Fire-door defects: repair, replace or investigate?

A schedule of defects can leave a property team with a difficult question: what work should be commissioned, and on what basis? Different entries may describe maintenance issues, damage, missing information or concerns that need a more detailed assessment.

Start by confirming the scope of the inspection. What was checked? Were both sides accessible? Are the door references clear? Which conclusions are firm, and which are subject to further investigation?

Keep any urgent actions or priorities raised by the assessor visible. Commercial discussions should not quietly change the technical priority of a finding. If the wording is unclear, ask the author or another appropriately competent professional to explain it.

Ask for a door-by-door explanation, or a clearly defined group of doors where the same evidence and circumstances apply. Age, appearance or a missing document alone should not become your entire brief for replacement.

An important distinction for blocks of flats in England

The government’s fire-door guidance distinguishes routine checks from assessment of a door’s suitability. It explains that the 2022 Regulations do not require existing flat entrance doors automatically to meet current standards for new doors. It also says missing certification alone does not establish that a door is unfit. Suitability still depends on the circumstances and appropriate assessment. Read the government guidance.

This is England-specific guidance, not a rule that every older door is acceptable. For another building type or UK nation, ask the relevant professional to establish the applicable requirements.

For each item, ask the specialist to explain which route they propose and why. This is a way to structure the discussion, not a technical decision tree for a property manager to apply alone.

• Repair proposed: what is being repaired, which components are involved and what evidence supports that solution for this door?
• Replacement proposed: why is replacement appropriate, what is included in the doorset scope and what needs to be confirmed about its location and installation?
• Further investigation needed: what is unknown, how will it be checked and what decision will the investigation support?

Ask who is responsible for the technical recommendation and how any limitations will be documented. A proposal that acknowledges a specific uncertainty can be more useful than an apparently firm price built on an unexplained assumption.

Send the inspection report and door schedule, together with the records you already hold. Do not guess a product identity or fill a gap in the history with an assumption.

• Door references, locations and the defects recorded against each one.
• Relevant photographs, linked to the same references.
• Available doorset, product, installation and previous repair information.
• The relevant assessment findings or specification, where available and appropriate to share.
• Access arrangements, including appointments and any areas not inspected.

Tell the contractor what is missing. Ask whether the first visit is for information gathering, quotation preparation or a separately commissioned assessment, and confirm any charge before it takes place.

Two prices for “fire-door remedials” may cover different work. Ask contractors to use the same door schedule so you can see which items are included, excluded or subject to further information.

• Extent of work: identify the doors and components covered by each price.
• Associated work: clarify access, removal, disposal, making good and decoration where relevant.
• Uncertainty: identify provisional sums, assumptions and the process for approving changes.
• Programme: establish lead times, visit arrangements and disruption to occupants.
• Handover: agree the records and any relevant certification to be supplied.

Check the contractor’s current insurance, experience and any certification relevant to the actual activities proposed. A logo on a quotation does not establish the scope of a certification scheme or confirm who will perform the work.

In an occupied building, resident liaison and appointments need an owner. Confirm who will make arrangements, deal with missed access and communicate any changes. Ask the contractor how the work will be coordinated with the building’s fire-safety arrangements and other trades.

At handover, you need to distinguish completed items from items that were inaccessible, deferred or require a further decision. Agree a record that links back to the original door references, with the supporting information specified in the works contract.

Retain the contractor’s stated limitations and any outstanding actions. Do not mark the whole schedule complete simply because the contractor has finished its planned visits.

Do we have to decide repair or replacement before contacting PFL?

No. Send the survey and explain the decision you need help progressing. We can consider the relevant service requirements without pretending that the technical answer is already known.

Can PFL confirm that a door is compliant?

No. PFL arranges contractor introductions. The appropriate specialist must assess the door, explain the proposed work and provide the agreed evidence. An introduction is not certification.

What should we send first?

The report, the property location and a brief explanation of your role and intended next step. Available quantities are helpful; unknown quantities can stay unknown until they are checked.