Don't Panic — But Do Act Promptly
Receiving an inspection report showing that fire doors in your building have failed is not a crisis, but it does require prompt and structured action. The most important thing to understand is that a failed inspection is exactly what the inspection process is designed to reveal. A fire door that fails an inspection today but is promptly remediated is a far better outcome than one that was never inspected at all.
The practical and legal priority is now to understand what failed, why it failed, and what must happen to bring the door into compliance — and to document that process thoroughly.
Step 1: Read the Inspection Report Carefully
An FDIS-certified inspection report will assign each failed door a priority level and a description of each defect. Typical priority levels are:
- Immediate action: The door presents a significant and immediate risk and should be taken out of service or remediated the same day. This is rare but can apply to a door with a non-functioning closer on a high-rise escape route, or a door with a severely compromised frame
- Urgent action (within 5–14 days): The door has a defect that materially affects its ability to perform its function but does not present an immediate life-safety emergency
- Short-term action (within 30 days): The door has a defect that needs addressing but is of lower immediate risk — a missing piece of signage, a slightly excessive gap that is within a manageable range
- Planned maintenance: Minor defects or items approaching the end of service life that should be addressed at the next scheduled maintenance visit
Read every defect description, not just the priority level. Understanding what specifically failed is necessary to instruct the right remedial works.
Step 2: Implement Interim Measures Where Required
For any door that has been flagged as requiring immediate action, interim measures must be implemented without delay while remedial works are arranged. Depending on the nature of the defect, interim measures might include:
- Physically preventing the door from being used (where an alternative escape route exists)
- Posting a fire watch to ensure the door is not left open
- Fitting a temporary door stop or hold to prevent the door from being propped open
- Informing residents of the defect and the interim arrangements
Interim measures must themselves be documented — recording what was done, when, and by whom.
Step 3: Instruct Remedial Works Without Delay
Once the inspection report is understood, the remedial works must be instructed. For doors inspected by Fire Doors Pro, our remedial works team can be on site within 48 hours of instruction for urgent defects, with a formal scope and fixed-price quote prepared from the inspection report.
Common remedial works following a failed inspection include:
- Door closer replacement or adjustment: The most common remedial instruction. A failed closer is the single most frequent cause of inspection failure
- Intumescent or smoke seal replacement: Where seals have been painted over, damaged, or are the wrong type for the door
- Hinge replacement or re-fixing: Where hinges are worn, missing screws, or not fire-rated
- Gap remediation: Adjusting the hanging, re-setting the frame, or fitting a drop seal to bring gaps within tolerance
- Signage installation: Fitting compliant fire door signage to both faces
- Full door or doorset replacement: Where a door cannot be brought into compliance through repair — due to modification, damage to the core, or complete uncertainty about its specification
Step 4: Obtain a Completion Certificate
When remedial works are completed, the contractor must provide written confirmation of what was done, the materials used, and — where relevant — evidence that the replacement components are appropriate for the doorset (for example, that a new closer is compatible with the door's tested assembly).
Fire Doors Pro issues before-and-after photographic documentation for all remedial works, along with a completion confirmation that can be appended directly to the original inspection report in your building safety file.
Step 5: Update Your Records
The legal compliance cycle is only complete when the documentation is updated. Your building safety file — or golden thread, if the building is subject to the Building Safety Act 2022 — must show:
- The original inspection report and the defects identified
- Any interim measures implemented
- The remedial works instruction and the date it was issued
- The completion certificate or confirmation from the remedial works contractor
- Any follow-up inspection, if required
A documented trail from inspection to remediation to sign-off is your evidence of compliance — and your defence in any enforcement or legal proceedings.
Step 6: Consider Whether a Follow-Up Inspection Is Needed
For doors that required significant remedial works — full doorset replacement, substantial frame re-work, or complex closer replacements — a follow-up inspection by an FDIS-certified inspector provides independent verification that the completed works are compliant. This is particularly important for doors in high-risk locations (escape routes, stairwells) or in buildings subject to the Building Safety Act 2022.
What If the Contractor Who Installed the Door Is Responsible?
Where a door has failed inspection because it was incorrectly installed — wrong door fitted, incorrect hardware, non-compliant gaps — you may have a claim against the original installation contractor. However, pursuing such a claim does not relieve you of the obligation to remediate the door promptly. The legal duty to maintain compliant fire doors rests with the Responsible Person regardless of how the non-compliance arose.
Key Takeaways
- Read the inspection report carefully — understand each defect and its assigned priority level
- Implement interim measures the same day for any door flagged as requiring immediate action
- Instruct remedial works promptly — a 48-hour turnaround is achievable for urgent defects
- Obtain written completion confirmation from the remedial works contractor
- Update your building safety records to document the full inspection-to-remediation trail
- Consider a follow-up FDIS inspection for doors that required significant remedial works