Can we remove fire door closers?

[Guest Skortens]

Hello,

we own a 4 storey town house, built in 1999. Every internal door has self closing chains fitted. This appears to be a requirement on your web site. The Building Regulations 2010 were amended in 2013 and state 'other than doors between a dwelling house and an integral garage, fire doors need not be provided with internal closing devices'. Does this mean we can remove our self closing chains? Is the situation different if we let the property to tenants in future? It will not be an HMO let.

Thank you.

Regards,

Steve

[Tom Sutton]

You need to be more precise where on the website does it say all doors in a domestic dwelling needs to be self closing as domestic dwellings are exempt from the RR(FS)O?

You are correct the Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1 does say 'other than doors between a dwelling house and an integral garage, fire doors need not be provided with internal closing devices'. Consequently you do not need self closers on doors in domestic dwellings other than the FD30s door to an integral garage and self closing chains on fire doors would not be acceptable anyway.

If you let the premises to tenants in the future and it remains a private domestic dwelling then the same would apply but if it is converted to flats then further fire doors would need approved self closing devices.