This information is for leaseholders who own and/or reside in blocks whose doors open onto communal areas.

Fire safety legislation has been strengthened following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the subsequent public inquiry. Please read all the sections below carefully.

The Convent Co-operative Estate Manager must inspect doors annually to ensure they meet all requirements under current fire regulations. If a door fails an inspection, the leaseholder is responsible for taking steps to ensure it is compliant.

However, you will need to check your lease to ascertain if responsibility for certain elements of the door is yours or the Council’s. Some older leases effectively split ownership of the front door and frame in half, with the inner side demised to the leaseholder and the outer side retained by the Council. Others place responsibility for the door with the leaseholders and the frame with the Council. Depending on when your lease was signed, there may be other combinations and provisos. If you’re unsure whether these scenarios apply to you, please get in touch with the Co-op office for advice.

Doors installed when the building was first built and that have not been altered or adjusted in any way, shape or form, and provided they are not damaged, are likely to be compliant. Replacement doors or original doors that have been altered may not be.

1. Self-Closing Devices

Your flat entrance door must be fitted with an effective self-closing device. This is a legal requirement under fire safety regulations.

“There MUST be an effective self-closing device on fire doors of flat entrances and fire doors within common parts. This is very important. A fire door that does not close fully into its frame will not adequately hold back fire and smoke.” — UK Government Guidance

How to test your door:

• Open the door fully and then let go.
• Then, open the door to around 15 degrees and let go.

In both cases, the door should close fully into its frame, overcoming any latch resistance or floor friction. What matters is that the closure works, rather than what type of closure you opt for or where the closure is positioned.

2. Alterations or Damage to Doors

If your door has been altered, replaced or repaired, it may no longer meet fire safety standards and may fail an inspection.

If you are aware that your front door is damaged, please notify the Estate Manager straight away.

If you changed your door without permission from the Convent Co-operative, please contact the Convent office for advice.

3. Replacing Your Door

If your door has been assessed as non-compliant and you are required to change your door, you must:

• Alert the Convent Co-op Manager (if they were not the assessor) or if you plan to change your door for any reason other than non-compliance
• Check your lease to see if you or the landlord is responsible or partly responsible for the costs of replacing the door or the frame, or both
• Install a certified fire door and frame if necessary
• Retain proof of FD30 certification
• Report the completion of the work to the Estate Manager
• Send copies of all documentation to the Estate Manager

4. Letterboxes

If you have installed or replaced a letterbox, this may affect your door’s fire resistance.

“Where a letterbox has been fitted to a door that did not previously have one, the resident will need to confirm that the new letterbox is suitable for use in fire-resisting doors and has been fitted by a specialist contractor.” — UK Government guidance

If you do not have this evidence, please contact the Convent office for advice.

Important: Original Convent Estate doors with letterboxes that have been removed or sealed may not be compliant.

5. Leaseholder Responsibilities Vary by Lease

Responsibility for parts of your flat entrance door – including the door leaf and frame or the exterior face – depends on the terms of your lease.

If you are advised that your door does not meet fire safety standards, please check your lease to confirm whether the responsibility for paying for any required work lies with you or the landlord, or a combination of both. There are likely to be a variety of combinations and provisos, depending on when the lease was issued. This is important as it could impact your costs.

If you do not have a copy of your lease, you may request one here. There is a fee of £20 for this service.

6. You Must Inform Us Before Changing Your Front Door

By law and under your lease, you must notify us before replacing or altering your front door.

“Where a resident wants to alter or change their front door, this should be done with the knowledge and agreement of the Responsible Person* to ensure that it does not negatively impact upon the overarching fire risk assessment for the premises.” — UK Government guidance

The Responsible Person for the Convent Estate is the Estate Manager.

9. Fire Door Certification

Fire doors must be tested and certified to comply with legal standards.

Look for third-party certification from trusted bodies such as:

• BRE
• BM TRADA
• BWF-CERTIFIRE

Each certified fire door should have:

• A permanent certification label
• Fire-rated hinges, seals, and components
• Proper installation

Only purchase certified fire doors from reputable suppliers.

10. Wandsworth Borough Council Building Control

Contrary to advice given before Summer 2025, it is not necessary to inform WBC Building Control if you are simply replacing your door and/or frame. However, for structural alterations, you must register and submit plans.

Important Notice:
Submitting a form to Building Control will incur a fee (levels informed by work planned), as outlined in Section 10 of the Building Regularisation Certificate Application Form. [See also Form Notes and Checklist.] Please ensure you are aware of this before proceeding.

Building Control is not equipped to handle inquiries about minor alterations to doors or frames. Please only contact them if you are undertaking structural alterations and/or major works.

• Email: buildingcontrol@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk
• Tel: 020 8871 7620

Updated 02/09/2025.