Front door basement flat Victoria, london - fire regulations

rosym345 · 19 May 2022 at 5:13PM

Hi, recently purchased a basement flat in London. We're looking at changing the front door as it's very low security currently. I had a conversation with a door fitter that was surprising, and hasn't been mentioned by any other providers. That our door needs to be a fire safety door and that it's impossible (or without paying alot) for us to find one. The whole conversation was quite weird but it's now worried me and I can't seem to find it online. What regulations do I need for a new door, how do I find out more details. bit lost so any advice is welcome.

eddddy · 19 May 2022 at 5:37PM

Does your front door open into a communal area (e.g. a hallway), or is it straight to the outside?

If it opens into a communal area, it needs to be a fire door - it's called a FD30S door. It also needs 3 suitable hinges, and a self closer.

Why are you having trouble finding one - is your door an unusual size? Try googling FD30S doors.

You should also check your lease to see if it has any restrictions on changing the front door. You might need the freeholder's consent, or if it's a 'posh' block of flats it might have rules about what your door should look like.

Some info:
https://www.lease-advice.org/faq/what-are-the-requirements-for-a-fire-door-to-comply-with-current-building-regulations/
https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/property-management/fire-doors/

Schwarzwald · 19 May 2022 at 6:09PM

I’ve faced a similar scenario recently.

London split level property with a lower ground / basement, which also opens externally.

As per above, my (high level) understanding is that if the door opens into communal area, it needs to be FD30.

If the door opens to the outside, it doesn’t.

I did a loooot of googeling around doors, as I found the subject pretty confusing, and what you indeed find very hard to find is an FD30 External door. FD30 doors are mostly/typically internal doors.

So you could either use an internal FD30 door facing the outside, subject if its covered or not, or as it opens into the outside, just use an external door, which then likely wont be FD30, but that would likely not be required.

My conclusion was: Doors are confusing …