Fire doors are usually common property
In most NSW strata schemes, the entry door to a lot is a fire door, and fire doors are treated as common property — even the door to your own apartment. That's because the door forms part of the building's fire-separating structure, which protects every resident, not just the occupant of one unit.
Because it's common property, responsibility for maintaining, repairing and replacing it generally sits with the owners corporation, not the individual lot owner.
What the owners corporation must do
The owners corporation is responsible for maintaining the building's essential fire safety measures — including fire doors — and for lodging the building's Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) each year.
In practice that means arranging routine inspection and maintenance, rectifying or replacing any non-compliant fire doors, and keeping records of the work. The actual fire door work is carried out by a fire door contractor; the statutory assessment and sign-off is done by an Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety).
What this means for lot owners
If you own a unit, the most important thing is simple: don't modify your fire door. Fitting your own deadlock, peephole, kick plate, or painting it can void its compliance and create a cost and safety issue for the whole building.
If you think your door is faulty — it won't self-close, has big gaps, or damaged seals — report it to your strata manager rather than fixing it yourself.
What happens when a fire door fails an inspection
When an inspection flags a non-compliant fire door, the owners corporation arranges rectification. Many faults can be repaired; where a door can't be brought back to standard, it's replaced with a compliant door set.
A good fire door contractor will tell you honestly which doors can be repaired and which need replacing, carry out the work to standard, and give you documentation that supports the building's compliance.
This guide is general information, not statutory advice. For sign-off and compliance decisions, speak with your strata manager and your nominated fire safety practitioner.