Regulation 10 Fire Door Checks — A Plain-English Guide for Block Managers
Since January 2023, Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 has required quarterly checks on communal fire doors and at-least-annual checks on flat entrance doors in 11m+ residential blocks. Here is exactly what to do.
What Regulation 10 requires
Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 imposes checking duties on the Responsible Person of any multi-occupied residential building above 11 metres in height:
- Quarterly checks on every fire door in communal areas (regulation 10(6))
- At-least-annual checks on every flat entrance door, on a best-endeavours basis (regulation 10(4))
A separate duty — information to residents about the importance of fire doors and how to report defects — applies to all multi-occupied residential buildings with common parts, at any height (regulation 10(1)–10(3)).
The 11-metre threshold is measured from ground level to the floor surface of the top storey, in line with Appendix D to Approved Document B, which excludes storeys used only for plant.
What "checks" actually means
These are not full BS 8214 inspections — they are routine visual checks. The communal-door duty is unqualified; for flat entrance doors the Regulations require the Responsible Person to use "best endeavours", which recognises that access depends on residents. In practice a check means:
- Visual inspection of the door, frame, glazing, ironmongery and intumescent / smoke seals
- Functional test of the self-closing device
- Confirmation that the door has not been modified, damaged or replaced with a non-fire-rated unit
The check is documented but does not produce a formal certificate.
What about flat entrance doors?
This is the trickiest part. The Responsible Person does not own the inside of a leasehold flat — but does own the door (in most leases) and has a regulatory duty to check it.
Best practice:
- Write to every leaseholder explaining Regulation 10
- Request access into each flat for the annual check — the door has to be checked on both sides
- Document refused access — "best endeavours" includes documenting refusals
- For persistent refusal, escalate through the lease (ultimately legal action if necessary) — and remember the enforcing authority for Regulation 10 is the local fire and rescue authority
What the FSE Regulations 2022 require in high-rise buildings (18m+ or 7+ storeys)
For high-rise residential buildings — at least 18 metres or at least seven storeys (FSER regulation 3) — additional duties apply:
- Secure information box (regulation 4)
- Electronic information to Fire and Rescue Services
- Wayfinding signage (floor and flat identification visible in low light, regulation 8)
- External wall information
These are separate duties under regulations 4–8 and 11 of the FSE Regulations 2022 (they will also feature in a higher-risk building's safety case) — distinct from Regulation 10.
Common defects we find
On our fire door surveys we consistently find:
- Excessive gaps — more than 4mm between leaf and frame
- Painted-over hinges — CE-marked BS EN 1935 fire hinges painted shut
- Missing intumescent strips — particularly at hinge cut-outs
- Damaged or missing smoke seals — common after redecoration
- Self-closers wedged open — usually for tenant convenience
- Non-fire-rated replacement doors — leaseholders replacing for cosmetics
How to evidence Regulation 10 compliance
A defensible Reg 10 record includes:
- Quarterly inspection reports for every communal fire door
- At-least-annual check records for every flat entrance door (including documented access attempts)
- A live defect tracker with closure evidence
- Resident communications archive
- Refused-access log
MetroFire delivers full Reg 10 inspection programmes for residential block managers across London and Essex. Book a survey.
