Independent, impartial fire door inspections for hotels, guesthouses and bed & breakfasts across Devon and the South West — sleeping-risk evidence for your fire risk assessment and insurers, with minimal disruption to guests. Independent, so I don’t sell, fit or repair the doors I inspect.
Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs are non-domestic premises with sleeping accommodation, so they fall under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Because guests sleep on site and may be unfamiliar with the building, reliance on fire doors and compartmentation to protect escape routes is high. 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 informed by the fire risk assessment is expected good practice. General information, not legal advice.
For an owner, operator or duty manager, that duty translates into keeping every fire door reliably safe and being able to show it. The Order names no set frequency, so checks must be frequent enough to keep doors dependable between fire risk assessments — and a dated, documented record is what proves it was actually done.
A documented, independent inspection gives you exactly that: a competent third-party record of door condition that supports your fire risk assessment, answers insurer scrutiny and stands up in front of the local Fire and Rescue Authority, which enforces the Order. In serious cases, enforcement can mean enforcement notices, prohibition of use or prosecution — so being able to evidence maintained fire doors matters commercially as well as legally.
The same duty applies whether you run a large seafront hotel, a small guesthouse or a few letting rooms above a pub. The number of doors changes; the principle — kept in efficient working order, and demonstrably so — does not.
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 your premises. General information, not legal advice.
A BS 8214:2026-aligned photographic report with a photo and a plain pass/fail for every door — bedrooms, corridors, stairwells and back-of-house alike — so your evidence covers the whole building, not a sample of it.
Each defect is located and priority-graded, with plain-English remedial recommendations — so you and your contractor know what genuinely affects guest safety first and what can wait, without over-spending on a whim.
A consistent per-door reference system, formatted to slot into your fire safety records and support the fire risk assessment — the documented, dated evidence your insurer and enforcing officer expect to see.
Guests sleep on site, often in a building they don’t know, so they rely on doors and compartmentation to hold back fire and smoke long enough to escape. A single propped, worn or failed door can undermine a whole corridor or floor for people least able to react quickly.
Bedroom, corridor and cross-corridor, stairwell, kitchen and back-of-house, plant, riser and final-exit doors are each checked as a complete assembly — leaf, frame, gaps, seals, hinges, self-closer, glazing and signage — because the escape strategy depends on all of them working together.
Inspections are planned around changeover, low-occupancy days and quieter periods, working one door at a time so guest rooms and public areas are covered without disrupting service or a busy season.
One property or a small group can be placed on a recurring schedule — commonly every 6 to 12 months for sleeping-risk premises — so your evidence stays current and nothing quietly falls out of date between fire risk assessments.
Use the instant estimator or send a message with your property, rough door count and access notes. I’ll confirm a per-door price and a plan that works around your bookings — no obligation.
I inspect and photograph every door in scope, scheduled around changeover and quieter periods, checking each as a complete assembly and grading anything I find — quietly, a few minutes per door.
You get a clear report typically within around 48 hours — a per-door photographic record with pass/fail and prioritised remedials, ready for your fire safety file, fire risk assessor and insurer.
You pay per door, with the rate tapering as the count rises, plus one clear drive-time travel call-out — and every hotel, guesthouse or B&B, single site 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. For an operator accountable to guests, insurers and an enforcing officer, 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 across every door and every visit.
Reports are formatted for the people who’ll read them — responsible persons, fire risk assessors, insurers and enforcing officers — calm, factual and in plain English.
Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs are non-domestic premises with sleeping accommodation, so they fall under the Fire Safety Order 2005, which requires the responsible person to keep fire doors in efficient working order and good repair. There’s no fixed statutory interval, but periodic competent inspection informed by the fire risk assessment is expected good practice. 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 recurring schedule so your evidence stays current. General information, not legal advice.
No. I work methodically, one door at a time, scheduled around changeover and quieter periods so guest rooms and public areas are covered with minimal disruption. Each door takes only a few minutes.
Bedroom, corridor and cross-corridor, stairwell, kitchen and back-of-house, plant, riser and cupboard, and final-exit fire doors — every door that forms part of the compartmentation and escape strategy.
Yes. You get documented, independent photographic evidence with a pass/fail and priority-graded defects for every door, which supports your fire risk assessment and the records insurers and enforcing officers expect. I provide evidence and recommendations; I don’t certify buildings or guarantee outcomes. General information, not legal advice.
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 easier to stand behind in front of your insurer, your fire risk assessor and an enforcing officer.
No — and that’s the point. I provide an impartial assessment and a priority-graded defect list for whichever competent contractor you choose to appoint.
Typically within around 48 hours: a per-door photographic record with pass/fail and priority-graded defects.
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Get an instant indicative price, or send a few details and I’ll come back with a firm, no-obligation quote scheduled around your bookings.
If you also look after care settings, commercial premises or rented housing, there’s a page written for each — or explore where I work across the South West.