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Yes. Fire doors are required in many flats and apartment buildings because they form an essential part of the building’s fire protection strategy. They are commonly found at flat entrances, along communal escape routes, within stairways and lobbies, and at certain service areas. The precise requirements depend upon the building, the position of the door and the findings of the relevant fire risk assessment.
For landlords, freeholders, managing agents and property managers in Bournemouth, however, knowing that a door is supposed to provide fire resistance is only the beginning. A fire door must remain capable of performing its intended function. Damage, excessive gaps, defective closers and inappropriate alterations can all compromise its effectiveness.
Coreworks Property Services Ltd provides professional fire door inspections, installations, repairs and maintenance in Bournemouth and throughout Dorset. Based nearby in Poole, our FireQual approved trained team can help you establish what work your doors require and provide an appropriate solution.
Concerned about the condition of fire doors within your property? Get a free quote from Coreworks Property Services Ltd.
Contact us TodayFire doors perform a deceptively simple but exceptionally important task. By resisting the passage of fire and smoke for a specified period, they help preserve compartments within a building and protect the routes people may need to use to escape.
Government guidance identifies four principal categories of fire door within blocks of flats. These include flat entrance doors, doors between corridors and stairways or lobbies, doors that subdivide corridors, and doors protecting plant rooms, service cupboards and risers.
The requirements of an individual apartment building cannot sensibly be determined by looking at one door in isolation. Its age, construction, layout, fire strategy and fire risk assessment all matter.
This is one reason professional assessment can be valuable. If you manage a block of flats in Bournemouth and are uncertain about the condition or suitability of existing doors, Coreworks can inspect them and identify where repairs, maintenance or replacement may be required.
Get in Touch TodayIn many blocks of flats, yes. Flat entrance doors are particularly important because most fires in blocks of flats originate inside individual homes. An effective fire resisting entrance door helps prevent fire and smoke from escaping into communal areas and compromising the means of escape available to other residents.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that flat entrance doors between domestic premises and common parts fall within the scope of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005.
There is, however, an important distinction between assessing an existing door and specifying a new one.
Current Government guidance explicitly warns against assuming that every older flat entrance door must be replaced simply because it does not satisfy the standards applicable to a new door today. In many circumstances, an older door that met the appropriate standard when the building was constructed may remain adequate, provided that it is undamaged, remains in good working order and provides suitable protection according to the fire risk assessment.
That distinction can prevent unnecessary replacement work.
If there is uncertainty, the sensible course is to have the door properly assessed rather than assuming either that it is satisfactory or that it automatically needs replacing.
Request a QuoteResponsibility will depend upon the ownership and management arrangements of the building.
Under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005, the Responsible Person has duties concerning fire precautions within the parts of the premises to which the Order applies. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified the application of those duties to flat entrance doors between individual flats and common parts.
Depending upon the property, the relevant parties may include freeholders, landlords, managing agents, building managers and property management companies.
This is particularly important for organisations responsible for an entire block or portfolio of properties. Fire door management is not merely a matter of fitting doors and forgetting about them. Their condition can deteriorate through everyday use, accidental damage, alterations and ordinary wear.
A structured approach to inspection, reporting, remedial work and maintenance can make the management of numerous doors considerably more straightforward.
Book your fire door installation nowFor multi occupied residential buildings in England where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, the Fire Safety England Regulations 2022 require the Responsible Person to use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months.
Fire doors within the communal areas of those buildings must be checked at least every three months.
These statutory checks are deliberately intended to be straightforward visual checks. Government guidance explains that they do not ordinarily require a specialist and are primarily concerned with identifying obvious problems and ensuring that doors and their self closing devices remain in good working order.
That should not be confused with a more detailed professional fire door inspection or the assessment undertaken as part of a fire risk assessment.
Indeed, Government guidance makes clear that routine checks are not a substitute for periodic specialist assessment where this is appropriate.
For property managers responsible for numerous doors, professional inspections can also provide a clearer picture of defects and the remedial work that may be required.
Schedule professional fitting todayA fire door is an assembly rather than merely a substantial piece of timber bearing a particular label.
Its ability to perform depends upon the relationship between the door leaf, frame, hinges, seals, closer, glazing and other ironmongery.
Depending upon the door and circumstances, an inspection may consider:
Government guidance notes that the industry standard is for gaps not to exceed 4mm, other than at the bottom, where the gap should be as small as practicable while allowing the door to operate correctly. It also places particular emphasis upon effective self closing devices.
Coreworks Property Services Ltd provides fire door inspections in Bournemouth and Dorset, together with the reporting and documentation appropriate to the inspection undertaken.
Need your fire doors professionally assessed? Contact Coreworks and get a free quote for a fire door inspection in Bournemouth.
Contact us TodaySome defects are immediately apparent. Others are less conspicuous.
Warning signs can include a door that no longer closes fully into its frame, a faulty closer, damage to the door leaf or frame, excessive gaps, damaged seals, loose hinges, damaged glazing or alterations around locks and other hardware.
A fire door that has been wedged open also cannot fulfil its purpose while it remains in that position.
Government guidance recommends checking the operation of a self closing door by opening it fully and releasing it, then repeating the test from approximately 15 degrees. On both occasions, it should close fully into its frame and overcome the resistance of the latch or any friction with the floor.
The presence of a defect does not automatically mean that an entirely new door is required.
Appropriate remedial work may be sufficient in some circumstances. In others, replacement will be necessary. Government guidance states that where an inspection identifies the need for repair or replacement, the work should be undertaken by a competent contractor as soon as reasonably practicable.
A professional assessment can therefore help you avoid two costly mistakes: leaving a defective door unattended or replacing a door unnecessarily.
Get a fast installation quoteBournemouth contains a broad mixture of purpose built apartment blocks, converted properties, managed residential developments and commercial premises. Local search results consequently show considerable demand for professional fire door inspections, reporting and remedial services.
Coreworks Property Services Ltd is based nearby in Poole and provides fire door services throughout Bournemouth and Dorset.
Our fire door services include inspections, repairs, maintenance and installation, allowing property managers and landlords to address identified problems without having to begin another search for a suitable contractor. Coreworks’ team are FireQual approved trained, and the company is an Affiliate member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers.
Whether you are responsible for a single building or a larger property portfolio, a professional inspection can provide a clearer understanding of the condition of your doors and the work that may be required.
Request a certified fire door surveyFire doors are working components of a building and are subject to continual use.
Closers can become defective. Hinges can loosen. Seals can suffer damage. Doors may drop or become misaligned. Alterations to locks, letterboxes and other components can also affect their condition.
Government guidance stresses that fire doors need to remain in good working order and good repair.
The appropriate response depends upon the defect and the door itself. Where a repair can be carried out correctly, it may avoid unnecessary replacement. Where the integrity of the door has been compromised beyond suitable repair, replacement may be the appropriate course.
Coreworks provides fire door repairs and maintenance in Bournemouth, helping landlords, managing agents, facilities managers and property owners deal with defects identified through inspections or routine property management.
If you have damaged or defective fire doors, request a free quotation from Coreworks for the appropriate remedial work.
Book your expert installationFire safety arrangements within Houses in Multiple Occupation require particular care because several occupants may depend upon shared routes through the property.
The precise fire door requirements of an HMO will depend upon the premises, its fire risk and the legislation applying to it. Landlords should therefore avoid assuming that the requirements for one property will automatically apply to another.
Where inspection, repair, maintenance or replacement work has been identified, Coreworks can provide professional fire door services for HMOs across Bournemouth and the surrounding area.
Get your free fire door quoteIf you manage a block of flats, apartment building, HMO, commercial property, school or care setting, uncertainty about a fire door should not be left unresolved.
You may need an inspection to establish its condition. An existing report may have identified repairs. A defective door may require maintenance. In other circumstances, professional replacement or a new installation may be appropriate.
Coreworks Property Services Ltd provides fire door inspections, installations, repairs and maintenance in Bournemouth, supported by FireQual approved training and Affiliate membership of the IFSM.
Need professional fire door services in Bournemouth? Contact Coreworks Property Services Ltd today and get your free quote.
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