Do Rented Properties Require Fire Doors?

If a fire starts in a rented flat, it is important to think about whether the doors in place will protect any escape routes. Whilst landlords might think of fire safety in terms of smoke alarms or extinguishers, it is fire doors which can be critical, and sometimes overlooked, when it comes to fire safety in rented properties.

That is why this article the team from Fire Door Specialists looks at the regulations that landlords need to adhere to, as well as the types of fire door that are needed, their placement, responsibilities and signage.

Fire door regulations for rented properties

In the UK, fire safety in rented or multi-occupied buildings is governed by a combination of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005, Building Regulations (Part B, Fire Safety) and more recent updates like the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.

These set out what the responsibilities are for landlords. For example, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 clarified that entrance doors to flats must now be considered under fire risk assessments for multi-occupied buildings.

It is also essential that all doors leading to escape routes are fire-resistant and have their own self-closing devices. In houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and blocks of flats, the fire door requirements are even stricter.

The regulations for single-let properties that have one tenant and one dwelling have more lenient legal requirements for fire doors, although best practice may still encourages fire doors in high-risk rooms like kitchens.

What type of fire doors do you need?

All fire doors are rated using codes like FD30 or FD90 to outline how many minutes of fire and smoke resistance they provide to occupants. All fire doors, whether they are installed in commercial or domestic properties, must carry one of these ratings.

It is also essential that the door is made of solid timber or fire-resistant composite materials and carries a label or plug confirming certification.

It is necessary for the door to include intumescent seals around the edges which expand when exposed to heat to seal the gaps and block smoke or heat passing through the door and its frame.

The door frame, closer and any ironmongery such as hinges, locks or handles must all meet the same fire resistance standard as the door itself. It is also important to ensure that the door is installed professionally, as it will only ever be as good as its assembly.

All fire doors require self-closing mechanisms, known as door closers, to ensure that the door always returns to the closed position in case of a fire. It is for this reason that it is illegal for fire doors to be propped open with wedges, chairs or any other devices.

In some high-traffic areas, retainers, which are magnetic or mechanical devices, may be used to hold a door open in normal use, but release it to close when a fire alarm is activated.

Key areas for fire doors in rented buildings

The entrance or front door to a flat is particularly important where fire doors are concerned, especially if they open onto a communal corridor or stairwell. Landlords need to remember that flat entrance doors are now explicitly within the scope of the new regulations.

Any doors to stairwells, corridors and lobbies also need to be fire doors as these will help to compartmentalise any fire and smoke, allowing safer escape routes. Fire doors also need to be installed on the way into kitchens or other high-risk rooms where fire is more likely to originate.

Doors to plant rooms, service shafts and electrical cupboards tend to house fire risks and therefore also need to have fire rated doors. These are often part of any building safety design.

If the building is older or part of a conservation, then certain internal doors may be exempt from these regulations depending on the layout. However, it is still important that any door opening into an escape route is properly assessed.

Legal requirements and responsibilities

The law states that the person defined as the responsible person in a multi-occupied residential building must include flat entrance doors in their fire risk assessments. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also require annual checks of flat entrance doors, and quarterly checks of communal fire doors in buildings which are over 11 metres.

It is also the responsibility of landlords or building managers to ensure that their fire doors remain in efficient working order at all times. This means that they need to check for damage, gaps which are too large, self-closers which are no longer functioning, or seals that are not intact. If an inspection does identify a defect, then any repairs or replacements must be made promptly by competent persons.

Landlords are also required to inform their tenants or residents about the importance of fire doors, so that they understand that they must not wedge them open or tamper with the closers and must report any faults as soon as they occur.

When it comes to fire doors and their maintenance, record keeping is essential. Landlords therefore need to maintain inspection logs, outlining any problems they have encountered and proof of the maintenance that has been carried out.

Signage that is required

Fire door signage is mandated under Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 as part of safety signage requirements. These state that there should be mandatory blue signs including messages like ‘Fire Door - Keep Shut’ on doors which are normally kept closed, ‘Fire Door - Keep Locked’ for doors that lock, and ‘Automatic Fire Door - Keep Clear’ for doors with auto-closing systems.

Any fire exit signage should take the form of green ‘running-man’ signs and should complement fire door signs guiding the escape routes. When thinking about placement, the signs need to be positioned at eye level which is approximately 1.5-2 metres and not obstructed in any way.

This signage has been designed to help ensure that people do not prop doors open, block them, or disable the mechanisms, which are all common failures that can negate the doors fire function.

Some rented properties do require fire doors, particularly those with shared escape routes, HMOs, or multi-occupied blocks. These fire doors are essential life safety features and part of a robust fire strategy, so landlords need to be proactive in inspecting and maintaining them and informing tenants of their own responsibilities.