Flat front doors: a guide for leaseholders
Your flat's front door is usually a fire door. In England, buildings over 11 metres must have flat entrance doors checked at least once a year. Who owns and pays for the door depends on your lease, and you shouldn't alter it without permission.
Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Why your front door matters
If there’s a fire in your flat, your front door is what stops smoke and fire reaching the shared corridor and stairs your neighbours use to escape. If there’s a fire elsewhere, it’s what keeps it out of your home.
The annual check
Since 23 January 2023, buildings in England over 11 metres must have flat entrance doors checked at least once a year on a “best endeavours” basis, under Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Your building’s management will write to arrange a short visit. It usually takes a few minutes.
Who owns and pays
It depends on your lease. Some leases make the leaseholder responsible for the front door; others keep it with the freeholder. Either way, the building’s Responsible Person has duties relating to it since the Fire Safety Act 2021. If a door needs replacing, the lease decides who pays.
Please don’t
- Fit a new letterbox, cat flap, lock or spyhole without checking first
- Remove or disconnect the door closer
- Wedge your front door open
- Paint over the seals around the edge of the door
Please do
- Let the building’s management know if your door doesn’t close on its own
- Report damage or missing seals
- Allow access for the annual check