What A Survey Gives You
A survey tells you what is actually there, what looks recoverable, what needs replacing and what information is still missing. It helps stop guesswork on older buildings and mixed stock.
When Survey First Is The Best Route
Surveys are especially useful for multi-door jobs, blocks, conversions, HMOs and buildings where access, finish and specification all affect the plan.
How Survey And Installation Connect
The survey is not the end product. It should lead directly into repairs, maintenance, replacement or a full installation route.
Types of fire door survey Doorz London delivers
There isn't one kind of fire-door survey — there are five distinct purposes, and the deliverables differ. We do all five in London, with the same master carpenter (K. Sidhu) leading every survey personally.
1. Pre-purchase fire door survey
Buying a property — HMO, flat, block or commercial — and want an independent view on what the fire-door section of the asset is actually worth? We survey, photograph, measure and report. Buyers use this to negotiate price or get vendor warranties. Lead time: 2-5 working days from instruction.
2. HMO licensing renewal survey
Your borough licensing renewal is due, the council's checklist has grown since you last filed, and you want to know whether your current doors will pass. We assess each door, identify likely fail points, produce a remediation quote, and (with your permission) re-submit ourselves once the work is done. See HMO fire door compliance.
3. Compliance audit for managing agents
Building-level survey for managing agents and freeholders — every flat-entrance door inspected, every communal door inspected, with a single bound compliance pack covering the whole building. Typical lead time: 1-3 weeks depending on building size.
4. Post-incident or post-damage survey
A door has been damaged (forced entry, fire incident, vehicle impact) and you need a written view on whether certification is intact. Same-day survey available for urgent cases. The report is suitable for insurance claims.
5. Quarterly inspection report
The 2025/26 quarterly inspection now expected on London HMO doors. Single visit, all doors, written report signed by K. Sidhu. See fire door inspection London.
What every Doorz London fire door survey checks
- Door identification — certification plug or label, manufacturer, FD rating, test reference.
- Gap measurements — head, sides (top and bottom of each side), threshold. We measure rather than eyeball.
- Intumescent strips — present, continuous, undamaged, not painted.
- Smoke seals — present, intact, contacting the frame (the "S" in FD30S — strips alone are not enough for HMOs).
- Hinges — three per door, CE/UKCA-marked, no cracks, no missing screws.
- Closer function — does the door return to fully latched from 45°, 90° and 130° open angles, with no sticking and no over-fast slam?
- Lock/latch — fire-rated, functioning, latching cleanly.
- Glazing (if present) — fire-rated glass, intumescent glazing kit intact.
- Frame — fixed properly, no rot, no twist, intumescent mastic where required.
- Door face — no through-holes, no unrepaired damage, paint not compromising seals.
- Signage — BS 5499 fire-door signage where the fire strategy requires it.
- Threshold — gap within manufacturer tolerance, no drag, no abnormal wear.
What the written report looks like
Every survey produces a written PDF delivered within 48 hours. Structure:
- Property details — address, property type, date surveyed, surveyor name.
- Door schedule — every door numbered, with its location.
- Per-door page — photographs, measurements, certification status, pass/fail per item.
- Defect schedule — every issue identified with severity (compliance-critical / cosmetic / advisory).
- Remediation recommendations — what to repair, what to replace, what to leave.
- Indicative remediation cost — a price band for the recommended work.
- Compliance summary — single paragraph stating whether the building meets the UK code of practice and Fire Safety Order expectations.
How a Doorz London survey is priced
- Single HMO or flat (up to 8 fire doors): £140–£190 fixed.
- Small block / managing agent audit (8–25 doors): £280–£540.
- Larger block (25+ doors): priced per door after a free quotation visit. Volume rates apply.
- Urgent / same-day survey (for failed inspections, insurance, sale chain pressure): premium of 25%, advised before booking.
- Survey + remediation in one package: survey cost credited back against the work if you proceed within 30 days.
What the survey is NOT
Our survey is a competent-person inspection led by master carpenter K. Sidhu (32 years of London door experience), conducted against the current UK code of practice for fire doors. London councils have accepted our reports across HMO licensing renewals. For buildings where a separately-certified inspector is mandatory (some high-rise residential properties under the Building Safety Act), we'll flag that up-front and refer.
Who actually does the survey
K. Sidhu (32 years' experience in London door fitting) leads every survey personally. There's no junior inspector handed your job. The report is signed by him and reviewed by founder Jaspreet Gondara before it's released.
Pre-purchase HMO survey in Hackney — 4-bed conversion
A buyer asked Doorz London to survey a 4-bed HMO in Hackney before exchange. The vendor's documentation pack was incomplete and the buyer's solicitor flagged it. We surveyed all 5 fire doors (4 bedroom + 1 flat-entrance) in 90 minutes, photographed each, measured gaps, tested closers and produced a written report identifying 2 minor seal issues (£140 to remediate) and confirming the doors themselves were certified FD30S. The buyer used the report to negotiate £450 off the agreed price and to receive vendor warranty on the remediation.
All 32 London boroughs — door-fitter routes for fire door surveys
Doorz London services every London borough for fire door surveys. Borough-specific landing pages are listed below — for any borough not shown, we still cover it from our central London routes.
What our London clients say
"Finally a door company that explains everything. Brought samples, showed me exactly what FD30S means for my HMO. Handled the whole job. Cheaper than my builder's quote too."
"Left the showroom completely confused. Doorz came to my flat, explained every option in plain English and fitted 6 doors in one day. Handles are proper quality."
"As a property manager I need reliable trades. Doorz fitted fire doors across three of our properties, provided all the certs and the council inspector was happy."
Useful next pages
Book a Fire Door Survey
Survey-intent pages should move buyers toward an actual site visit, not long generic text.
The information on this page is provided as general guidance only. Building regulations, fire safety duties and installation requirements vary by property. Always confirm the exact requirement for your building before ordering.