Leasehold

The flat entrance door has a letterbox with no visible seal and the surveyor did not fire-test the door. What test is still outstanding?

The fire test of the door is still outstanding. The flat entrance door has a letterbox with no visible seal, and the surveyor recorded that as something seen, or not seen, at the slot. The surveyor did not fire-test the door. A missing visible seal is not a fire result, a smoke result, or a test of any intumescent strip that might sit in the letterbox. The home survey has noted the door it could look at. It has not tested how the door or the letterbox would perform, and that test remains outstanding.

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?

Flat entrance doors can matter to the way a block behaves if there is a fire, and a letterbox is an opening in that door. A seal you cannot see may be missing, painted over, or simply not visible with the flap shut. The survey can say there was no seal in sight. It cannot run a fire test, time a door, or certify a letterbox product. Those are specialist tests and paperwork, not part of a home survey. Leaving the test outstanding is the accurate limit.

Ask the solicitor what the lease and the building's fire papers say about flat entrance doors and letterboxes, and whether any certificate or inspection for this door exists. Do not drill, scrape or alter the door to answer the question yourself. The survey has not said the door is unlawful, and it has not cleared it. The outstanding test, if it is required for this block, belongs with the managing agent's fire information and a competent tester, not with a second reading of the same visual note.

What should you ask your surveyor?

What did you see, and not see, at the letterbox on the flat entrance door?
Did you carry out any fire test of the door or the letterbox?
What limitation should be read against fire performance of this door?

What are the typical next steps?

Read the missing visible seal as a visual note, not as a fire-test result.
Treat a fire test of the door as still outstanding.
Ask the solicitor for any existing fire papers for this entrance door.

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 door closes firmly, has a fire test been done?

No. A firm close is how the door met the frame on the day. It is not a fire test, and the surveyor did not carry one out. The letterbox still had no visible seal. Firmness does not test the slot, the seals, or the door's performance. That test is still outstanding.

Does a missing visible seal by itself give a fire result?

No. It gives a visual limitation: no seal was seen at the letterbox. It does not say the door failed a fire test, because no fire test was done, and it does not say the door passed one. The result is outstanding. Ask for the building's fire papers rather than promoting a glance into a test.