A routine fire door check is a short, repeatable visual task. Done well it takes a few minutes per door and finds the defects that actually matter, which are almost always things that have changed since the door was installed rather than things that were wrong from the start. The order below moves from the failures that stop a door working to the ones that degrade it.
First on the fire door checklist: does it close and latch?
Open the door to several different angles including a small one, and let it go. It should close fully and the latch should engage every time. A door that closes from wide open and stalls from narrow open is the classic partially failed closer and it is the single most common serious defect. A door held open by anything is the same failure with a human cause.
Gaps and alignment
Check the gap at the head and both jambs along their whole length, and at the threshold. The gap should be consistent and within the range the certification allows. A gap that varies along the jamb means the door or the frame has moved, and a large gap at the head is common in buildings that have settled. Measure rather than eye it, because the tolerances are small.
Seals, leaf and frame
Intumescent and smoke seals should be continuous, seated in their grooves, undamaged and not painted over. The leaf should be free of holes, deep dents and unauthorised cutouts. Glazing should be intact with its beads in place. The frame should be firmly fixed with no movement when the door is closed hard.
Hardware and signage
Hinges secure with all screws present and of the right type. The closer undamaged and not leaking. The latch and any lock functioning and compatible. Any hold open device releasing on the alarm. And the sign: keep shut, or keep locked shut, or automatic fire door keep clear, matching what the door actually does.
Questions people ask about fire door inspection checklist
How often should this checklist be run?
In residential buildings above the height threshold the frequency is set by regulation, with different intervals for common parts doors and flat entrance doors. Elsewhere the risk assessment sets it, and busy buildings often run it quarterly.
What should be done with a defect?
Record it, classify it by urgency, and act. A door that does not close and latch is an immediate risk and should be dealt with straight away rather than added to a list.
Does a failed check have to be reported to anyone?
Within the building, to whoever can fix it, and in residential blocks in scope of the check duties there are specific reporting expectations. The record is what shows the system is working.
Is there a standard fire door inspection checklist UK inspectors use?
There is a standard SET of items rather than one official form, and any competent inspection covers them: the door's reference and location, the leaf type and any certification label or plug, the frame and its fixings, the intumescent and smoke seals, the hinges and their number and condition, the closer and whether it closes and latches from any angle, the gaps at head, jambs and threshold, glazing and beading, signage, and whether it has been drilled, cut or painted over. What separates a useful inspection from a walk round is a line per door with photographs, because a summary saying most doors compliant cannot be acted on.