Converting current door to comply with current regulations

[Guest Nazim Choudhury]

Dear All,

I received a letter today from the managing agents that look after a block of flats where I own a flat.

They have stated that further to a fire risk assessment they have been advised that the building should comply with provisions of the Fire Safety order 2005.

They have then gone on to state that the front doors of flats are the responsibility of the lessees and that the onus to comply with fire safety regulations.

1) Have door closers fitted that comply with BS EN1154:1997 (Power 3)

2) Intumescenet strips and cold smoke seals

3) New fire doors must be third party certificated FD30 and should include suitable markings. And that to meet the conditions of your lease replacement of fire door must be like for like in the design and colour.

My question is that given the current doors must have been fitted as per the prevailing regulations at the time, is it at all possible to retrofit 1) and 2) and therefore make the door compliant?

The apartment block is a 1970's block and the existing door are very heavy oak ones.

Many thanks for your responses in advance.

[Tom Sutton]

It sounds like there are possibilities but the door will not be a third party certified fire door, you need the door assessing with a report you can give to the managing agents who may accept it.

Check out http://www.fdis.co.uk for more information.

[AnthonyB]

Depending on the nature of the flats and existing doors there may actually be no need to change the doors and the existing fire doors would suffice - the FRA should have been carried in reference to the LGA Guide to Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats which is more sympathetic to existing buildings and is the default guide approved by the Government

(http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=1138bf70-2e50-400c-bf81-9a3c4dbd6575)

[Guest]

Hello,
We have just bought a buy to let flat and removed all the doors as they were poor quality and very old.
We bought regular doors to re-fit, 1 door was the wrong size and now the door fitter says that the incorrect door from the vestibule into the flat should be a fire door.
We are considering not replacing it as it's much nicer without it, however don't want to put our tenants at risk.
The flat is ground floor and there are large 1m square windows in the bedroom and the lounge which are not lockable from the inside and therefore easy to get out of.
The layout of the flat is that you walk into the hallway from the ground floor communal hallway. Off the hallway are the bedroom and through a separate door, the kitchen/lounge.
We plan to place a smoke alarm on the ceiling just beyond the threshold of where the door used to be, and one in the lounge, and one in the bedroom.
Could you advise please whether this should be sufficient?
many thanks, Ruth

[Tom Sutton]

The doorway between the communal/common hallway and the flat hallway require to be a FD30 fire door which I will refer to as the front door, the remainder of the doors in the flat need to be substantial well fitted doors. If the vestibule is between the front fire door and the flat hallway, then the door from the flat hallway to the vestibule  could be removed.

Check out http://www.cieh.org/policy/fire_safety_existing_housing.html gives fire safety guidace on flats other than purpose built flats which is http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/publications/-/journal_content/56/10180/3369777/PUBLICATION 

[AnthonyB]

If it's part of a block of flats, ground floor or not, the front door to the communal areas must be a fire door - I urge you to follow Tom's links.

If you research properly there is an increasing range of aesthetic designs of door that meet FD30 standard available - it doesn't have to be a 'institutional' looking plain leaf