Do landlords have to install fire doors?

Single-family Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)

If you let one whole property to one household on a standard AST, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 does not apply to the inside of that home — there are no common parts. You're not legally required to install fire doors. You are, however, required under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 to provide a safe property, and under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations to fit working alarms.

Best practice still strongly recommends an FD30S door to the kitchen and at the head of the stairs in a two-storey house.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

HMOs are firmly inside the Fire Safety Order. The LACORS national guide is the working reference for housing officers, and it requires:

• FD30S doors on every bedroom in a shared house HMO
• FD30S doors on every flat door in a bedsit HMO
• FD30S doors on kitchens, plant rooms and risk rooms
• Self-closing devices on every fire door on a means of escape

Local councils will not grant or renew an HMO licence without these in place.

Blocks of flats — under 11m

The freeholder or managing agent is the Responsible Person for the common parts. Every flat entrance door opening onto a common escape route must be FD30S as a minimum, and communal doors (stair enclosures, riser cupboards) must be appropriately rated. Annual inspections are best practice.

Blocks of flats — over 11m (Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, Regulation 10)

This is where most enforcement happens. The Responsible Person must:

• Inspect all communal fire doors at least every 3 months
• Inspect all flat entrance doors at least annually (best efforts basis)
• Keep written records and provide information to residents

What happens if I don't?

Fire and Rescue Services routinely audit HMOs and blocks. An Enforcement Notice is the usual first step; a Prohibition Notice (closing part of the building) follows for serious risk. Penalties under the Fire Safety Order include unlimited fines, and in the worst cases custodial sentences. Insurers also routinely decline claims where fire door records are missing.

Practical next steps for landlords

• Commission a fire risk assessment (Type 1 for blocks, full FRA for HMOs)
• Have any existing doors inspected and a defect schedule produced
• Replace non-certified doors with FD30S certified door sets
• Set up a 3-monthly check log if the building is over 11m