Fire door inspection, defined: a recorded visual check that a fire door will still do its job, carried out at a fixed interval by the responsible person
A fire door inspection is a documented check that a fire door assembly (leaf, frame, intumescent and smoke seals, hinges, glazing, signage and self-closing device) is complete, undamaged and working as designed. It is carried out at a set frequency and written up so the responsible person can show it was done.
The definition matters because a fire door only performs in a fire if every component is in place on the day. A missing seal or a propped-open door removes the protection entirely, and after a fire the first question an investigator asks is when the door was last checked and what the record shows.
What the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023 and sit under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Regulation 10 deals with fire doors in multi-occupied residential buildings, meaning blocks with two or more sets of domestic premises.
- Buildings with storeys over 11 metres. The responsible person must carry out checks of fire doors in the common parts at least every three months, and checks of flat entrance doors that open onto the common parts at least every twelve months, on a best-endeavours basis (residents cannot be forced to give access, but attempts must be recorded).
- All multi-occupied residential buildings. Residents must be given information on the importance of fire doors: keep them shut, do not tamper with closers, report faults.
These Regulation 10 checks are visual. They do not require a certified fire door inspector and they are separate from any more detailed inspection a fire risk assessment might call for. For readers in the United States the closest equivalent is NFPA 80, which requires an annual inspection of fire door assemblies with a written record.
What a fire door inspection covers
A competent check runs through the same items on every door, in the same order, so the records are comparable from quarter to quarter:
- Certification label or plug present on the door leaf.
- Gap between leaf and frame within tolerance (typically around 3 mm at the sides and top) and no more than the specified gap at the threshold.
- Intumescent strips and cold smoke seals continuous, undamaged and not painted over.
- Hinges: correct number, all screws present, no wear or damage.
- Self-closing device closes the door fully into the latch from any angle, including from a few centimetres open.
- Glazing intact, with the correct fire-rated glass and beading.
- Correct signage ("Fire door keep shut" or the equivalent) in place.
- No holes, warping, damage or unauthorised fittings such as letterboxes or cat flaps.
Fire door inspection example: the fourth-floor lobby door
A housing association block of twelve storeys has a fire door between each lift lobby and the corridor. On the quarterly walk the officer finds the fourth-floor door does not latch: the closer has been wound down so residents can push through with shopping. She photographs the door from the lobby side, the closer, and the gap with the door released, logs the defect against the door's asset number, and raises a repair order.
The record now shows the defect, the date it was found, the photo evidence and the date the closer was adjusted and re-tested. If the fire service asks about that door, the answer is on file rather than in someone's memory.
What a fire door inspection does not do, and the mistakes teams make
It does not certify the door. Whether a door was correctly specified and installed in the first place is a matter for the installer's certification and the fire risk assessment. A quarterly check only confirms the door has not deteriorated since.
It does not cover doors inside a flat. The duty is about common parts and flat entrance doors. Internal doors are the resident's own business unless the tenancy says otherwise.
It does not replace the fire risk assessment. Regulation 10 is one duty within a wider system that includes evacuation plans, wayfinding signage and information for the fire and rescue service.
The recurring mistakes: ticking a checklist without opening and releasing the door, recording "OK" with no photograph so the inspection cannot be verified later, treating a no-access flat as checked rather than as an attempt that must be repeated, and painting over seals during redecoration and then passing the door on the next visit.
Where the fire door record goes
The responsible person keeps a log per door: date, who checked it, what was found, photographs and the repair outcome. In a block covered by the Building Safety Act this record feeds the golden thread of building information and can be requested by the fire and rescue service or the Building Safety Regulator. Most landlords hold it in their asset or compliance system against the door's identifier, alongside the wider health and safety inspection programme and the rules on inspection frequency. A missed quarter is a gap in the record, and a gap is what an enforcement notice cites.
Venta Capture, a product of VentaVid, fits the annual flat entrance door check in particular: the resident or the caretaker already at the door is sent a secure, personal capture link, follows the guided steps in the mobile browser with no app (closer, seals, gap, signage, each as its own photo slot), and the submission arrives timestamped and digitally sealed for the compliance officer to review and file. Details at the Venta Capture pages.
In practice: see how field service teams use Venta Capture.