Routine checks and professional inspections are not the same thing

Fire doors are a critical component of passive fire protection. Their purpose is to resist the spread of fire and, where appropriate, smoke sufficiently to support the building’s fire strategy and protect routes used for escape. But fire doors are also working components. They are opened, closed, struck, adjusted, repaired and sometimes altered repeatedly during their service life. That means their condition matters.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced specific routine-check requirements for certain multi-occupied residential buildings. Where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, Responsible Persons must:

  • Undertake quarterly checks of fire doors in communal areas, including self-closing devices.
  • Use best endeavours to undertake checks of flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, including their self-closing devices.
Government guidance is explicit that these are simple but important routine checks and should not be confused with the more detailed consideration of fire-door performance associated with a Fire Risk Assessment or specialist technical assessment.

What can a routine check consider?

The government’s current checklist includes matters such as:

  • Door and frame
  • Letterbox
  • Glazing
  • Hinges and ironmongery
  • Door gaps
  • Strips and seals where present
  • Self-closing device
  • Alterations
  • Doors being wedged open
  • Other visible damage
A professional Fire Door Inspection can go further, recording systematic door-by-door observations, appropriate measurements, photographs, component condition and defect information.

An old door is not automatically a failed door

This is one of the most important clarifications in current government guidance. The guidance was revised in August 2025 because of concerns that some leaseholders were being advised to replace flat entrance doors simply because those doors were not manufactured and certified to current new-build standards.

The government clarified that the Regulations are not intended to require existing flat entrance doors automatically to meet today’s new-build standards. In many circumstances, a door that complied with the standards applicable when installed may continue to provide adequate protection if it remains in appropriate condition.

Likewise, the absence of certification, intumescent strips or smoke seals does not, by itself, prove that an older door is unfit for purpose. This is an important distinction between evidence-based inspection and automatic replacement.

BS 8214 has been updated

A further major development is the publication of BS 8214:2026 on 20 March 2026. The standard covers practical considerations concerning the specification, design and performance in use of fire-resisting and smoke-control doors.

The 2026 edition applies to fire-resisting and smoke-control pedestrian doors of different materials, including timber, steel, aluminium and composite doors. It addresses practical considerations relating to specification, installation, maintenance and performance in use.

For fire-door professionals, this is an important development because the previous 2016 edition had a narrower timber-door focus.

What defects can affect a fire door?

Potential concerns include:

  • Excessive or inconsistent gaps
  • Damaged door leaves
  • Damaged frames
  • Loose or unsuitable hinges
  • Defective self-closing devices
  • Doors failing to latch or close fully
  • Damaged seals
  • Unsuitable alterations
  • Damage around glazing
  • Problematic ironmongery
  • Uncontrolled penetrations
  • Doors being routinely wedged open
The significance of a finding depends on the doorset, available evidence and context.

Repair, investigate or replace?

A professional inspection should not start from the assumption that every defect requires replacement. Possible outcomes include:

  • Adjustment, for example adjustment of a closer or hardware where appropriate.
  • Repair, where a competent repair is technically appropriate.
  • Further investigation, where the available evidence is insufficient to reach a reliable conclusion.
  • Component replacement, where permitted and compatible with the doorset.
  • Doorset replacement, where the existing door is unsuitable, seriously damaged or cannot reasonably be brought to an acceptable condition.
The correct response should follow evidence rather than sales incentives.

Why independent verification matters

After remediation, an organisation can strengthen assurance by checking whether the original defects have actually been addressed. A useful verification process creates a traceable sequence: defect identified → remediation completed → independent verification → updated status. That closes the loop between inspection and action.

Stanford Global provides independent fire-door inspection and reporting services, together with remediation verification where required.

Inspect. Report. Remediate. Verify.