If I remove the fire doors once Building Regs sign off, will I no longer be insured?

Counting_Pennies_2

I wonder if you can help. I was told once the building inspector has signed off the building regs, it will be possible to remove a door.

I have since been told it will invalidate any insurance I have on the house.

Can any one advise please?

It is a door which currently is an arch, but requires a door to get the sign off. The problem is the living room is tiny, and a door just isn't practical to have there, it will either open on to a sofa, or on to the front door.

Thanks

muckybutt

Cant see that it would invalidate you insurance, as you say let it get signed off then take it off, keep it somewhere so that when / if you sell up you can put it back on again.

27col

If it's just a small house, why is there a need for a fire door in the first place. Or is this some new BR requirement that has crept in recently.

Owain_Moneysaver

Fire doors slow the spread of fire through a building. Although the main purpose is to preserve life, they will also reduce fire and smoke damage. Removing them is a material fact which must be disclosed to your insurer, or they have the right to reject a claim. Insurance is a contract of the utmost good faith, uberrima fides.

missile

I had a conservatory built with access from the kitchen. I was told BR required that there should be a door. I said don't want that, let's add it if and when planning / inspector says. He didn't say, so no door.

vaio

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Fire doors slow the spread of fire through a building. Although the main purpose is to preserve life, they will also reduce fire and smoke damage. Removing them is a material fact which must be disclosed to your insurer, or they have the right to reject a claim. Insurance is a contract of the utmost good faith, uberrima fides.

The FOS have ruled in car cases that, even though the policy might have a condition that the car be maintained in a roadworthy condition, failure to do so can’t be used as a method of avoiding a claim unless the unroadworthiness caused or contributed to the accident.

Logically extending this principle to houses with removed fire doors, it would seem that claims for theft/floods etc would be paid as normal and claims for fire where the lack of fire door caused or contributed would be declined or reduced based on the circumstances.

gabyjane

Must look into this.

We bought a newbuild and we had to have all our doors trimmed to get the floors down, too much was taken off which is a pain but never had the bloke back to fix it.. we then decided as the chains on them were making the doors lethal that we had them removed.

I'm not sure where you stand but good luck, i can see why you don't want the door!

iamcornholio

As soon as you take the fire door off, you contravene the building regulations. It does not matter if no-one sees this or not, of if it is done years down the line - the contravention still occurs

The only purpose of fire doors is to contain the spread of fire. Your insurance is based on you not creating or increasing risk.

So if you have a fire, then your insurer is perfectly entitled to not cover you, or reduce any payout based on the extra damage caused by removing fire doors.

A good loss adjuster would look for ways of not paying out on a policy