Fire doors in a new build or refurbishment do not appear to meet specification in London
Fire doors in a new build or refurbishment do not appear to meet specification? Here's what it usually means — and how we help across London.
Fire doors in a new build or refurbishment don't seem right
Moved into a new flat and the front door doesn't sit flush in the frame? Or you're on the snagging list stage of a development and something about the fire doors just feels off - gaps too wide, the closer not pulling it shut properly, ironmongery that looks like it was fitted in a hurry. Maybe there's no visible certification plug or label on the door edge at all, which on a new build should be there.
We hear this a lot from people in new-build blocks across East London and South East London, where handover's happened fast and snagging lists are long. The door might look fine - new, clean, painted - but a fire door isn't just a door that looks the part. It's a tested system: leaf, frame, seals, hinges, closer, glazing, all matched to a specification. If any part of that's wrong, the whole doorset can fail to perform the way it's supposed to.
This is a genuine fire door services London issue we get asked about constantly - not just old council stock, brand new developments too.
What it might mean
We can't tell you what's wrong without seeing it, but there are a few common patterns.
Fire doors may have been installed without proper regard to the tested specification or the manufacturer's fitting instructions - this is the one we see most often on new sites, where speed matters more than matching the door schedule exactly. It's also possible the ironmongery, seals or glazing don't match what the door was actually tested with - a compliant leaf can still fail if someone's fitted the wrong hinges or left out a smoke seal.
Gaps, closer function and latching may simply not have been checked properly at handover - a snagging oversight rather than a design fault. And on some sites, doors get knocked about during the rest of the construction work - plasterers, electricians, deliveries - and nobody catches the damage before residents move in.
None of these are certainties. But any one of them means the door isn't doing the job it's certified to do.
How urgent is it?
This one's planned, not panic - but there's a real deadline attached, and it's not the one people think.
Don't sign off or accept handover on the building until the fire door defects are documented. Once the defects liability period closes, getting the developer or contractor to come back and fix it properly gets a lot harder - and a lot more expensive, because now it's your problem, not theirs. If you're still inside that window, this is exactly the moment to get an independent report on record.
What you can safely check
Before anything gets painted over or covered up, a few things are worth doing yourself.
- Photograph any certification labels, plugs or markings on the door edge - top, sides, wherever they're stamped - before decorators get to them
- Note down which doors aren't closing, latching or sitting square in the frame
- Keep hold of the building's fire strategy and door schedule if you've got copies - you'll need them for comparison
Don't paint over labels, don't try to adjust the closer or hinges yourself, and don't assume a door's fine just because it shuts. A door can close and still not latch, still not seal, still not meet spec.
What we check
A proper snagging survey starts with the paperwork, not the door. We obtain the fire strategy and specified door schedule for the building - without that, there's nothing to measure the doors against. Then every door gets surveyed individually against that specification and its test evidence: leaf, frame, gaps, ironmongery, seals, glazing, the lot.
Every defect gets logged with photographs and the door's reference number, so nothing's vague or arguable later. That becomes an independent snagging report - a document the developer or contractor has to respond to, not just a list of complaints from a resident.
How it's fixed
Depending on what the survey turns up, the fix might be straightforward or it might not be. Minor snagging - a closer out of adjustment, a seal not seated right - is usually a quick remedial repair. Where the ironmongery or glazing doesn't match the tested specification, that often means swapping components for the correct rated parts. And where a door's fundamentally the wrong doorset for the opening, replacement is the only honest answer.
The starting point for all of it is the same: an independent fire door inspection that tells you exactly what's wrong, door by door, before anyone signs anything off.
Call now if handover's imminent and the doors haven't been checked - once you've signed, the leverage to get it fixed properly drops away fast.
Fancy Knowing Exactly Where You Stand?
If you're managing a block in East London or South East London and can't say for certain which doors have failed strips, missing seals or the wrong ironmongery, that's a gap worth closing. Request a fire door survey and written quote and we'll give you a clear picture of what's compliant, what's not, and what it'll cost to fix - with inspection reports and documentation supplied as applicable to the work carried out.
Get a fire door survey booked in
If any of this sounds like your building - in Croydon, Hackney or anywhere else across London - the next step is a proper look at the doors themselves, not just a chat on the phone. Request a survey and you'll get a written quote based on what's actually fitted, with inspection findings recorded against Regulation 10 where it applies. Get in touch and we'll get it moving.