Sentry Fire Safety Group has published the findings of a nine-month investigation examining fire door safety within social housing across England. The report, A Burning Issue: The Reality of Fire Door Safety in Social Housing, identifies significant shortcomings in the implementation of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, suggesting a gap between the intention of post-Grenfell fire safety legislation and its practical delivery.

Drawing on Freedom of Information (FoI) responses from 88% of England’s local authorities, the research provides what is described as the first national snapshot of fire door compliance since annual inspection requirements were introduced in January 2023.

Key findings

The report highlights concerns across three principal areas: inspection, performance and remediation.

Despite the legal requirement for annual inspections, a substantial proportion of social housing fire doors have not yet been checked. According to the data, 46% of flat entrance doors and 89% of communal fire doors have been inspected at least once since January 2023.

The research also indicates that a significant number of doors do not meet the FD30 standard, the minimum requirement for 30-minute fire resistance under Building Regulations. The findings suggest that 63% of entrance doors and 67% of communal doors inspected did not meet this threshold.

Progress on remediation is also reported to be limited. The study states that 63% of non-compliant doors remain awaiting repair or replacement, while 51% of responding local authorities do not currently have a formal remediation plan in place.

Regional analysis shows considerable variation in inspection activity and performance standards. The report also notes that the findings represent only a partial view of the sector. Housing associations manage a comparable number of social housing properties but are not subject to FoI requests, limiting transparency around their inspection and compliance rates. Sentry Fire Safety Group suggests similar challenges may exist within that part of the sector.

Systemic challenges

The report identifies a number of wider systemic constraints affecting compliance. While the research was initiated by Sentry Fire Safety Group, the organisation emphasises that addressing these issues will require a coordinated response across government, regulators and the fire safety industry.

Ahead of publication, the group engaged with policymakers, regulators and industry representatives. The findings were also reviewed at an industry and policy forum, where participants considered potential structural solutions to support improved compliance and fire door safety across the social housing sector.

Jon Gatfield, executive chair at the Sentry Fire Safety Group, explained: “It has been three years since the Fire Safety (England) Regulations came into force and our research shows that implementation has not progressed at the pace required to protect residents. Without intervention, non-compliance will persist.”

Gatfield added: “We are not here to apportion blame. Our goal in publishing this research is simple: to support measurable risk reduction, drive stronger accountability and strengthen protection for residents. We believe there’s a need for a co-ordinated and cross-sector response to ensure safety obligations are delivered in practice, not just in principle.”

Bob Blackman MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fire Safety and Rescue, observed: “Fire safety failures are preventable. We must address the structural weaknesses, from funding to greater transparency, before further risk accumulates so that we can ensure every resident is protected by standards that are actually enforced. Addressing these issues is critical to safeguarding vulnerable tenants and ensuring that homes are genuinely safe from fire. With collective action, we have a chance to turn regulation into reality.”

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