Fire Door Inspection in St Albans

Independent fire door inspections in St Albans

Fire doors are a critical, often-overlooked part of a building's passive fire protection. They are designed to hold back fire and smoke long enough for occupants to escape — but only if they are correctly installed and maintained. Our certified fire door inspections in St Albans give you documented, photographic evidence that each door has been checked against the current standard.

Why St Albans landlords and building owners need this

St Albans has a strong commuter rental market and a growing professional HMO sector. The council's additional HMO licensing scheme requires a current PAT certificate as part of the application bundle.

What the law says

• Fire Safety Act 2021 — clarified that external walls, flat entrance doors and structure are all in scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for multi-occupied residential buildings.
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, Regulation 10 — in residential buildings over 11 m, responsible persons must carry out best-endeavours annual checks of flat entrance fire doors and quarterly checks of communal fire doors.
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Article 17 — all relevant fire safety equipment must be maintained in efficient working order.
• HMO licensing — St Albans City & District Council will typically require documented evidence of fire door condition as part of licence inspections.

What we check during a fire door inspection in St Albans

We follow the standard 10-point fire door checklist used in the industry. For each door, we record:

1. Certification and labelling — is there an FD30, FD60 or similar rating label? Top edge, hinge edge, or lock edge.
2. Gaps around the door — 2–4 mm at sides and top, 10 mm maximum at the threshold.
3. Seals — intumescent strips and cold smoke seals continuous and undamaged.
4. Hinges — minimum 3, CE-marked, all screws fitted.
5. Self-closer — closes the door fully from any angle, no slamming.
6. Glazing — fire-rated glass in a fire-rated bead system, correctly sized.
7. Leaf and frame — no holes, no repairs that compromise the fire-resisting line.
8. Threshold — solid, continuous, no damage.
9. Signage — 'Fire Door — Keep Shut' on both sides.
10. Ironmongery — locks, latches and handles appropriate grade and correctly fitted.

How much does a fire door inspection cost in St Albans?

• Single HMO with 3–6 internal fire doors: from around £100–£180.
• Small block of flats with 10–20 doors including flat entrance doors: from around £300.
• Commercial premises with 30+ doors: bulk rate — please request a quote.

All prices are fully inclusive of the report and remedial recommendations.

Typical fire door issues found in St Albans

The issues we see repeatedly in St Albans and the surrounding AL1 – AL4 area:

• Old FD30 doors painted so many times the intumescent strips are painted over.
• DIY replacement of self-closers with non-fire-rated hardware.
• Letterplates cut into flat entrance doors without an intumescent sleeve.
• Missing smoke seals on HMO bedroom doors.
• Threshold gaps exceeding 10 mm after new carpet has been laid.

Related services in St Albans

• PAT testing in St Albans
• HMO compliance (EPC + PAT + Fire Door)
• Full compliance bundle — EPC + PAT + Fire Door
• Fire door inspections: what the law requires
• Fire Safety Act 2021 — your obligations