FAQs and answers (please click on question link to get answer)

The London Borough of Redbridge have a duty to ensure that our properties with ‘Communal Fire Doors’ are legally compliant with The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.  This will make it a legal requirement the Council to carry out the following in blocks over 11 metres or 5 stories.

• Undertake quarterly checks of all fire door (including self-closing devices) in the communal areas
• Undertake annual checks of all flat entrance doors (including self-closing devices) that lead onto a building’s common parts. There will be cost to leaseholders of any future inspections.
• It aims to help you identify if your front door is fire compliant. Fire compliant front doors are not required where the door opens directly onto a street. You must ensure all front entrance doors are compliant and in good working order and have an operating self -closing device. 

Controlling the spread of fire and smoke in buildings is vital to allow occupants to either remain or evacuate as instructed and enable the fire brigade to gain access to fight the fire. It is therefore critical that fire doors and fire-resistant glazed panels perform correctly.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry in the Phase 1 report noted that “Fire doors play an essential role in preventing or inhibiting the spread of smoke and toxic gases and in preserving the effective compartmentation of buildings.”

The Inquiry noted that the fire doors in Grenfell Tower did not, through damage and/or disrepair, act in the way that they should so that they prevent smoke and gases from spreading.

The Inquiry recommended (Recommendations 33.29 (a) and (b)) that the owner and manager of every residential building containing separate dwellings carry out an urgent inspection of all fire doors every 12 months, the checks are to ensure all fire doors are fitted with an effective self-closing device which is in working order.

If you inherited a door from a previous owner, then you should check with your solicitor who may be able to confirm if any alterations to the door took place and attain any certificates of compliance from the manufacturer of the door or building control. Please note that UPVC front doors are not fire compliant. If you cannot find any information about your door, there are some simple checks you can seek assistance from a competent person to help you identify compliance: Your door should be: 

• A minimum of 44mm in thickness / 30 minutes fire resistant 

• The door should be of a solid timber construction. E.g., If you knock the door and it sounds hollow the door is unlikely to be compliant 

• In good condition and working order (note: the hinges should be sufficient to hold the weight of the door) 

• Have a working self-closing device (when the door is opened, it shuts on its own) 

• Any glass panels in the door, side panel or above the door must be 30-minute fire resistant and in good condition. They cannot be boarded up. 

• The frame must be 30-minute fire resistant (a minimum of 30mm thick) without any pieces cut out. • The door and the frame must fit as a compatible set (the gap between the door and frame should be around 2 to 4 mm) 

• Where there is a letterbox, it should be made of a solid metal (not aluminium) or certified fire-resistant material. Solid metals will be magnetic, where aluminium will not.

If you have already installed a compliant entrance door then you need to send the certificate to the Home Ownership Team, the Council will check the certificate to ensure it is compliant with the current requirements. 

You can obtain a certificate from the door manufacturer. You can arrange for a responsible person to check the door providing they have the necessary qualifications and can issue you with a certificate, they may need information from the door manufacturer to enable them to do this. Alternatively, you can ask the Council to arrange for a responsible person to come and check your front entrance door, however we may need information from the door manufacturer. The Council may recharge you for the cost of this. 

If the Council arranges for someone to check your door, we will provide you with a certificate. If you would like us to come and check your door, please contact the Home Ownership Team.

A responsible person will check: 

• If there has been any alterations or damage to a door’s glazing apertures or air transfer grille
• If there are any gaps around the door frame and that seals and hinges are fitted correctly
• That the door closer shuts the door
• That the door closes correctly around the whole frame
• That there is no visible damage (either deliberate or from wear and tear) to the door or door closer
• Building Regulations state that a front door to a flat must be FD30S standard. This means that the door needs to be 30-minute fire and smoke resistant, FD = Fire Door and 30 = relates to the minutes of fire resistance, S denotes that the door is also smoke sealed.
• Fire and smoke control doors - New flat entrance doors are required to be both fire and smoke control doors (tested to BS 476-31.1 or EN 1634-3 standards). This means there will be either a combined fire and smoke seal or an intumescent seal and a separate smoke seal to the entire perimeter of the door and/or in the frame. If an air transfer grille (ATG) is fitted to the door, it will contain an automatic smoke damper that will close if a fire breaks out. The ‘S’ suffix (e.g., FD30S) denotes that the door is both a fire and smoke-controlled door. 
• Fire Door set - Fire door sets relate to the complete unit consisting of a door frame and a door leaf, supplied with all essential parts from a single source (BS EN 12519). This means that it is supplied as a complete unit from one supplier. This guarantees that the entire door set and components, will match the fire tested, original design and fire certificate. As the Council own the frame, if you wish to fit a new door set, you must seek agreement from your Home Ownership Team first. 
• Door Frames - The frame must have the same fire resistance as the door and fit as a compatible set with the door. New doors fitted to existing frames should always be installed by a certified fire door installer. 
• Intumescent seals - The edges of the door are most susceptible to fire penetration. Intumescent seals expand in the event of a fire and seal the gap between door and frame, stopping the passage of fire. The gap between the frame and door is nominally 3-4mm. Excessive gaps may prevent intumescent seals performing correctly in the event of a fire.
• Hinges - A minimum of 3 fire rated hinges must be used with correct intumescent pads, location and fixings.
• Door closer - Flat entrance doors should be fitted with a self-closing device to ensure the fire door always returns to its fully closed position and is held in the closed position when not in use.
• Fire door glazing - Some fire doors have vision panels fitted in them. Special fire tested glass and glazing systems must be used and should be etched with a recognised trademark or BS476-22. When doors are fitted with glazed panels, this operation should only be undertaken by a trained and competent individual, with a good working knowledge of the specific materials and glazing systems required.

The importance of correct installation of fire doors cannot be over emphasised. Fire door installation is a skilled speciality and even larger contractors are increasingly specifying the use of ‘registered’ installers. We at the London Borough of Redbridge are happy to assist where required and hopefully by providing you with these frequently asked questions will aid you with the right information to ask of any contractor.

The regulations do not replace the existing duty for a responsible person to put in place general fire precautions in any premises covered by the Fire Safety Order, regardless of the building’s height.

Responsible persons for residential buildings below 11 metres in height have a duty to put in place general fire precautions in these buildings, this duty includes making sure that all fire doors – including flat entrance doors – can provide adequate protection.

You should contact the Council and arrange an inspection. The Council will arrange for your front entrance door to be inspected and advise you if your door needs to be replaced or can be repaired. If you think your front entrance door may be a compliant fire rated door, the Council can arrange for someone to inspect it and provide certification. You can contact the Home Ownership Team on:

Telephone: 0208 708 7606  

Email home.ownership@redbridge.gov.uk

Our contractors have given us a rough estimate for a new front entrance door for council tenants of between £2000 and £3000, this will depend on the amount of works needed to be carried out.

The Council will arrange for the door to be fitted and issue you with an invoice following completion of the works.

The Council is required to have compliant fire doors in place. To meet this deadline, we have prioritised our expenditure over the next 12 months to finance these works. 

From our experience most contractors who supply and fit fire doors provide one type of door with a choice of four colours, however a contractor has not been selected yet and this could be subject to change.  

The Council is currently reviewing its payment options for leaseholders and is looking to extend the timescales for repayment depending on the invoice level. If you cannot pay the invoice in full, the Council will agree a repayment plan with you to repay the invoice. 

The amount you pay, and time agreed to repay it in will be agreed following an assessment of your income and expenditure. 

If you want to replace the front entrance door yourself, then you need to contact a company that can supply and fit a compliant fire door. The Council can assist by providing you with a specification to share with a company. The company will need to provide you with a certificate which confirms that the door is a compliant fire door. 

As part of the process, you will need to provide the council with a date as to when you will arrange for the fire door to be fitted, the date needs to be within an agreed timescale. If the door is not fitted by the agreed date, then the council may fit the door and recharge you.

If your door does not meet fire regulations and requires replacement, the Council will take legal action under the terms of your lease to replace the front entrance door to meet safety regulations and the safety of other residents in the block.  

Any works that are carried out on the door, including changing the locks, need to be carried out by a qualified fire door contractor. Following any works, the door will have to be inspected to ensure it is a compliant fire door. 

Any works that result in the door becoming non-compliant may result in additional works being carried out or the need to replace the door with a compliant fire door. The cost of any works resulting from changes you have made to your front entrance door will be recharged to you. 

The Council will be required to inspect all flatted front doors annually from April 2023. This will mean that we will need to access your home to inspect the door and you will be recharged for the cost of this service.

If you carry out works to your front entrance door, we will have to carry out an inspection to ensure that the door remains compliant, the council may recharge you for the cost of any inspection and associated works.

The Council has started its statutory consultation with leaseholders regarding its programme to replace non-compliant flatted front entrance doors. The statutory process takes a minimum of 90 days. Because these works are urgent, the Council is also making an application to the First Tier Tribunal to dispense with the statutory consultation process. If the Council is successful in its application for dispensation, then the process will be quicker, and we will be able to go through the process to procure a contractor quicker.