO, it's advisable that a specialist fire risk assessor carries out the risk assessment, which must include the common parts of flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). The state of fire doors falls within this and is given specific reference in the FSO. 

How do I ensure my fire doors are compliant - and in good repair? 

The British Woodworking Federation advises:

• In the first instance buy a quality, third-party certificated fire door. Make sure to source the door from a competent supplier and check the product has been fire tested and a certificate provided. 
• It’s not just the door itself that matters. The frame and ironmongery is just as important – they all work together. Only buy exact compatible hardware and components.
• Always ask for installation instructions and follow them to the letter. Fire doors are not ordinary doors and must be fitted correctly by a competent installer. 

Importance of inspections

• If you have had a Fire Risk Assessment carried out, make sure doors were covered and the assessor is knowledgeable in this area
• When you do your regular check, identify and include the fire doors, and do this 5 Step Fire Door Check
• If in doubt bring in a professional to carry out a survey.

NRLA fire safety guidance for landlords 

The NRLA has a range of useful resources for landlords when it comes to learning more about fire safety, including detailed guidance for members and we run a Foundation Fire Safety course and Fire Safety for Landlords training.

All landlords are required to ensure smoke alarms are installed on every floor of their rented residential accommodation, and, in most cases, that there is a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fuel-burning appliance. You can read more in our guidance for landlords in England  and in Wales on smoke and carbon monoxide detector requirements.