Question: Do I need approval to change the lock on my fire door? If so, what lock can I use?
We’ve been told the door to our apartment is a fire door and part of the common property. Can I change the lock on the door? Do I need approval to change the lock? What lock can I use so that the door is still fire safe and compliant?
Answer: You must get permission from strata. The lock has to be one that is approved for use with that fire door.
The door is owned by the owners corporation and is common property. It is not owned by the lot owner. We all have a right to secure our own premises. These two things conflict a little, but in simple terms, your door is owned by the strata. If you wish to modify it in any way, you must get permission from strata and that includes changing the lock.
What can you use? The lock has to be one that is approved for use with that fire door. You really need to go back to the door manufacturer and find out what locks have been approved for use on that door or on that tested example.
When doors are originally put to market, they are type tested. The door is fitted with individual locks and closers and all the things that might be attached to a door and then it’s fired up in a furnace and they burn it to see whether it will work. So, if it’s a fire door, the lock must match the door type and model and be tested with that type and model of door.
This post appears in the December 2022 edition of The NSW Strata Magazine.
Rob Broadhead
2020 Fire Protection
E: rob.broadhead@2020fire.com.au
P: 1300 340 210
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