Leasehold

A lobby door in a block of flats is wedged open. What compartmentation point is that wedge defeating, and what fire test was not done?

The wedge defeats the lobby door as a compartmentation point: a door meant to close is held open. The survey can see the wedge and a door that will not shut while the wedge is there. No fire test was done. The inspection has not timed a closer, sampled the door leaf, or certified the stair. It records a door held open. What the wedge defeats is the closing of that door, not a test result the visit never produced.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Lobby doors in a block are there to separate the common stair or corridor from the flats when they are shut. A wedge, a mat or a tied-back closer stops that separation for as long as it stays. The survey can photograph the wedge. It cannot, from a door held open, say the leaf, the seals, the closer or the frame would pass a fire inspection. Those parts were not tested. The defect in view is the door being kept open.

Tell the managing agent the lobby door was wedged, and ask the solicitor whether the block's fire-risk assessment is in the management pack. The home survey is not that assessment and will not become one. Removing the wedge is an immediate management point. It does not certify the door. Do not describe the stair as tested because the survey happened to notice the wedge.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which lobby door was wedged, and was it a common-part door?
What fire test, if any, did you carry out on the leaf or the closer?
Have you limited the note to a door held open?

What are the typical next steps?

Report the wedge as defeating the lobby door's closure.
Do not invent a fire test that was not done.
Tell the managing agent the door was held open.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

If the closer shuts the door once the wedge is out, was a fire test still skipped?

Yes. A closer that shuts a door shows the closer can pull it to. It does not sample the leaf, the seals or the frame, and it is not a fire test. The survey did not do that test. Taking the wedge out restores closing. It does not certify the door.

Is a wedged lobby door a defect in your flat or in the common parts?

A lobby door serving the block is a common-part item, not a defect inside your demise, unless the lease says otherwise. The survey can see the wedge. The solicitor and the lease say who must manage that door. The inspection has not reassigned it to the flat.