This guide is your practical roadmap to understanding the new regulations, what’s changed in 2025, who is accountable for compliance, and exactly what steps you should be taking next. Whether you manage a high-rise block or a converted townhouse, the responsibilities are now clearer than ever-and the risks of falling short have become too costly to ignore.
Why 2025 Matters – What’s Changed
A Major Update to Approved Document B
In March 2025, the government released a revised version of Approved Document B, the go-to framework for fire safety in buildings in England. One of the biggest changes is the shift away from the old British Standard BS 476 test classifications to the harmonised European standards BS EN 13501 and BS EN 1634-1. This affects how fire doors are tested, specified, and approved moving forward. So, if you’re still sourcing or maintaining doors to the older standard, it’s time to review that process.
Additionally, there are new requirements for sprinkler installations in care homes, updated fire resistance expectations across residential buildings, and tighter guidance on how compartmentation and fire doors work together in high-risk settings.
Reinforcement of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
While these regulations first came into effect in 2023, they’re now being fully reinforced with stricter enforcement and clarity around inspection intervals. If you own or manage a residential building that’s more than 11 metres tall, you are now legally required to:
- Carry out quarterly inspections on all fire doors in communal areas like lobbies, stairwells, and corridors.
- Conduct annual inspections on the flat entrance doors of all individual dwellings within the building.
- Assign and name a Responsible Person who is legally accountable for ensuring these tasks are completed and properly documented.
This isn’t optional, and local authorities are beginning to enforce this more actively in 2025.
Who’s Responsible and When
Understanding the “Responsible Person”
If you’re unsure whether this label applies to you, here’s a simple guide: the Responsible Person is typically the building owner, landlord, or the managing agent in charge of day-to-day operations. In some settings-especially in leasehold arrangements-this can be shared, but the key point is this: someone must be formally designated and accountable for fire door compliance. If that’s not been agreed or communicated, it needs to be sorted now.
This role carries the duty to arrange inspections, fix any faults, keep records of all actions taken, and ensure residents are aware of fire safety protocols, particularly when it comes to keeping fire doors closed and reporting damage.
Which Buildings and Doors Are Covered?
The new 2025 fire door regulations apply to:
- All multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height.
- Communal area doors, such as stairwells, corridors, and shared lobbies.
- Flat entrance doors, which are often the final barrier protecting individual units from a fire breaking out in communal spaces.
Commercial buildings and mixed-use developments are also affected, especially if they have shared means of escape or compartmentation zones that rely on fire-rated doors.
Key Requirements for Fire Doors in 2025
What a Compliant Fire Door Must Include
In 2025, a fire door must be treated as a complete assembly or “doorset”-not just a certified leaf. That means it must come with the correct frame, intumescent strips or smoke seals, tested hinges, and a fully functional closer. The certification should be traceable, visible, and maintained through its lifecycle.
Doors should have a fire resistance rating of FD30 (30 minutes) or FD60 (60 minutes), depending on the location and building use. In high-risk areas, like plant rooms or escape routes, higher ratings such as FD90 or FD120 may be necessary.
Tolerances and Installation Standards
When it comes to performance, the small details matter. In 2025, the expected tolerance for the gap between a fire door and its frame is 2 to 4 mm. Anything above that, and the door may not provide sufficient protection in a fire. The closer must fully shut the door without slamming, dragging, or needing assistance.
Inspection and Maintenance Duties
This is where the day-to-day compliance effort sits. The updated requirements for inspection and maintenance are:
- Communal fire doors in high-rise residential blocks: inspect quarterly.
- Flat entrance doors: inspect annually.
- Keep a maintenance log, with dates, issues noted, repairs made, and who performed the work.
Digital record-keeping systems are now widely used and strongly recommended. They not only improve accuracy but also make evidence easily available in case of audits or legal inquiries.
Innovus offers a detailed breakdown on fire door inspections
Do You Need to Replace Older Doors?
Here’s where 2025 brings a bit of relief. You don’t have to rip out every door that doesn’t carry a modern certification label. If a door was installed before these updates and still functions as intended-meaning it closes correctly, fits within tolerance, and is structurally sound-it may remain in service.
New Insight: According to IPS Fire & Security, older doors can still pass inspections as long as they perform effectively. Replacing them unnecessarily isn’t just expensive-it could be wasteful and counterproductive if the existing door still does its job.
Practical Steps to Stay Compliant
Conduct a Fire Door Audit
Start by walking the building with a clear checklist in hand. Look at the door leaf for signs of damage, check that seals are intact, hinges are tight, and closers are working properly. Confirm signage is in place, gaps are within tolerance, and labels are legible.
Create a Regular Inspection and Maintenance Schedule
Set calendar reminders-quarterly for communal doors, yearly for flat entrances. Keep a logbook or, better yet, switch to a digital tool that timestamps inspections and flags when the next ones are due.
Here’s a basic checklist to include:
- Door closes fully and automatically
- Gaps are between 2–4 mm
- Seals are intact and not painted over
- Hinges are secure and undamaged
- No signs of warping, rot, or tampering
- Certification label is present and readable
Use this fire door regulations guide from Latham Steel Doors for further support
Decide When to Repair vs. Replace
Not every issue needs a brand-new door. If the closer isn’t working, replace the closer. If the leaf is damaged or warped, you may need a full replacement. Your decision should be based on whether the door can still perform its intended role in a fire. Always log the decision-making process.
Educate Your Residents or Tenants
Even the best-maintained fire door is useless if someone props it open. Remind everyone in the building to report faults, avoid tampering with hardware, and to understand that fire doors are not just decorative-they’re essential to their safety.
What Happens If You Don’t Comply?
Failing to meet fire door compliance in 2025 can lead to real consequences:
- Fines and legal action under the Fire Safety Order
- Invalidated insurance policies if doors don’t meet regulations
- Reputational damage or worse-putting lives at risk in a fire
And yes, enforcement is ramping up. There have already been cases in 2025 where building owners have been issued improvement notices or faced legal costs due to non-compliance.
What’s Next? Looking Ahead to Future Changes
There are whispers of even more changes to Approved Document B by 2026, including updates to smoke control in corridors and stricter rules for modular and mixed-use buildings. Technology will also play a bigger role-expect to see more IoT sensors embedded in fire doors to monitor real-time door status and send alerts if something’s wrong.
Forward-thinking building managers are already budgeting for these tools, not just for compliance-but because they’re genuinely helpful.
Final Takeaway: Take the Regulations Seriously, Not Lightly
The 2025 fire door regulations aren’t just another layer of paperwork-they’re about saving lives and protecting property. Take the time now to understand your responsibilities, inspect what’s in place, and plan for the future. You don’t need to panic, but you do need to act.