If you own, manage or live in a block of flats, you may hear several different answers to this question. Some guidance says every six months, while other sources say every three months or once a year. The correct answer depends on the type of door and the height of the building.

Since January 2023, Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 has set clear checking frequencies for blocks of flats where the top storey sits above 11 metres. For those buildings, the responsible person must check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check every flat entrance door at least once every twelve months. Smaller blocks follow different requirements.

In this guide, we explain how often you should check fire doors, why the 11 metre threshold matters, what responsibilities still apply to smaller blocks, and when you need a professional fire door inspection rather than a routine check.

The Short Answer

If the top storey of your block sits above 11 metres, you must check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check every flat entrance door at least once every twelve months.

If the top storey sits at 11 metres or below, the law does not impose the same quarterly and annual checking frequencies. However, you still need to maintain fire doors properly, respond to defects and give residents appropriate fire door safety information.

What Does the Law Require?

Two pieces of legislation shape fire door responsibilities in blocks of flats. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 provides the foundation. Article 17 requires the responsible person to maintain fire safety measures, including fire doors, in efficient working order and good repair. This duty applies to the common parts of blocks of flats regardless of building height.

The Order does not set one inspection frequency for every building. Instead, it places responsibility on the responsible person to create a suitable maintenance system. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 then introduced more specific duties for blocks of flats, with Regulation 10 setting the quarterly and annual checking requirements for buildings where the top storey sits above 11 metres.

You measure the 11 metre threshold to the floor level of the top storey rather than to the roof. Buildings close to the threshold should confirm their height instead of estimating it, because a wrong assumption could mean missing a legal duty.

Communal Fire Doors: Check Them Every Three Months

Communal fire doors protect shared areas and escape routes. These include stairwell doors, cross-corridor doors, lobby doors and doors to plant rooms, bin stores, risers and service cupboards. Because residents, delivery drivers and contractors use these doors constantly, they often suffer more wear than other fire doors in the building.

People may prop them open, knock them with bicycles or pushchairs, or gradually push their closers out of adjustment. Regulation 10 therefore requires the responsible person to check these doors at least every three months in buildings above 11 metres.

You do not normally need a specialist fire door inspector for these routine checks. A trained and competent caretaker, housing officer, facilities manager or other suitable member of staff can carry them out. During each check, they should confirm that the door closes and latches correctly, the self-closing device works, the seals remain intact, the gaps appear consistent, the hinges stay secure and the leaf, frame and glazing show no obvious damage. They should also make sure the correct signage remains in place and that nobody has wedged or propped the door open.

Record every check so you can show when someone inspected the door, what they found and what action they took if they identified a problem.

Flat Entrance Doors: Check Them Every Twelve Months

For buildings above 11 metres, the responsible person must use best endeavours to check every flat entrance door at least once every twelve months. The phrase “best endeavours” matters because flat entrance doors form part of private homes and the responsible person cannot simply enter a flat whenever they choose.

Instead, they need to make genuine and repeated efforts to arrange access. This may involve giving residents reasonable written notice, offering alternative appointment times, providing some appointments outside normal working hours and following up when residents do not respond. The responsible person should also keep records of every contact attempt, appointment and refusal.

One unanswered letter or missed appointment does not demonstrate best endeavours. A clear record of repeated attempts does. If a resident repeatedly refuses access, the responsible person may eventually need to consider legal action, which makes good documentation even more important.

What About Blocks at 11 Metres or Below?

If your building’s top storey sits at 11 metres or below, Regulation 10 does not impose the same quarterly communal door checks or annual flat entrance door checks. However, you still have fire door responsibilities.

Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order still requires the responsible person to maintain fire safety measures properly, so you need a suitable system for checking and maintaining fire doors in the common parts. Your fire risk assessment should guide the frequency.

A busy block may justify quarterly communal door checks, while a smaller and quieter building may use a six-monthly or annual schedule. The important point is to choose a frequency based on risk rather than convenience and to keep records that explain and support your decision.

You Must Also Give Residents Fire Door Information

Regulation 10 also creates an information duty that applies to blocks of flats with common parts regardless of height. The responsible person must tell residents to keep fire doors shut when they are not using them, avoid tampering with self-closing devices and report faults or damage promptly.

New residents should receive this information as soon as reasonably practicable, and the responsible person must remind all residents at least once every twelve months. This matters because residents often create fire door defects without understanding the consequences. Removing a closer, wedging a door open or making an unauthorised alteration can undermine the building’s compartmentation strategy.

Routine Checks and Professional Inspections Are Different

One of the biggest sources of confusion comes from treating a routine fire door check and a professional fire door inspection as the same thing. They are not.

A Regulation 10 check provides a basic visual and functional assessment. The person carrying it out checks whether the door closes, whether the closer works, whether any obvious damage exists and whether anything interferes with the door. Your own trained staff can usually carry out these checks.

A professional fire door inspection goes much further. A trained inspector checks certification and test evidence, measures gaps with gauges, examines seals in detail, confirms hardware compatibility, assesses hinge specifications, tests the self-closing device from several opening angles and examines the frame, its fixings and surrounding fire stopping. The inspector should also record defects for each individual door and prioritise the remedial actions.

Routine checks catch everyday problems, while a professional fire door survey identifies technical problems that a visual check may miss. You should not treat one as a replacement for the other. Many well-managed blocks combine regular in-house checks with periodic professional inspections.

New and recently refurbished buildings may also benefit from an earlier professional inspection because frames can settle, doors can drop and installation defects often appear during the first year.

What Records Should You Keep?

Good records matter almost as much as the checks themselves. For every fire door check or inspection, record the date, the person who carried it out, the individual door they checked, the result, any defects they found, the action taken and the repair completion date. You should also record any attempts to access a flat and keep copies of the fire door information you provide to residents.

Do not rely on a general note saying someone “checked all fire doors.” Identify doors individually wherever possible. If an enforcing authority investigates a complaint or an incident, clear records help you demonstrate that you actively manage fire door safety.

What Happens If You Do Not Carry Out the Checks?

Fire and rescue authorities enforce these fire safety duties. If they find poorly maintained fire doors, they can require the responsible person to complete remedial work and may issue an enforcement notice that sets out what work needs to happen and when.

Where they identify a serious risk, they can also restrict the use of parts of a building through a prohibition notice. Serious breaches of the Fire Safety Order can lead to unlimited fines and, in the most serious cases, prosecution.

Insurers may also ask for your maintenance and inspection records after a fire. A clear history of checks, repairs and completed actions puts you in a much stronger position than an unactioned inspection report or no records at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should fire doors in blocks of flats be inspected by law?

If the top storey sits above 11 metres, you must check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least once every twelve months. For buildings at 11 metres or below, the law does not set those same fixed intervals, but the general fire door maintenance duty still applies.

Do flat entrance doors need annual checks if they sit inside private homes?

Yes, if the building’s top storey sits above 11 metres. The responsible person must use best endeavours to check them every twelve months and keep records of access attempts when residents do not allow entry.

Who arranges the fire door checks?

The responsible person for the common parts normally arranges them. Depending on the building, this may include the freeholder, managing agent, housing provider or residents’ management company.

Can a caretaker carry out Regulation 10 checks?

Yes, provided they have enough training and competence to carry out the basic checks correctly. Routine Regulation 10 checks do not normally require a specialist fire door inspector.

Does a quarterly check replace a professional fire door inspection?

No. Quarterly checks look for obvious functional and maintenance problems, while a professional inspection examines the door’s certification, measurements, hardware and installation in much greater detail. A strong fire door maintenance programme usually uses both.

Need Help With Fire Door Checks and Inspections?

At CFP Carpentry & Fire Prevention, we help freeholders, managing agents, housing associations and residents’ management companies manage fire door compliance across blocks of flats. We carry out detailed fire door surveys and inspections, complete remedial works, install certified fire doors, manage flat entrance door replacement programmes and provide documented reports for compliance records.

We work across Bournemouth, Southampton, Poole, Exeter and Plymouth in the South and South West; London, Guildford, Slough and Croydon across London and the South East; and Bristol, Swindon and Oxford across the Midlands and wider areas. If you need to establish the right inspection schedule for your block or want a clear picture of your fire doors’ current condition, get in touch to arrange a professional fire door survey.