Building Regs for an external fire door (flat entrance in a block)

[MadMossy]

So mother recently moved into a new property and one of the immediate issues we encountered was the front door.

The doors in the block were all replaced last year and for some unusual reason the door to her flat is narrower than all the others (also missing letter box opening).

It would appear the door which is meant to be a fire door has been installed over the previous door frame, this results in the door being only 680mm wide, it's visibly narrower than all the other doors in the appartment. This not only makes it incredibly difficult to get most standard size (600mm) cabinets through the door but also means mother cannot get through the door with her walker without folding it up slightly before hand, which defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.

Now I've got a general idea about building regs but certainly no expert, but from the limited research I have done and information I have found, it would seem that the door is way below the building regulations for a fire doors minimum width, almost 100mm short of the minimum width.

We've attempted to contact the company who installed it but they are refusing to return our calls and not answering any emails, I managed to get through on the phone yesterday, but they hung up after I explained the issue and gave the address. They are now just refusing to answer my calls.

Any ideas on my course of action now or is it a case of contact trading standards?

Cheers
PS Sorry about the wall of text.

 

[Dave85]

Recorded letter sent to the company stating your finding and what you want done would be my first go to and give them time to respond maybe 14 working days and state in the letter otherwise you will be forced to escalate to trading standards and any local building body they may be registered with. if its a council property I would be going direct to the council. I have to ask if this was a private property that was rented did nobody notice the door first?

 

[MadMossy]

Its a private property, the doors were all replaced last year by the same company as part of a fire safety inspection, no one was actually in the property at the time and it's only become apparent recently that its an issue.

I'd wager to bet that no additional fire safety checks have been done since then as they should have spotted the narrow door from a mile away.

 

[Dave85]

Ah right, yeh I would go formal route as they are clearly dodging your calls. Maybe worth seeing if any local companies can give you a quote to put it right to give you an idea how much it will cost if you get nowhere as safety comes first of course.

 

[pp111]

If you have an immediate problem get a surveyor around to document the problem, send that information to the installer recorded mail. Give them two weeks to reply. Replace the door. Send them the bill. Take them to court.
If you are a competent DIY'er you could just replace the door for less money and forget it.

 

[Abyss]

I'd be writing one final recorded delivery letter to the company sending a copy to the building owner/landlord giving them the opportunity to resolve it within 14 or you'll be contacting the relevent building control body for your area to inspect the works to the whole building including the door in question. It's my (non-expert) understanding that replacement fire doors need building control approval if they are inferior to what was there before or not done by an approved installer.

I'm pretty sure any reputable company would rather replace a single door than have building control crawling all over their work.

 

[the_r_sole]

who instructed the work and had it carried out? If it was a third party then they would be the first port of call - the company may be dodging the calls if they don't have any direct contract with your mum for her door...

 

[MadMossy]

The building commitee were the ones who arranged the work after a fire inspection required fire doors be installed in order to comply with regulations.

The appartment in question was empty at the time as the owners had moved to France, so were not present to inspect the work, from what I understand the remaining properties were all issued with Fensa certificates for the work done in line with building regs and fire regs. No such thing exists for her appartment.

who instructed the work and had it carried out? If it was a third party then they would be the first port of call - the company may be dodging the calls if they don't have any direct contract with your mum for her door...

She has tried to contact them herself multiple times, again no reply, I only tried because they were not answering her calls and I got through right away, of course now they won't answer my calls either (probably blocked my number)

 

[Dave85]

Sounds like you have an extra avenue to go down in The building committee were the ones who arranged the work so you can go to them as well and say you have no fensa certificate the work is not to code and you cannot contact the company to resolve it.

 

[the_r_sole]

The building commitee were the ones who arranged the work after a fire inspection required fire doors be installed in order to comply with regulations.

The appartment in question was empty at the time as the owners had moved to France, so were not present to inspect the work, from what I understand the remaining properties were all issued with Fensa certificates for the work done in line with building regs and fire regs. No such thing exists for her appartment.



She has tried to contact them herself multiple times, again no reply, I only tried because they were not answering her calls and I got through right away, of course now they won't answer my calls either (probably blocked my number)

If the work was instructed by the building committee - they are the ones you need to speak to. If the contract was for doors which complied with the regulations and the work doesn't comply with the regulations, then the committee can instruct the works to be fixed.
No one else has a contractual relationship here, so that's your route to getting it sorted
(only just saw your reply so didn't reply until now!)