Who Can Carry Out Fire Door
Inspections in the UK?

Published 12 April 2026 • DE Fire Compliance • 5 min read

There is currently no single legal requirement specifying exactly who can inspect fire doors in the UK. However, the law does require that fire safety measures — including fire doors — are maintained by a “competent person.” In practice, this means someone with the right training, qualifications, and experience to assess fire doors against recognised standards.

This guide explains what “competent person” means, which qualifications matter, and what to look for when hiring a fire door inspector.

What Does “Competent Person” Mean?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to appoint “competent persons” to assist with fire safety measures. A competent person is defined as someone with:

• Sufficient training and experience
• Knowledge of the relevant standards and legislation
• The ability to identify defects and assess their significance

For fire door inspections, this means a person who understands fire door construction, installation standards, and the criteria against which doors should be assessed — primarily BS 8214:2016.

Key point: There is no law that says only an FDIS-qualified inspector can inspect fire doors. However, using an unqualified person creates risk. If a fire occurs and your inspector was not demonstrably competent, the responsible person’s defence is significantly weakened.

FDIS — The Industry Standard Qualification

The Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) is the most widely recognised qualification for fire door inspectors in the UK. It was developed by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and is managed by the BM TRADA certification body.

What FDIS covers

• Fire door regulations and legislation
• Fire door construction and certification
• Inspection methodology to BS 8214:2016
• Identifying defects and assessing severity
• Report writing and documentation
• Understanding fire door hardware, seals, and glazing

Why FDIS matters

An FDIS-qualified inspector has demonstrated competence through a formal assessment. This gives the responsible person evidence that they appointed a suitably qualified person — which is critical if compliance is ever questioned by the fire authority.

FDIS inspectors are also required to maintain their qualification through continuing professional development (CPD), ensuring their knowledge stays current.

Other Relevant Qualifications

While FDIS is the primary qualification, other qualifications and experience can contribute to competence:

• IFC (International Fire Consultants) certification — some inspectors hold IFC fire door inspector certification
• NVQ in Fire Door Installation — relevant for inspectors who also carry out remedial works
• ASDMA membership — the Association of Specialist Door Manufacturers and Installers provides technical guidance
• Trade experience — inspectors who are qualified carpenters or fire door installers bring practical understanding of door construction, fitting tolerances, and remediation
• Fire risk assessor qualifications — some fire risk assessors also hold fire door inspection competence, though this isn’t always the case

Can a Building Manager Inspect Fire Doors?

Building managers and facilities teams can carry out routine visual checks on fire doors between professional inspections. These checks might include:

• Checking the door closes fully into the frame
• Looking for obvious damage to the door leaf
• Checking “Fire Door Keep Shut” signage is in place
• Reporting doors that are wedged or propped open

However, these visual checks do not replace a professional inspection. A competent inspector will assess elements that require specialist knowledge — intumescent strip condition, gap tolerances, hinge fire ratings, glazing certification, and overall fire performance.

Best practice: Train your building team to carry out monthly visual checks and report issues. Book a professional FDIS-qualified inspection at least annually (or more frequently for higher-risk buildings).

Can a Fire Risk Assessor Inspect Fire Doors?

A fire risk assessor will look at fire doors as part of a general fire risk assessment, but their inspection is typically high-level. They’ll note obviously damaged or propped-open doors and flag fire door maintenance as an action point.

However, a fire risk assessment is not the same as a dedicated fire door inspection to BS 8214. A fire risk assessor may not check gap tolerances, assess intumescent strip condition, verify certification labels, or produce a door-by-door report with severity ratings.

If your fire risk assessment flags fire doors as a concern, the next step is a dedicated inspection by a qualified fire door inspector.

What to Look for When Hiring an Inspector

When choosing a fire door inspector, look for:

1. FDIS qualification — or equivalent recognised certification
2. Trade background — inspectors with carpentry or fire door installation experience understand the practical side, not just the theory
3. Written reports with photographs — every door should be individually reported with photographic evidence
4. Severity ratings — defects should be categorised (critical, major, minor, advisory) so you can prioritise remedial works
5. Independence — ideally, the inspector should not be the same company selling remedial works, to avoid conflicts of interest
6. Professional indemnity insurance — the inspector should carry PI insurance appropriate to the work
7. References or sample reports — ask to see an example report before commissioning the work

Why Trade Experience Matters

At DE Fire Compliance, our inspectors are qualified carpenters and fire stoppers who progressed into surveying and inspection. This trade background is a significant advantage because:

• They understand how fire doors are constructed and installed
• They can identify defects that a purely academic inspector might miss
• They can assess whether a door can be repaired or needs full replacement
• They can scope remedial works accurately, saving you time and money

A fire door inspection shouldn’t just tell you what’s wrong — it should tell you what to do about it, with practical, prioritised recommendations.

Summary

While there’s no single law mandating a specific qualification for fire door inspectors, using a demonstrably competent person is essential. The FDIS qualification is the industry standard, and combining it with practical trade experience gives you the most reliable results.

Don’t rely on visual checks or general fire risk assessments as a substitute for a proper fire door inspection. When compliance is questioned, the quality of your inspection — and the competence of your inspector — will be the first things scrutinised.