What do residential blocks need from communal doors?
A communal entrance door is opened day and night by residents, visitors, carers, delivery drivers and contractors. It needs to lock behind them every time, open easily for residents who use wheelchairs, scooters or walking aids, and stand up to heavy use and occasional misuse.
The door is also part of the building's security and fire safety. If it is left open, wedged or broken, anyone can get into the block, and if it is not set up correctly it can affect how people get out in a fire.
Which doors and controls suit communal entrances?
Many communal entrances are steel or aluminium swing doors on a door entry system. An accessible door operator or a retrofit operator can make the existing door open automatically when a resident presents a fob or a visitor is let in, then close and lock behind them. Busier blocks and new developments may suit automatic sliding doors with an entrance lobby.
Access control ties the door into the fob readers, keypads and video entry panels residents already use. We work with your door entry contractor where the system is theirs and agree who looks after each part. Residents who cannot reach a reader can use a radio push button or proximity tag.
How do automatic doors help residents with disabilities?
For a resident who uses a wheelchair, a heavy communal door with a strong closer can make it impossible to get in and out without help. An automatic opener triggered by their fob, a push pad or a remote gives them independence. Landlords and managing agents often receive requests for this as a reasonable adjustment, and the duties that apply depend on the landlord, the tenancy and the nation.
Building regulations guidance on access applies to new buildings and to building work on existing buildings, with details that differ in each UK nation. In England, for example, the guidance for wheelchair user dwellings expects power-assisted opening at communal entrances where the door would otherwise be too heavy to open.
For doors inside a resident's own flat or house, see home door openers.
How does the fire strategy affect communal doors?
Communal entrance doors are often on the way out of the building in a fire, and some communal doors are fire doors. Doors on escape routes must let people out safely in an emergency, so an automatic communal door is set up to open from the inside without a key, and electric locks are chosen so they release when the power fails or the fire alarm operates, where the fire strategy requires it.
Fire doors that are held open must close automatically when the fire alarm operates. Fire door hold-open devices need a reliable way to release, and many blocks have no communal fire alarm, so we check how the building is designed to work before recommending them.
Whoever is responsible for fire safety in the common parts must keep fire safety measures maintained, and the law that sets this out differs between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England, residential buildings over 11 metres also have specific duties to check communal fire doors regularly. We agree any changes with the person who holds that responsibility and give them the records.
Can you work in occupied blocks?
Yes. Residents need to get in and out throughout, so we keep the entrance usable, or fit a temporary secure arrangement, while the work is done. We let residents know in advance through your housing officer or managing agent, work during the day where possible and never leave the entrance insecure overnight.
Engineers carry ID and follow your contractor rules, including the extra care needed in supported housing and sheltered schemes. Before work starts we confirm how residents with mobility needs will get in and out, and whether anyone relies on the door opening automatically, so nobody is left stranded while it is changed.
How should communal doors be serviced and quoted?
Communal doors take a lot of punishment, so a servicing plan reduces breakdowns. We recommend a trained engineer checks the safety functions at least once a year, with service intervals set by the manufacturer's instructions and how heavily the door is used; busy or often-misused entrances are usually serviced more often. Each service visit is recorded, which helps with your building safety records.
Repairs are paid visits priced in writing before we attend. New doors, operators and access control start with a free site survey and a fixed, itemised written quote, and we can price a programme of blocks door by door. As a guide, an operator on an existing communal door is from £1,795 ex VAT (£2,154 inc VAT).
Questions
Can you automate our existing communal entrance door?
Usually, yes. A sound steel, aluminium or timber communal door can normally take a swing door operator, linked to the door entry system so it opens for residents and visitors who have been let in, then closes and locks. The survey checks the door, hinges, frame, lock and power supply. If the door is too worn, we quote a replacement instead.
Will the automatic door work with our door entry system?
In most cases, yes. Operators accept signals from fob readers, keypads and video entry panels, so the door opens when the system releases it. We check your system at the survey and work with your door entry contractor where it is theirs. Exit from the inside stays easy, and the lock is set up to suit the fire strategy.
A resident has asked for an automatic door. Where do we start?
Start with what the resident needs: which doors they struggle with and how they would like to open them, such as a fob, push pad or remote. An occupational therapist's assessment can help. We then survey the doors free of charge and quote a fixed price. For doors inside the resident's own home, see home door openers.
What happens to an automatic communal door in a power cut?
That depends on how the door and lock are set up. Most communal swing doors with an operator can be opened by hand when the power is off, and electric locks are chosen so residents can always get out. A battery backup can keep the door working for a limited number of openings. We explain exactly how your door behaves at handover. See power cuts and fire alarms.
Can you look after the doors across all our blocks?
Yes. A single service contract can cover communal doors across a portfolio, of most makes, with a written record for each door after every visit. Repairs found during a service are quoted before they are done. We can also inspect every door first, so you have a clear list of condition and priorities.
