How Often Should Fire Doors And Fire Risk Assessments Be Checked?

20a Limited outlines how often fire doors and fire risk assessments need to be checked for compliance.

If you manage a building in the UK, you already know fire safety is not a once-and-done task. Doors get knocked, tenants change, layouts evolve, and small issues creep in. In this guide, I cut through the noise and set out clear, practical schedules for fire door inspections and fire risk assessments, based on UK law and current best practice. You will also get a simple checklist to help you stay compliant all year.

The legal baseline you need to know

In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the Fire Safety Order, or FSO) puts legal duties on the Responsible Person. If that is you, you must ensure suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments are in place and kept up to date, and you must maintain fire precautions, including fire doors, in efficient working order.

Recent changes after the Grenfell Tower fire, including the Fire Safety Act 2021 and new regulations for higher risk residential buildings, have sharpened expectations. In short, regulators expect you to check fire doors more often and keep better records, especially in multi-occupied residential buildings.

How often should fire doors be inspected?

Here is the plain answer I give to my clients:

• Monthly local checks for obvious damage and operation, carried out in-house by a trained person.

• Quarterly inspections by a competent person, with a closer look at gaps, seals, hinges, closers, glazing, and signage.

• Annual comprehensive inspection by a qualified inspector, recorded with clear remedial actions.

If your building is higher risk or very busy, increase the frequency. Care homes, student blocks, HMOs, hospitals, and schools often benefit from monthly formal inspections, not just quick local checks. Construction, refurbishment, or a spike in damage are also good reasons to step up the schedule.

If you need independent, detailed reporting in London, SW England or South Wales, we can arrange a fire door inspection with a qualified inspector who will give you practical, prioritised recommendations.

How often does a fire door need to be checked?

Two answers, one purpose. Checked means your routine, in-house look to make sure each door shuts, is not wedged, and has no obvious damage. Do this monthly. Inspected means a competent technical review with measurements and component checks. Do this at least quarterly, plus a full annual inspection.

Some residential buildings in England must check flat entrance doors in high rises at least every 12 months, with quarterly checks of common area doors. Wales expects the same standard of diligence under the FSO, and most regulators now look for quarterly inspections as a minimum across the board.

Is there a legal requirement to inspect fire doors?

Yes. The FSO requires you to maintain fire precautions in an efficient state and to keep them in working order. Fire doors are a critical fire precaution. While the law does not list exact intervals for every building, guidance for responsible persons and recent post-Grenfell regulations set a clear expectation that fire doors are inspected regularly and that records are kept.

If you cannot show when you last inspected doors, what you found, and what you fixed, you will struggle to demonstrate compliance.

How often should a fire risk assessment be done?

There is no fixed expiry date in law, but there is a firm requirement to review your assessment regularly and whenever there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid. In practice, here is a sensible schedule:

• Low risk, simple premises, stable use: review annually, with a full reassessment every 2 to 3 years.

• Medium risk or mixed-use buildings: review annually, and reassess every 1 to 2 years.

• Higher risk, complex, or residential with common parts: review at least annually, and reassess every 12 months, or sooner if changes occur.

Any significant change should trigger an immediate review, not a wait until year end.

What triggers a new or updated assessment?

Update your fire risk assessment if any of the following happen:

• Building layout changes, refurbishments, or new partitions.

• Change of use or occupancy profile, including vulnerable occupants.

• New fire alarm or detection strategy, or changes to evacuation arrangements.

• Notable increase in near-misses, false alarms, or incident reports.

• Introduction of new hazards, such as lithium battery storage or hot works.

• Persistent defects to fire doors, compartmentation, or emergency lighting.

• Enforcement action, insurance requirements, or audit findings.

If you are in London, SW England and South Wales and want a thorough, building-specific review, book 20a Limited to undertake a professional fire risk assessment to get clear, prioritised actions without jargon or upselling.

A simple year-round compliance checklist

Use this practical cycle to stay on top of the basics:

• Weekly: test the fire alarm and check escape routes are clear. Record results.

• Monthly: local checks of fire doors, emergency lighting flick tests, and housekeeping. Fix what you can promptly.

• Quarterly: competent fire door inspections, emergency lighting function tests, review the logbook and staff training needs.

• Six monthly: fire drill or evacuation exercise in suitable premises. Refresh staff training as needed.

• Annually: full fire risk assessment, annual emergency lighting test, full fire alarm service, and comprehensive fire door inspection.

• Ongoing: brief new starters, refresh signage, and keep records with dates, findings, and actions.

  
  

If you are considering system upgrades, it can be helpful to align inspections with servicing of fire alarm systems so evidence and actions live in one tidy record.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Wedge-free doors today, wedged again tomorrow. Reinforce good habits with clear signage, self-closing devices that actually work, and quick follow-up when doors are propped open.

• No measurements. Gaps matter. Aim for about 3 mm between door and frame on the sides and top, and fit compliant seals and closers.

• Fix lists with no owners. Assign actions, set dates, and track completion.

• Assessments that do not reflect reality. If your assessment still shows a layout that changed last year, update it now.

  
  

What a good fire door inspection covers

A competent inspection should review:

• Door leaf condition, glazing, and correct glass.

• Frame integrity and fixings.

• Intumescent and smoke seals, continuous and undamaged.

• Hinges, locks, latches, and the right screws in the right holes.

• Self-closer operation, consistent latching from any open position.

• Threshold gap and any drop seals.

• Signage and the right certification evidence where available.

You should get a clear report with photos, risk rating, and practical repair guidance, not just a pass or fail.

We work across London, SW England & South Wales, including Carmarthenshire, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, and surrounding areas. The principles above apply everywhere under the FSO, but local enforcement teams are rightly attentive to fire doors, compartmentation, and accurate risk assessments. If you manage HMOs, communal areas in flats, or busy public buildings, the quarterly plus annual rhythm for doors, and at least annual reviews for assessments, will keep you aligned with expectations.

If you need hands-on support beyond one-off surveys, 20a Limited offer a fire safety consultancy services and can bundle routine checks, training, and documentation so you stay inspection-ready year round.

Key takeaways

• Check fire doors monthly in-house, inspect them quarterly, and complete a full annual inspection.

• Review your fire risk assessment at least annually, and reassess sooner if anything significant changes.

• Keep clear records with dates, findings, photos, and completed actions. This is your evidence of compliance.

• Step up frequency for higher risk buildings, complex sites, or where damage is common.

  
  

If you want simple, honest support to put this into practice, We provide clear, building-specific guidance. Book a fire risk assessment or get in touch for practical advice that keeps people safe and your building compliant.