What should a quarterly fire door check log include?
A quarterly fire door check log should record the date, who checked, each door's reference and location, a pass or fail for the closer, gaps, seals, hinges, glazing and signs, any fault, who was told and when it was fixed. In England, regulation 10 requires communal fire doors in buildings over 11 metres to be checked every three months.
By Sebastian Grabowski, DC Fire & Security, Luton. Updated November 2026.
What the law asks for
Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 covers buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises. Where the building is over 11 metres, measured to the top storey, the responsible person must check the fire doors in the communal areas at least every three months. The check has to include confirming that the self-closing devices work.
The regulation does not give you a form. It says what must be checked and how often, and it requires records of the flat entrance door checks, including any attempts to get in that were refused. For communal doors the regulation is silent on paperwork, but a check with no record is very hard to prove later, so keep a log either way.
The log, column by column
Copy this layout into a spreadsheet or print it as a sheet for the clipboard.
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Door reference | The same number as on your fire door register, for example 2F-04 |
| Location | Floor, corridor or stair, and which side of the door you are describing |
| Date and time | When you looked at it, not when you typed it up |
| Checked by | Full name of the person, so they can be asked about it |
| Closer | Pass if it shuts the door fully from wide open and latches it. Fail if it stalls, slams or leaks oil |
| Gaps | Pass if the gaps look even all round and you cannot see daylight at the edges. Fail if they are visibly wide or tight |
| Seals | Pass if the strips are present, unbroken and not painted over. Fail if missing, torn or clogged with paint |
| Hinges | Pass if all are firm with every screw in place. Fail if loose, sagging or missing a screw |
| Leaf and frame | Pass if free of holes, splits and large cracks. Fail if damaged or a hole has been cut for cables |
| Glazing | Pass if the glass and beads are intact. Fail if cracked, loose or replaced with something unmarked |
| Signs | Pass if the Fire door keep shut sign is there on the correct side. Fail if missing or defaced |
| Held open | Yes or no. Any wedge, hook or door stop is a fail |
| Fault and action | What is wrong, with a photo number |
| Reported to | Who you told and when |
| Fixed on | Date repaired, and who did it |
How to do the check without missing things
Walk the building in the same order every quarter, so a door is never skipped. Open each door fully, let go, and watch it close. A door that needs a push to latch is a fail, even if it does eventually click.
Look down the closing edge and along the top. Even gaps are the thing to look for. A door that has dropped on its hinges shows a wedge shaped gap at the top and a tight bottom corner, and the fix is rarely a quick adjustment. Our guide on fire door gap tolerances explains the limits.
Run a finger along the seal. Layers of paint are the commonest reason a strip stops working. If you are unsure about a door, mark it as a fail for a competent person to look at. It is much easier to downgrade a door than to explain a missed one.
What goes wrong with these logs
Most logs fail the same few ways.
- The same person ticks every door as a pass in the same ten minutes, with no faults noted for a year.
- Doors are described by a nickname such as the green door, and nobody can tell which one it is a year later.
- A fault is logged and nothing happens. A log that records the same broken closer for four quarters is evidence against you.
- Flat entrance doors are left out because nobody has the access. Regulation 10 asks for best endeavours and a record of each attempt, so log the knock, the letter and the date.
A quarterly check is a look around by someone in the building, not a full inspection. A competent fire door inspector examines the door in detail and reports against the standard, which is a separate job. Read our page on fire door inspections for what that covers, and our fire door inspection checklist for the full list of points.
When to bring in a specialist
Call a competent person when a door fails on the closer, the gaps, the frame or the leaf. Our fire door repairs page explains what we do. Where the faults point to a door that cannot be repaired, see repair or replace.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should fire doors be checked?
Who can do the quarterly check?
Does the log need to be on paper?
What do I do when a door fails?
Send us photos or your report
Email your report or photos to info@dcsecurity.co.uk, or use the form. We usually come back with a fixed price the same day. Luton, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London.
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