Most facilities managers think fire door compliance is about the door itself. It's not — it's about the paper trail.

Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, responsible persons in buildings with 2+ residential units (and this is spreading to commercial guidance too) must inspect fire doors in communal areas quarterly, and flat entrance doors annually. But here's what actually gets people fined: not the failed door, the missing record.

An inspector doesn't just check if your doors close properly. They ask: "show me your last inspection log." If you don't have a dated, signed record showing you checked the gaps (should be ≤4mm on the sides/top), the seals, the hinges, and the self-closer — it doesn't matter if the door itself is compliant. No record = no proof = enforcement action.

The fix is boring but effective: a standing checklist you run on a schedule, with a log you can hand over in 30 seconds if someone asks. Most FMs I've spoken to don't have this because building it from scratch (cross-referencing BS 8214, Approved Document B, and the 2022 regs) takes a weekend they don't have.

If you manage fire doors and want the checklist + audit log template already built, I put together a kit — happy to share it if useful. Either way, if you don't have a dated inspection log for every fire door in your building right now, that's the first gap to close this week.