England: regulations & guidance

Understand the duty. Keep the evidence.

A practical starting point for clients responsible for fire doors, compartmentation and passive fire measures. Follow the official source and obtain competent advice for your building.

§GUIDANCECHECK THE CURRENT SOURCE

Core framework

Key requirements that shape passive fire work.

These sources have different purposes. Legislation creates duties; statutory and government guidance helps dutyholders understand how those duties may be met.

01

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The responsible person must assess and manage fire risk, maintain precautions and keep the risk assessment under review.

View official source
02

Fire Safety Act 2021

Clarifies that the Fire Safety Order applies to the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors in relevant multi-occupied residential buildings.

View official source
03

Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

Adds duties for responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings, including fire-door information and checks.

View official source
04

Building Regulations: Approved Document B

Provides statutory guidance on meeting fire-safety requirements for building work in England. Always check the edition and amendments applicable to the project date.

View official source
05

Building Safety Act 2022

Introduces a stronger safety regime, duties and oversight—particularly for higher-risk buildings—and reinforces accountable building information.

View official source
06

Golden thread guidance

Higher-risk building information must be accurate, current, accessible and capable of supporting safe management throughout the building lifecycle.

View official source

Regulation 10

Fire-door checks in multi-occupied residential buildings.

For buildings in England over 11 metres, responsible persons must use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months and check communal fire doors at least every three months. Fire-door safety information duties apply across relevant multi-occupied residential buildings.

  • 01

    Know every asset

    Maintain a reliable schedule covering communal and flat entrance doors.

  • 02

    Record best endeavours

    Document access attempts as well as completed checks and findings.

  • 03

    Act and close out

    Prioritise defects, complete remedials and link evidence back to the door.

Keeping guidance current

Project dates and amendments matter.

Approved Document B is updated periodically. The government page identifies current editions and future amendments; for example, an amendment scheduled for 30 September 2026 should not be treated as already effective before that date.

FireX records the agreed performance requirement, specification and tested system reference for the work. The client, principal designer and other dutyholders remain responsible for defining the project requirements and discharging their legal duties.

Talk to FireX

Need to turn an inspection or FRA into action?

Share the report and asset information. FireX can help validate the passive-fire scope, plan delivery and return clear close-out evidence.