Landlords struggling to find replacements for faulty fire doors
Social landlords are facing “huge problems” finding replacements for faulty fire doors, the National Housing Federation (NHF) has warned.
The NHF has told Inside Housing that social landlords are struggling to get hold of new doors in the wake of Grenfell and are uncertain about how serious a risk models that have failed safety tests pose.
Doors from five different major suppliers have previously been identified in government tests as failing to meet safety standards.
Lucy Grove, Grenfell programme lead at the NHF, told Inside Housing: “Where members use these makes, they are working to change doors. However, many housing associations are facing huge problems finding replacements. There’s a massive supply chain issue.”
Housing secretary James Brokenshire has said there is evidence of “a broader issue across the fire door market” and some manufacturers have withdrawn their products from sale.
However Ms Grove added: “The government needs to provide clarity on how widespread the problem is across the fire door market, information about how the doors failed, and how the issue will be resolved. Housing associations need this to be able to put the right safety measures in place.”
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The problems were first uncovered in March after the Metropolitan Police checked a door taken from the husk of Grenfell Tower and found it only resisted smoke and flames for 15 minutes – half the time required by building regulations.
Non-compliant fire doors should be replaced, with fire risk assessments used to determine the urgency of the work, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has said.
The government has not provided details of the failed tests, so it is not clear how far short they fall of the 30-minute resistance requirement.
A spokesperson for the MHCLG said: “Nothing is more important than making sure people are safe in their homes.
“We are working with the industry and local authorities to make sure products being used meet the appropriate standards.”
A government advice note published this week said “the systemic issues have so far been identified in the composite door industry only”, which the government says represents less than 5% of the fire door market.
Never Again campaign
In the days following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, Inside Housing launched the Never Again campaign to call for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
One year on, we have extended the campaign asks in the light of information that has emerged since.
Here are our updated asks:
GOVERNMENT
- Act on the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations to tower blocks of 18m and higher. Commit to producing a timetable for implementation by autumn 2018, setting out how recommendations that don’t require legislative change can be taken forward without delay
- Follow through on commitments to fully ban combustible materials on high-rise buildings
- Unequivocally ban desktop studies
- Review recommendations and advice given to ministers after the Lakanal House fire and implement necessary changes
- Publish details of all tower blocks with dangerous cladding, insulation and/or external panels and commit to a timeline for remedial works. Provide necessary guidance to landlords to ensure that removal work can begin on all affected private and social residential blocks by the end of 2018. Complete quarterly follow-up checks to ensure that remedial work is completed to the required standard. Checks should not cease until all work is completed.
- Stand by the prime minister’s commitment to fully fund the removal of dangerous cladding
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
- Explore options for requiring remedial works on affected private sector residential tower blocks
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Take immediate action to identify privately owned residential tower blocks so that cladding and external panels can be checked
LANDLORDS
- Publish details of the combinations of insulations and cladding materials for all high rise blocks
- Commit to ensuring that removal work begins on all blocks with dangerous materials by the end of 2018 upon receipt of guidance from government
- Publish current fire risk assessments for all high rise blocks (the Information Commissioner has required councils to publish and recommended that housing associations should do the same). Work with peers to share learning from assessments and improve and clarify the risk assessment model.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out. Ensure assessments consider the external features of blocks. Always use an appropriate, qualified expert to conduct assessments.
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in the light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
- Adopt Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommended approach for listening to and addressing tenants’ concerns, with immediate effect
CURRENT SIGNATORIES:
- Chartered Institute of Housing
- G15
- National Federation of ALMOs
- National Housing Federation
- Placeshapers
