If you own your front door under the terms of the lease and the freeholder considers that it is not properly compliant to current fire safety standards, you could be asked to replace it. If a fire risk assessment finds that your flat is fitted with an unsuitable door, the freeholder may be able to insist you replace it to bring the door up to the current standards, for instance, if there are clauses in the lease which oblige the leaseholder to do so.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 sections 1 and 3 came into force in England on 12 May 2022. From then on, the fire risk assessment carried out by the responsible person under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 should include all doors between the domestic premises and the common parts, such as flat entrance doors serving individual flats opening onto common parts.
It is common for a lease to include a clause requiring a leaseholder to comply with statutory requirements, meaning that they would be obliged to follow any recommendations in a fire risk assessment regarding flat entrance doors.
More information you might find useful:
- Who pays for the replacement or upgrade of an existing fire door?
- What are the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022?
- More Frequently Asked Questions on Fire safety
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