Replacing your fire door

In most cases, the entrance door to a flat is part of your “demised premises”. This means you own it and the lease may make you responsible for it, including:  

• maintaining or repairing it
• dealing with any fire safety issues.

Check your lease if you are unsure.

If you own the front door of your flat and want to replace it, you may need to get the landlord’s written consent.

If you need consent, write to your landlord and clearly outline the changes you intend to make.

You may also need approval from your local authority’s building control team.

Make sure the tradesperson that installs your door is properly accredited.

You can find accredited professionals on registers, such as:

• FIRAS Installer certification scheme
• BWF Fire Door Alliance
• BM TRADA certified companies

Flat entrance doors

If you own the door, you usually need to cover the cost of repairs, upgrades or replacement.

If the freeholder owns the door, the cost is usually shared by leaseholders through the service charge, depending on the lease.

If you’re told a fire door needs to be replaced or upgraded

A fire risk assessment may recommend that your front door is upgraded or replaced to ensure it is able to resist the spread of smoke or fire.

The “responsible person” (usually the building owner, landlord or the managing agent they have appointed) has a duty to carry out a fire risk assessment on the building and review this “regularly”.

Older fire doors (often known as “notional fire doors”) that were fitted under earlier safety standards do not necessarily need to be replaced. They simply need to be in good condition and capable of providing adequate protection, with no gap between the door and the frame to do their job effectively.

Communal doors

Your freeholder or landlord will be responsible for maintaining any communal doors, but you usually have to pay a share of the cost through your service charge.

Paying for historic safety defects

Some leaseholders in buildings at least 11 metres high (or at least 5 storeys) are protected against having to pay some or all of the costs of fixing historic defects. These leaseholder protections may apply to you if the fire door is identified as a “historic defect”.

Find out about:

• fixing historic defects in England
• fixing historic defects in Wales