Does a door on a flat and isn’t shared and opens to the outside need to be a fire door in the UK?
Fire doors are primarily required to protect shared internal escape routes (like communal corridors and stairwells) by preventing fire from spreading between individual dwellings and these common areas.
Key Details:
Direct External Access: If your door leads directly to the open air and does not connect to any enclosed communal spaces, it is usually classified as a "final exit" rather than a fire door.
Compartmentation: Fire doors are used for "compartmentation" to trap fire inside a room or flat. When a door opens outside, the risk of smoke or fire trapping other residents in an enclosed hallway is removed.
Building Regulations: Under Approved Document B, fire resistance is generally only mandated for doors separating a flat from an internal common area.
Exceptions:
Proximity to Other Exits: If the door is very close to another flat’s exit or a shared external fire escape, a fire-rated door might still be required to prevent a fire in your flat from blocking someone else's only way out.
Fire Risk Assessment: Your specific building's Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) might recommend a fire door if there are unique risks, such as combustible cladding nearby.
Always check and confirm with an authorised Building Inspector, who's guidance supersedes our general, non-case specific advice