When it comes to fire door installation, cutting corners isn’t just unprofessional, it’s dangerous. Yet across London, we continue to see the rise of cowboy installers, offering quick fixes and cheap prices, with little regard for safety, compliance or long-term integrity.
For landlords and letting agents, trusting the wrong contractor can leave your properties non-compliant, your tenants at risk and you legally exposed.
At All About Fire Doors, we believe that when lives are on the line, there’s no room for guesswork. We’ve seen first-hand the risks of bad fire door installations, and it’s not pretty!
Explore more about:
- Why proper fire door installation matters
- How to spot potential faults
- What you can do to protect your tenants, your properties, and your business
- How to find a reputable contractor
Why proper fire door installation matters
When it comes to building safety, fire doors are one of the most critical elements of passive fire protection, yet all too often, they’re neglected, incorrectly installed, or poorly maintained.
For letting agents and landlords in London, this isn’t just a compliance issue it’s a matter of life and death, not to mention legal liability. You can download a full Fire Safety Checklist here, to understand a little more about your full responsibilities.
Fire doors are specially designed to hold back fire and smoke, giving occupants vital extra minutes to evacuate and protecting escape routes. However, this only works if the fire door is installed and maintained correctly.
A poorly installed fire door can:
- Fail to close properly in the event of a fire
- Allow poisonous smoke to leak through gaps and unsealed edges
- Collapse prematurely under heat
- Give a false sense of safety to residents
For landlords and letting agents, these failures can result in prosecution, invalid insurance, and even fatalities. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes it clear: it’s your legal duty to ensure that fire doors are fit for purpose.
How to spot potential faults
Knowing what to look out for can help prevent disaster.
Of course, not every fault is due to a dodgy installation, poor maintenance can cause fire doors to fail too. It is important to feel confident that all fire protection safety measures have been put in place properly in the first place, and you are sure of the signs to look for during routine inspections.
The red flags we encounter most often include:
- Wrongly-spaced gaps
Fire doors should have gaps of 2-4mm between the door and frame. Larger or uneven spacing can allow smoke and fire to spread more quickly. - Missing or damaged intumescent Seals
The intumescent seal is the special seal between the edges of the door or frame. In normal conditions, they’re nearly invisible, but in the event of a fire, they expand when exposed to heat, sealing the gaps to block smoke and toxic gases. Missing or poorly fitted seals are a critical failure point. - Inadequate hinges or fixings
Fire doors must be hung with at least three CE-marked hinges. Cheap or incorrect fittings can cause the door to fail under heat or pressure. A fire door is no good on the floor, after all! - Faulty closers
Every fire door should close fully on its own. If it sticks, slams, or doesn’t latch it’s non-compliant. And of course, if it’s been propped open… well, it goes without saying that it’ll be totally useless! - Uncertified components
A fire door is only as strong as its weakest element. All parts of the door, from the handles to the seals must be third-party certified as fire-rated. All certification details will be located somewhere on the door, usually well hidden along the top (out of sight). - Modifications
Any changes to a fire door can completely void its effectiveness. Your tenant may want a cat flap or letterbox in their door, but making alterations like this can alter the fire-rating of the product, and seriously hider it’s ability to protect in case of a fire.
What you can do to protect your tenants, your properties and your business
Besides the clear legal obligations, ensuring compliant fire doors is simply the right thing to do. Tenants rely on you for their safety.
Additionally, non-compliance can lead to prosecution and unlimited fines, invalidated property insurance and untold damage to property.
With ongoing reforms to the Fire Safety Act and Building Safety Act, enforcement is increasing. Following the Grenfell Tragedy, fire safety regulations within the housing sector and beyond are only going to tighten, and not knowing your obligations is not an excuse for non-compliance.
How to find a reputable fire door installation contractor
It can be daunting when faced with an ever-increasing list of legislative requirements to adhere to, and the fear of fire, fines and felonies if you fail.
Finding a contractor that you can trust amid a sea of potential cowboys can feel like a minefield. At All About Fire Doors, we specialise in fire door supply, installation, inspection, and maintenance across Greater London, ensuring your doors meet all the latest safety standards.
We can oversee:
- Fire door installation to certified, industry-leading standards
- Fire door inspections and reports for residential and commercial properties
- Fire door maintenance and repairs to keep you compliant long-term
- Passive fire protection consultancy tailored for landlords and managing agents
We’re fully accredited and provide comprehensive fire door compliance services across London. Whether you manage a single flat or an entire portfolio, we’ll help ensure your doors meet all legal and safety requirements.
Contact the team today to discuss how we can help.