Why the Report Matters as Much as the Inspection
An FDIS-certified fire door inspection can only deliver its value if the findings are properly documented. A thorough inspection carried out by a qualified inspector but recorded only as "doors checked — ok" on a building maintenance log has effectively no compliance value. It cannot be used to demonstrate to a fire authority that a competent inspection took place, cannot support an insurance claim, and provides no basis for planning remedial works.
The inspection report is the inspection, in legal and practical terms. A report that is incomplete, ambiguous, or not specific to individual doors is not a compliant inspection record.
What Every Fire Door Inspection Report Must Include
1. Identifying Information
The report must clearly identify:
- The name and address of the premises
- The date of the inspection
- The name and FDIS certification reference of the inspector
- The name of the organisation instructing the inspection
- The scope of the inspection (e.g., all communal doors on floors 1–5; flat entrance doors in Block A)
2. A Door-by-Door Schedule
A report that assesses fire doors collectively — "the fire doors on the third floor were in reasonable condition" — is not a compliant document. The report must record each individual door separately, with a unique door reference number or location description that allows the door to be found on site and cross-referenced with future inspection records.
For each door, the schedule should record:
- Door location (floor, position, room or area description)
- Door type and fire rating where ascertainable
- Overall pass or fail outcome
- Assessment of each element inspected (door leaf, frame, gaps, seals, closer, hinges, ironmongery, glazing, label, signage)
- Any defects identified, described specifically and not generically
3. Photographic Evidence
Photographs are not optional extras — they are a core component of an audit-ready inspection report. Each defect identified should be documented with a photograph that clearly shows the nature of the defect. This serves several purposes:
- It provides objective evidence of the defect at the time of inspection
- It allows the remedial works contractor to assess scope without a separate site visit
- It enables before-and-after comparison when remedial works are completed
- It provides irrefutable evidence in any enforcement or legal proceedings that the defect existed and was identified
Photographs should be timestamped and linked to the specific door in the door schedule, not presented as a separate image gallery.
4. Clear Pass/Fail Outcomes with Priority Banding
Every door should receive a clear overall outcome: pass or fail. Where a door fails, the report should assign a priority level to the required remedial works. A widely used priority structure is:
- Priority 1 — Immediate: The defect presents a significant and immediate life-safety risk. Action required the same day
- Priority 2 — Urgent (within 14 days): The defect materially affects the door's ability to perform its function
- Priority 3 — Short-term (within 30 days): A defect of lower immediate risk that requires attention
- Priority 4 — Planned maintenance: Minor defects or end-of-life components that can be addressed at the next scheduled maintenance visit
Priority banding allows the Responsible Person to allocate resources appropriately and ensures the most safety-critical defects receive immediate attention.
5. Specific Remedial Works Recommendations
A report that records defects without recommending remedial action is only half useful. The report should specify, for each failed door, what work is required to bring it into compliance. This should be specific enough to enable a contractor to price the work without a separate survey visit — for example, "replace failed overhead door closer with compliant fire-rated model; adjust hanging to close gap at head from 7 mm to within 2–4 mm tolerance".
A vague recommendation such as "door requires attention" or "maintenance needed" is inadequate and creates ambiguity about what works are actually required.
6. Summary and Compliance Statement
The report should conclude with a summary section that provides:
- The total number of doors inspected
- The number of doors that passed and failed
- A breakdown of failed doors by priority level
- A compliance statement — a formal summary from the inspector of the overall compliance status of the fire doors inspected
This summary is the section that a fire authority inspector, building insurer, or building safety regulator is most likely to review first. It should be clear, accurate, and unambiguous.
Digital vs Paper Reports
Modern fire door inspection reports are issued digitally, typically as PDF documents accessible through a secure online portal. Digital reports offer significant advantages over paper records:
- They can be stored in and linked directly to a building safety file or golden thread system
- They can be accessed immediately on demand by fire authorities, insurers, or building managers
- They do not degrade, get lost, or become illegible over time
- They can incorporate timestamped photographs and GPS data
- They can be searched and filtered by door, defect type, or priority level
For buildings subject to the Building Safety Act 2022's golden thread requirements, digital inspection reports are effectively mandatory — paper records cannot practically support the level of accessibility and continuity that the golden thread concept requires.
How Long Should Inspection Records Be Kept?
The RRO does not specify a retention period for fire safety records. As a minimum, records should be retained for the life of the building or until the next inspection of the same scope supersedes them. In practice, for fire door records, a retention period of at least ten years is widely recommended — consistent with general building safety record-keeping practice and the limitation periods for civil claims arising from building safety failures.
Key Takeaways
- The inspection report is the compliance record — a thorough inspection without a proper report has limited legal value
- Every door must be assessed individually with a unique reference, not collectively
- Photographs of each defect are a core requirement, not an optional extra
- Clear pass/fail outcomes with priority banding enable appropriate allocation of remedial works resources
- Remedial recommendations must be specific enough for a contractor to price without a further site visit
- Digital reports are strongly preferred for building safety file integration and golden thread compliance