Coverage across Kent
Typical clients for fire door hold-open devices include businesses, public buildings, care settings and households that rely on a door opening every time. Wherever the address is in Kent, the price is set out in writing before work starts, and the job is done by specialist engineers under our management. The towns we list here currently number 24.
Towns listed in Kent: Maidstone, Gillingham, Chatham, Tunbridge Wells, Folkestone, Margate, Ashford, Canterbury, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Dartford, Ramsgate, Dover, Tonbridge, Strood, Whitstable, Deal, Sevenoaks, Rochester, Herne Bay, Northfleet, Broadstairs, Faversham, Swanley.
What to think about for fire door hold-open devices in Kent
- Doors that open too far from a wall for a wall magnet can use a floor-mounted unit or a magnet on an extension arm. The survey measures where each door rests when open.
- Think about who tests the fire alarm each week at your building in Kent. Adding a walk past the held-open doors to that test is the easiest way to confirm they release.
- Schools and colleges in Kent may want hold-open devices fitted during the holidays so corridors are not disrupted in term time. Fitting can be planned around term dates.
- If the alarm panel has no spare outputs, a relay or an extra interface may be needed. Your alarm engineer can confirm this, and it is added to the quote once agreed.
- Older buildings in Kent may have fire doors that no longer close fully on their own. A hold-open device cannot fix that, so the survey checks closers, hinges and latches first.
Fire door hold-open devices in Kent: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: from £145 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Battery acoustic hold-open unit | £145 – £295 | per door, fitted, ex VAT |
| Hard-wired hold-open magnet linked to the fire alarm | £245 – £595 | per door, ex VAT; alarm panel work extra |
| Free-swing door closer linked to the fire alarm | £395 – £895 | per door, fitted, ex VAT |
Which hold-open device is suitable depends on your fire risk assessment. Linking to the fire alarm may need work by your alarm engineer.
Standards and rules in England
Fire doors that are held open must close automatically when the fire alarm operates. Where hold-open devices can be used is decided by the fire risk assessment, which is the job of the responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Hold-open devices and door release units linked to the fire alarm need regular testing as part of the building’s fire safety checks, and the results should be recorded.
Workplace law (the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992) expects powered doors to have suitable and effective features to stop them trapping anyone and, where needed for safety, to open by hand unless they open automatically if the power fails. Doors at work must also be kept in efficient working order under a suitable system of maintenance.
How it works
- Get in touch. Call, email or use the form with the address and what you have in mind. If you are not sure which type of door suits, describe the entrance and we will suggest the options worth considering.
- Survey and advice. The survey costs nothing and carries no obligation. The engineer checks the site and explains which options suit the entrance, the people using it and the budget, before anything is priced.
- Quote in writing. You receive a fixed, itemised quote for fire door hold-open devices in Kent, covering equipment, installation, testing and handover, with the lead time and payment stages set out clearly.
- Install, test, explain. The engineer installs and commissions the door, tests the sensors, safety functions and emergency behaviour, and walks you through the controls. The handover pack records what was installed and tested.
Tell us about the fire doors that cause problems in Kent. We will survey them free of charge and explain which hold-open options your alarm can support.
Fire door hold-open devices in Kent: questions
Are battery hold-open units a good choice for older buildings in Kent?
Often they are. Radio and acoustic battery units avoid long cable runs, which helps in older or listed buildings and finished corridors. Acoustic units are only suitable where the fire risk assessment allows them and the alarm can be heard clearly at the door. Batteries need replacing at the interval the maker states.
How are prices worked out for fire door hold-open devices in Kent?
Our guide starts from £145 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide price we use across the UK. The free site survey in Kent confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
What will the survey in Kent look at?
The engineer checks that each door closes and latches from fully open, the condition of the closer and seals, where the door rests when open, nearby power supplies and the alarm panel or radio options. We also ask to see the relevant part of the fire risk assessment, so the quote covers only doors that can be held open.
Will you test the hold-open devices before leaving our site in Kent?
Yes. Every door is released from fully open and checked to close and latch. Where the alarm connection is complete, the doors are also tested with the alarm itself. You receive a schedule of the doors and devices fitted, ready to keep with your fire safety records and weekly alarm test log.
Do I need permission from a landlord or the council before work in Kent?
It depends on the building. Tenants usually need the landlord's written consent before changing an entrance, and some changes to a shopfront or external door need planning permission. The survey notes anything that may need consent. We can supply drawings and product details to support an application, but the owner or tenant makes it.
What does the free site survey in Kent involve?
An engineer working under our management visits the building, measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power supply, and looks at how people use the entrance. The survey is free and carries no obligation. Afterwards you receive a fixed, itemised written quote for fire door hold-open devices, with drawings where the door type needs them.
Do businesses in Kent have to fit automatic doors?
No law says every building must have automatic doors. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and building regulations guidance in England calls for a powered door where an entrance door would otherwise be too heavy to open. An automatic door is often the simplest way to meet both.