Domestic Fire Doors and Building Regulations

For a fire door to be certified as a fire door, it must undergo rigorous testing and conform to specific regulations. This refers to both the manufacturer making the doors and the people installing them.

Whether you're buying a domestic property as a single dwelling, in an apartment block, house of multiple occupancies (HMO), or even a buy-to-let it's vital that you understand the fire safety regulations that apply to your situation to cover yourself and keep everyone who resides or visits those properties safe.

If you're looking for fire door regulations for commercial buildings, please read our guide here.

Where Are Fire Doors Needed in Residential Properties?

Precisely where fire doors need to be installed in residential settings depends on the type of property (single house, bungalow, flat, HMO), and how many floors there are (two or more).

While it's not a legal requirement to install fire doors in older domestic single dwellings, it's always recommended that property owners take fire safety measures wherever possible. This could include:

• Planning numerous escape routes and communicating these to everyone in residence

• Installing internal fire doors along corridors and where there's an increased risk of fire (such as in a kitchen)

• Carrying out maintenance checks to ensure fire doors and furniture perform as expected should a fire break out

The rules do change slightly when property owners are renovating their home, replacing old doors or moving into a new build property.

Do Internal Doors Need to be Fire Doors?

While we always recommend homeowners install interior fire doors along all escape routes to ensure the highest fire safety possible and to buy you enough time to get out of your home in the event of a fire, there are only legal regulations for certain circumstances. These include:

• Installing internal fire doors in a home that has at least two storeys (including loft conversions), and

• In homes where an integral garage is accessible from the house via a door.

In these instances, fire doors must be installed in every room positioned off a stairwell, and between the garage and the home.

Are Fire Doors Required in New Builds and Renovations?

If a new build or renovation will create a property consisting of three or more floors, then every 'habitable' room accessed via the staircase must have interior fire doors fitted.

This regulation applies to any two-story homes carrying out loft conversions.

As mentioned above, any property whereby a door connects the premises to an integral garage must also install fire doors.

Are Landlords Responsible for Fire Doors?

When it comes to rented flats and HMOs, the 'Responsible Person' when it comes to fire door regulations is the landlord.

There's no legal requirement for older single properties, but it is worth having this conversation with your landlord to ensure your home is as safe as possible.

If you're a landlord, here's what you need to know:

Where are Fire Doors Required in Flats and HMOs?

If you're the landlord of a flat or a House of Multiple Occupancy, you must ensure that the 'front door' leading into each property is a fire door.

If the flat or apartment you own is located 4.5 or more floors up, you must also ensure that every habitable room has internal fire doors installed.

The only exception to this is for ground floor 'properties.' These don't require fire-rated internal doors so long as there's some other fire safety strategy, such as an additional exit. With that said, the 'front door' will still need to be a fire door.

Are Fire Doors Required in Houses and Bungalows?

If you're renting out a bungalow that has two escape routes (a front and back door), you aren't legally required to install a fire door.

However, we do still recommend installing fire doors along escape routes.

Do I Need Fire Doors in a Rented Property?

If the property you're renting is in a flat or HMO, the same legalities apply that were mentioned in the above section.

However, if you're renting an older 'single property,' there's no legal requirement regarding fire doors. With that said, your landlord may want to install these as a fire safety strategy.

For example, it would be worth installing these at the entrance to the kitchen and for any door that leads to a corridor or additional exit as an escape plan.

Upgrade to Fire Doors at Vibrant Doors

Whether you're upgrading interior doors on a property you let to comply with fire door regulations or you want to implement fire safety measures in your own home, you'll find a vast range of options when you shop with us.

When shopping for new fire-rated internal doors, don't forget to also buy fire door frames too. You can find out everything you need to know about fire door frame regulations in our fire door frames guide.

We stock glazed fire doors (doors with fire-rated glass panels), durable oak fire doors, flush fire doors and paint grade doors, among others. All of which have fire door ratings of FD30 or FD60.

Every fire door in our collection is manufactured by well-known and reputable brands. You're also covered against manufacturing defects with our 10-year guarantee and can expect delivery in three to seven days.