Flat fire doors

It is our legal responsibility as managing agent of Fairway View to ensure that a Fire Risk Assessment is conducted. All blocks of flats must have a risk assessment carried out on the fire risk and health and safety of any common areas.

An action point from the assessment we had carried out recently at your block raised the following point in relation to the apartment front doors:

‘It is recommended that the fire seals be replaced with Fire and Smoke seals to the flat entrance doors’

Our understanding is that the criteria of fire doors should include the following:

• Fitted with CE Marked steel fire rated hinges
• A self-closing device
• Combines intumescent and cold smoke seals and are close fitting to the frame
• Gaps around the doors should not exceed 3-4mm at the sides and head of the door. Gap of no more than 8-10mm at the bottom.

In accordance with your lease, the apartment front doors are part of the Leaseholder’s demise and therefore fall outside of the responsibility of the Freeholder or Managing Agent; therefore, the Leaseholder would bear the cost for any changes required to their front door.

We are notifying Leaseholders to ensure that the front door of their apartments meet the legal requirement. In this instance it could be a simple fix of attaching intumescent seals to your door or door frame. If you are unsure you may want to instruct a fire door survey. This survey would be more cost effective if Leaseholders were to group together; we could certainly assist with this.

For further information, below is guidance on Fire Safety Management by ARMA for Freeholders and Managing Agents. Page 24 gives advice to Leaseholders on this matter.

https://arma.org.uk/downloader/ty9/ARMA_Fire_Safety_Management_in_Flats.pdf

For further guidance which also gives Leaseholders a checklist to see if their door is suitable please click on the following link;

http://www.flat-living.co.uk/advice/1902-are-the-flat-entry-doors-in-our-block-fire-compliant

Meter cupboard doors

Following a recent Fire Risk Assessment, it was observed that the meter cupboard doors were not up to current regulations. These have since been replaced to the correct FD30s standard to ensure the safety of the building and the residents.