Tall blocks and the 11 metre rule
Quarterly communal door checks and yearly flat door checks, with a record that stands up.
Get a priceEleven metres. Three months. Those are the two numbers.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 say that in a block of flats over 11 metres, the communal fire doors get checked at least every three months. Flat entrance doors get checked at least once a year. For those the law says "best endeavours", because some residents cannot be reached.
And you keep a record.
Reading the height
The 11 metres runs from the lowest ground level up to the floor of the top storey, not to the roof. Four storeys is the usual rough guide. If your block sits near the line, get the height measured and written down.
At 18 metres or seven storeys there are extra duties, such as wayfinding signs for the fire service.
Who the duty falls on
The responsible person. In a block, that tends to be whoever controls the common parts. It might be the freeholder, the resident management company, or a managing agent acting for one of them.
If that is you, the checks cannot be left to the residents.
What a quarterly walk looks like
We go through the stairwells, landings, lobbies and riser doors. Each communal door gets the same checks as in a full inspection, only quicker, because we are looking for change since the last visit.
Doors propped open with an extinguisher or a dining chair. Seals peeled by a pushchair. A closer that has lost its arm.
What a yearly flat check looks like
We need to get inside every flat to check the entrance door from the inside as well as the corridor side. We write to residents first.
If somebody does not reply, we call again at a different time of day. If they still do not answer, we log it. The record shows what you tried and when.
The residents' notice
Separate from the checks, in any building with two or more homes, residents must be told about fire doors every year. They should be told to keep them shut and to report faults.
That is on you, not on us, but we can look over your notice if you want a second pair of eyes.
Questions we get asked
Are these checks the same as a full inspection?
No. A quarterly walk looks for change and damage. A full inspection measures every door.
What if my building is under 11 metres?
The doors still have to work. What changes is the fixed timetable, which only applies above 11 metres.
Send us the postcode and a rough count of doors. A price comes back the same day.
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