Before, you could have about 8 mm at the bottom of a fire door. Now, at least for the strategy we are working on, you need to be looking at 2 to 4 mm, equally on all sides.

We are preparing several properties for a category of social housing we are exploring. The returns compared to an HMO could be three or four times, depending on what you have and on the area. But it also depends on your property passing an inspection, and that is not easy at all.

Why the fire doors get so much attention

One of the things you need is a fire risk assessment, and that assessment looks closely at the fire doors. Why is the government so strict about them? Because they are part of the fire system, and in any property the safety of the tenants is priority number one.

The gap is only one part. The door needs at least three hinges with all the screws, and those need to be fire-rated. The self-closer needs to be fire-rated, and so does the handle. The door itself needs to be at least FD30, which is 30 minutes.

The problem with an old HMO

For many old properties, and many HMOs that were not done properly, 2 to 4 mm is a problem, because it is very tight. The property we are working on is an old HMO, and the doors do not have those gaps, especially at the bottom, which is the worst.

You need a very good carpenter or joiner to do this, and you need to be able to test it when the doors are handed back to you, so you actually know it passes.

One piece of advice we got is an automatic drop seal at the bottom of the door. When the door closes the seal drops, and when you open it, it goes up, so the gap is closed when it is needed. The other way we are fixing it is with intumescent strips, and there are some other techniques to reduce the gaps.

Where the private rented sector is heading

Apart from the technical detail, what I want to say is this. If you want higher returns from property, very likely you are going to have to get into this. And knowing the UK as I know it, buy-to-lets and other properties will have to head towards it in the long term too, with more paperwork, more records, and a real system behind them.

Funnily enough, the houses that belong to the government are not scrutinised as hard as the private sector. But you and me, as the private rented sector, need to be the best of the best. If you do not want to learn this detail, at least have somebody managing your properties who makes sure these details are met.

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