Fire door inspection records are a practical part of fire safety management for responsible persons, landlords, managing agents and facilities teams. Good records help you track what was checked, what was found, and what action was taken — or planned.
Responsible Persons and duty holders should keep clear records of fire door inspections, identified defects, remedial works, maintenance, re-inspections, relevant communications, and any supporting fire safety documentation. These records can help demonstrate that issues have been identified, reviewed, and acted on where appropriate.
This guide explains what to keep, common mistakes, and how records support future inspections — without claiming that paperwork alone proves compliance.
Quick answer: what fire door records should be kept?
At minimum, property teams benefit from keeping inspection reports with door references, defect notes, remedial work records, maintenance logs, re-inspection reports where arranged, and relevant communications with contractors and duty holders.
Records may help support internal fire safety management and may help evidence that issues were identified and considered. They do not prove statutory compliance and do not replace a fire risk assessment or legal advice.
Why fire door inspection records matter
Without clear records, it becomes difficult to track recurring defects, brief contractors accurately, plan remedial budgets, or show that fire door condition has been reviewed over time.
For portfolios, consistent record formats help compare condition across blocks or sites. For single properties, records support handover between landlords, managing agents and maintenance teams.
Fire door records responsible persons should keep
The following records are commonly useful for fire door management. Exact requirements depend on the premises and applicable duties.
- Fire door inspection reports with inspection date and scope notes
- Door schedules or location references for each door assessed
- Defect notes and priority guidance from the report
- Photo records where captured during inspection
- Remedial works records — specifications, contractor instructions, completion notes
- Invoices, job sheets or work orders where relevant to internal audit
- Maintenance logs for closers, seals, hardware and periodic checks
- Re-inspection reports after remedial works where arranged
- Fire risk assessment references where fire door actions are noted
- Communications with contractors, managing agents and other duty holders
How long should fire door records be kept?
Retention periods depend on the premises, applicable duties, organisational policies and wider fire safety documentation requirements. This article does not state a universal legal retention period.
In practice, many property teams retain inspection and remedial records for as long as they remain relevant to ongoing management — including across tenant changes, contractor handovers and portfolio reviews. Seek competent legal or fire safety advice if you need to confirm specific retention duties for your organisation.
Digital vs paper records
Digital PDF reports, shared drives and property management systems can make records easier to search, share with contractors and compare across sites. Paper files may still be used on smaller portfolios.
Whatever format you use, ensure door references are consistent, defect notes are legible, and follow-up actions are tracked to completion. A report that cannot be found when needed offers limited value.
Records for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers
Landlords may need records that support HMO licensing context, tenant handovers and contractor briefs. Managing agents often require consistent formats across a portfolio. Facilities managers may integrate records with wider maintenance and audit programmes.
Each role should understand which doors fall within their control and ensure inspection scope reflects that responsibility. Shared buildings may involve multiple parties — clear records reduce confusion about who acted on which defects.
How records support future inspections
Previous reports help inspectors and property teams understand defect history, recurring issues and works already completed. Sharing prior records before a visit can reduce duplicated observations and focus the inspection on current condition.
Records also support planning inspection frequency — doors with repeated closer failures or seal damage may warrant earlier follow-up depending on management arrangements.
Common fire door record-keeping mistakes
Several mistakes undermine otherwise good inspection programmes.
- Keeping a report but not tracking remedial actions to completion
- Losing door references so contractors cannot locate the correct doors
- Treating an inspection report as a compliance certificate without addressing defects
- Failing to record re-inspection after remedial works
- Not noting doors that could not be accessed on the original visit
- Mixing fire door inspection records with unrelated maintenance paperwork without clear indexing
- Assuming records prove compliance without wider fire safety management
Next steps: start with a clear inspection report
A structured fire door inspection report is the foundation of useful records. Review our sample report format, then arrange an inspection scoped to your building or portfolio.
We provide fire door inspections and reports for London and Greater London properties, subject to availability and agreed scope.