Fire Doors What Property Managers Get Wrong
Fire Doors in Office Buildings: What Property Managers Get Wrong
Fire doors do one job: hold back fire and smoke for a defined period, giving occupants time to escape and fire crews time to respond. In a single-occupier building that's relatively straightforward to manage. In a multi-let office building — several tenants, shared corridors, a rotating cast of contractors and fit-out teams — fire doors are one of the most commonly compromised elements we find on site.
The most common issues we see
Doors wedged or propped open. The single most frequent finding, and the simplest to understand: a fire door held open with a wedge, fire extinguisher, or a fold-back hook defeats its entire purpose. Unless it's fitted with a compliant hold-open device linked to the fire alarm system, a fire door needs to close and latch on its own.
Damaged or missing intumescent strips and cold smoke seals. These are the strips around the edge of the door that expand under heat to seal gaps. They're easy to damage during redecoration or repainting, and easy to miss on a visual check if you're not specifically looking for them.
Incorrect or missing self-closers. A fire door without a working self-closing device — or one that's been disconnected because it was "annoying" — won't do its job in an actual fire.
Unauthorised alterations during tenant fit-outs. This is where multi-let buildings get particularly exposed. A new tenant fits glazed panels into an existing fire door, or replaces door furniture, without realising the door's fire rating depends on the exact specification it was tested and certified with. Once altered, a fire door's rating can no longer be assumed — it needs re-certifying or replacing.
Gaps around the frame exceeding tolerance. Fire doors are tested and certified with specific gap tolerances around the frame (typically no more than 4mm). Doors that have dropped, warped, or been rehung incorrectly often exceed this without anyone noticing.
Why multi-let buildings are particularly exposed
The core problem is accountability. In a single-tenant building, one facilities team is responsible for every door. In a multi-let building, fire doors sit across a patchwork of responsibility — landlord-managed common parts, tenant-managed demised space, and doors that sit right on that boundary. Fit-out works commissioned by an incoming tenant are a particularly common point where fire door integrity gets compromised, often without the landlord even being aware a door has been altered.
What good management looks like
A clear, documented fire door schedule as part of the building's fire safety records — not just "there are fire doors," but which doors, their rated performance, and who's responsible for each
Routine visual checks (monthly is common practice for high-traffic doors) alongside a more thorough annual inspection
A requirement in tenant fit-out approvals that any works affecting fire doors are signed off by a competent person
Fire doors flagged explicitly as part of the Fire Risk Assessment, not treated as a separate, disconnected checklist
Get your fire doors properly assessed
If you're not confident your building's fire doors are being consistently managed across multiple tenants, that's worth checking before it shows up as a finding during an inspection or, worse, in a real incident.
Accura Fire Risk Ltd includes fire door assessment as standard within our commercial Fire Risk Assessments, and can carry out standalone fire door surveys for multi-let buildings. Get in touch to discuss your building.