Sentry Fire Safety Group (Sentry) today published the findings from its comprehensive nine-month investigation into the safety of social housing fire doors across England. The report, A BURNING ISSUE: The Reality of Fire Door Safety in Social Housing, reveals systemic shortcomings in fulfilling the requirements of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. It highlights a clear gap between the intent of post-Grenfell fire safety legislation and reality – a gap that leaves residents exposed to avoidable risk.
Based on Freedom of Information (FOI) data from 88% of England’s local authorities2, the research provides the first national snapshot of fire door compliance since mandated annual inspections were introduced in January 2023.
The three-pillar failure: inspection, performance and remediation
The findings identify a critical gap between legislative intent and “on-the-ground” delivery across three key areas:
- The inspection gap: Despite a legal requirement for annual checks, the vast majority of social housing fire doors remain uninspected. Only 46% of flat entrance doors and 89% of communal doors have been inspected even once since January 2023.
- The performance gap: Two-thirds of fire doors (63% of entrance doors and 67% of communal doors) failed to meet the FD30 legal minimum — a 30-minute fire-resistance standard that has been a building regulation requirement for over 30 years.
- The remediation gap: Accountability is stalling. 63% of non-compliant doors are still awaiting repair or replacement, and 51% of local authorities currently have no formal plan in place for remediation.
Regionally, the underlying data shows even greater variation3, both in performance standards and levels of inspection activity. Furthermore, the research presents only a partial picture: housing associations manage similar numbers of properties but are exempt from FOI requests so there is limited transparency on their inspection and compliance rates. Sentry estimates similar levels of underperformance and non-compliance.
There are well-recognised, systemic constraints behind these outcomes, which are identified in the report. Although Sentry initiated this research, it believes that a cross-industry and multi-agency approach is essential to counter these and ensure meaningful change. Sentry engaged with policymakers, regulators and industry leaders ahead of publication and its findings were peer reviewed and validated at an industry and policy meeting4, 5, where recommendations for structural solutions were gathered.
Jon Gatfield, Executive Chair of Sentry Fire Safety Group, said:
“It has been three years since the 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. 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 need a coordinated, 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, said:
“Fire safety failures are preventable. We must address the structural weaknesses, from funding to greater transparency, before further risk accumulates, to ensure every resident is protected by standards that are actually enforced. Addressing these issues is critical to safeguarding vulnerable tenants and ensuring homes are genuinely safe from fire. With collective action, we have a chance to turn regulation into reality.”
The white paper, A BURNING ISSUE: The Reality of Fire Door Safety in Social Housing, is available at: https://sentrydoors.co.uk/wp-