Independent, impartial fire door inspections for care homes, nursing homes and supported living across Devon and the South West. Detailed photographic reports, defects graded by priority, and minimal disruption to residents — and because I don’t sell, fit or repair the doors I inspect, the assessment stays impartial.
Care homes are non-domestic premises with sleeping accommodation, so they fall under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Because residents sleep on site and many need assistance to evacuate, the reliance on fire doors and compartmentation is higher. The Order requires the responsible person to keep fire doors in efficient working order and good repair; it sets no fixed interval, but periodic competent inspection is expected good practice, informed by the fire risk assessment. A documented, independent record also supports CQC inspections and insurer scrutiny. General information, not legal advice.
This page is written for registered managers, home managers and the health-and-safety or compliance leads who answer for fire safety day to day. Under the Fire Safety Order the responsible person must keep every fire door working as intended, and the fire risk assessment is what shapes how often and how thoroughly that is checked.
Unlike an office, a care home is occupied around the clock by people who are asleep and, in many cases, dependent on staff to move them. That is exactly why the fire strategy leans so heavily on compartmentation and, commonly, progressive horizontal evacuation — and why the condition of each door genuinely matters. There is no fixed statutory interval, but given sleeping residents a periodic competent inspection, commonly every 6 to 12 months, is widely treated as good practice.
Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 applies to the communal areas and flat-entrance doors of multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres, so it is not the primary duty for a typical care home — this service anchors on the Fire Safety Order. Fire safety is enforced by the local Fire and Rescue Authority, and the same documented record that satisfies them also helps you answer CQC and your insurers. General information, not legal advice.
Want the rules in plain English?
Read my jargon-free guide to the Fire Safety Order and fire door duties to see exactly what applies to a sleeping-risk premises like yours.
Care settings rely on compartmentation and, often, progressive horizontal evacuation — moving residents to the next fire compartment rather than straight outside. That strategy only works if every fire door genuinely holds back fire and smoke for those least able to escape.
A door only performs as a complete assembly — correct gaps, intact intumescent and smoke seals, a self-closer that shuts fully, and sound leaves, hinges and hardware. Any one of these worn or wrong quietly undermines the protection you are relying on.
A single propped, worn or failed door can compromise a whole compartment — and with it the escape plan for a wing of residents. In a higher-risk sleeping premises, the bar for evidence that each door works is correspondingly higher.
A BS 8214:2026-aligned photographic report — the code of practice for fire door assemblies, in force from 31 March 2026 — with a photo and a plain pass/fail for every door, so your evidence covers the whole home rather than a sample.
Each defect is located and priority-graded, with plain-English remedial recommendations and no upsell — so you and your contractor know what genuinely matters first and what can safely wait.
Reports are formatted to support your fire safety records and to stand up to CQC, insurer and enforcing-officer scrutiny — calm, factual and in plain English, with a consistent per-door reference you can track re-inspection against.
Use the instant estimator or send a message with your home, rough door count and any access notes. I’ll confirm a per-door price and a plan — no obligation.
I inspect and photograph every door at a suitable time, working quietly one door at a time around residents’ routines — there’s no need to move residents — and grading anything I find.
You get a clear, defensible report usually within around 48 hours — a per-door photographic record with pass/fail and prioritised remedials — and can set an optional recurring cycle so evidence stays current.
You pay a per-door rate that falls as the door count rises, plus one clear, transparent drive-time travel call-out — and every care home, nursing home or portfolio gets a firm, no-obligation quote before anything is booked.
I don’t sell, fit or repair the doors I inspect, so there’s no incentive to over-report to win remedial work — or to play a genuine fault down. For a home accountable to CQC and insurers, impartial third-party evidence is far easier to stand behind.
More than seven years in fire safety and a working knowledge of the BS 8214:2026 code of practice, applied consistently by one inspector from first contact to report — not a rotating cast of subcontractors.
Reports are written for the people who’ll read them — your board, CQC inspectors, fire risk assessors, insurers and enforcing officers — as a calm, factual, defensible assessment. I provide evidence and recommendations, not certificates or guarantees.
Care homes are covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires fire doors to be kept in efficient working order and good repair. There’s no fixed statutory interval, but periodic competent inspection — commonly every 6 to 12 months — is expected good practice given that residents sleep on site. General information, not legal advice.
There’s no fixed statutory interval. Every 6 to 12 months is a common benchmark for higher-risk sleeping premises, and your fire risk assessment may point to a more frequent cycle. I can set up a scheduled cycle so your evidence stays current. General information, not legal advice.
No. I work methodically, one door at a time, around your routines. Each door takes only a few minutes and there’s no need to move residents.
Yes. You get documented, independent photographic evidence with a plain pass/fail and priority-graded defects for every door. I provide evidence and recommendations; I don’t certify buildings or guarantee outcomes.
I don’t sell, fit or repair the doors I inspect, so there’s no incentive to over-report to win remedial work. That makes the assessment impartial and easier to stand behind in front of your board, CQC and insurers.
Bedroom, corridor and cross-corridor, stairwell, plant, riser and cupboard, and final-exit fire doors — everything that forms part of your compartmentation and escape strategy.
A per-door rate from around £15 that falls as the door count rises, plus one transparent drive-time call-out from £45. Use the estimator for an instant figure, then I confirm it with a firm, no-obligation quote.
Typically within around 48 hours: a per-door photographic record with pass/fail and priority-graded defects.
Get started
Get an instant indicative price, or send a few details and I’ll come back with a firm, no-obligation quote. You can also email info@firedoorchecks.co.uk.
If you also look after schools, leasehold blocks or rented housing, there’s a page written for each — or explore where I work across the South West.