Fire Door Failures: What the Insurance Gap Means for You
Three in four fire doors inspected across the UK fail to meet the required standard. That figure has barely moved since 2019, despite years of industry warnings and a tightened legal environment. For anyone responsible for a building, the reasons behind that failure rate matter less than what happens next: who is liable when a door does not perform, and whether the insurance sitting behind that liability actually responds.
A recent feature in the Fire Protection Association's Fire and Risk Management Journal, written by insurance specialist Daniel White, sets out exactly where those gaps tend to appear. It is a useful read for anyone who assumes that passing a fire risk assessment and holding the right insurance policies means the same thing. They do not, and the difference can be expensive.
What the inspection data shows
The FPA article draws on inspection data from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme, covering more than 100,000 fire doors. The headline figure is stark: 75% failed to meet the required standard, with excessive gaps around the frame, poor maintenance, and defective smoke seals the most common causes. Roughly a third of failures were traced back to incorrect installation in the first place.
What makes this relevant to fire risk assessments is that every one of those failure types is something an assessor is trained to look for. Gaps around the frame, damaged seals, and doors that no longer close correctly are standard findings in any competent fire door inspection. The scale of the FDIS data simply confirms what most assessors already see on site: fire doors are one of the most common sources of non-compliance in occupied buildings, and one of the easiest to overlook once they have been fitted.
Where the insurance gap opens up
This is where the FPA article is particularly useful, because it looks past the fire safety obligations most building owners are already aware of and into the insurance arrangements sitting behind them. Professional Indemnity insurance covers the advice, design, certification, and inspection side of fire door work, but standard wordings often exclude liabilities taken on through contract, and cover can lapse entirely if a retroactive date has not been checked carefully after a change of insurer.
Public and Products Liability insurance covers physical damage caused by a product or service, which is straightforward when a door causes visible harm. Fire doors are more complicated, because their job is to remain passive until the moment they are needed. If a door fails to hold back fire or smoke for its rated period, the damage is arguably caused by the fire itself, not by the door. Some insurers treat this as falling outside standard liability cover altogether, which the article describes as the "efficacy problem". It is a genuine source of dispute, and one that can leave a building owner without a clear route to recovery if something goes wrong.
What this means for building owners and duty holders
None of this changes the underlying legal duty. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must ensure fire doors are suitable, properly maintained, and capable of doing their job. A fire risk assessment is the mechanism for identifying where that is not happening, and it remains the first line of defence, well ahead of any insurance policy.
What the FPA article adds is a reminder that insurance should not be treated as a backstop for poor maintenance. A policy that looks comprehensive on paper can still leave a gap if the retroactive date does not reach back far enough, if contractual obligations exceed what the policy actually covers, or if an efficacy dispute arises after a fire. The practical takeaway for anyone managing a building is straightforward: keep fire door inspection and maintenance records up to date, understand where responsibility for each defect sits within the supply chain, and treat the insurance conversation as something to have with a broker now, rather than after a claim.
A thorough fire risk assessment, carried out regularly and acted on promptly, is still the most reliable way to close that gap before it becomes a legal or financial problem.
Need a fire risk assessment you can rely on?
Fletcher Risk Management carries out fire risk assessments and fire door inspections across the North West, North Wales, and the West Midlands. If you would like to know where your building stands, please get in touch.
Book a Fire Risk Assessment Learn MoreThis article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or insurance advice. Building owners and duty holders should seek advice specific to their circumstances.