Communal Entrance Doors for Flats
Bespoke Aluminium Communal Entrance Door Installation, Repairs & Maintenance
At Sykes London Shopfronts, we have over 35 years of experience designing, manufacturing and installing secure communal entrance doors for flats, apartment buildings and housing developments across London and the UK.
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Communal Entrance Door Installation
We understand that every residential building has its own unique set of requirements, which is why we manufacture each communal entrance door to suit your property rather than supplying off-the-shelf doors.
Our doors can be designed around the required dimensions, footfall, accessibility needs, security systems, and appearance to provide the perfect door for your building.
Our communal entrance doors are available with:
- Single and double door configurations
- Inward or outward opening
- Manual or automatic operation
- Toughened or laminated glazing
- Solid and glazed panel configurations
- Glazed side panels for larger openings
- Keypad and fob access
- Magnetic and manual locking systems
- Access control integration
- Automatic opening systems
- Anti-panic hardware where appropriate
- Door closers and heavy-duty hardware
- Powder coating in a wide range of RAL colours
- Bespoke sizing and configurations
Our full range of commercial aluminium doors provides further options for high-traffic residential and commercial entrances.
Communal Entrance Door Options
Because of the number of residents living in a communal building, a communal entrance door needs to do considerably more work than a typical domestic door. The large footfall demand places greater demands on the door hardware, so it’s essential to get a high-quality door that’s configured to how the building is actually used.
Single And Double Communal Doors
Our single-leaf aluminium doors are suitable for most standard residential entrances, while double-door configurations can provide a wider opening that’s perfect for larger buildings with busier access points.
Each of our doors can be configured to open inward or outward to suit the entrance layout, available space, and escape requirements.
Glazed Communal Entrance Doors
A glazed entrance door improves visibility, increases natural light and creates a more welcoming entrance.
All of our communal doors can be manufactured with a range of glazing and panelling options, including toughened and laminated glass options. For wider entrances, we can include glazed side panels to fill the extra space and let in more natural light.
Where extensive glazing is required, our experience installing commercial glass doors allows us to design an entrance around both appearance and everyday durability.
Automatic Communal Entrance Doors
Adding automatic door openers is often the preferred choice for residential properties, making the entrance easier to use for wheelchair users, people with limited mobility, parents with pushchairs, or residents with their hands full carrying shopping bags
We can include automation into the door system alongside safety sensors and access control, providing a safe and secure entrance that’s accessible to all.
Our team also provides complete automatic door services, including installation, repairs and ongoing maintenance.
Access Control And Security Options
Ensuring that unauthorised visitors can’t access the building is essential in a communal residence. However, this shouldn’t come at the cost of making everyday access difficult for the people who live there.
Our communal entrance doors can include:
- Keypad access
- Electronic fob access
- Manual locks
- Magnetic locking
- Keyless access systems
- Electronic locking
- Existing access control integration
Glazed Side Panels And Larger Entrances
For large apartment buildings that have a wider structural opening, we can design and manufacture entrance doors with fixed glazing side panels around the main door. This ensures that your large opening is secure while maintaining aesthetic appearance and natural light.
Colours And Finishes
Your entrance door is often the first feature of the building that a new potential tenant or current resident coming home from work will see – so the appearance matters just as much as performance.
All of our aluminium frames can be powder coated in your chosen colours, which allows the new entrance to complement the existing fixtures, windows, cladding, signage, or wider design.
Why Choose Aluminium Communal Entrance Doors?
Aluminium is the perfect all-rounder for a communal entrance door, combining strength and security with low-maintenance requirements.
Benefits include:
- High resistance to frequent everyday use
- Strong commercial-grade construction
- Corrosion resistance
- Low maintenance requirements
- Long service life
- Compatibility with access control systems
- Extensive glazing options
- Automatic opening compatibility
- Bespoke sizing
- Wide choice of colours and finishes
Unlike many domestic door systems, our commercial aluminium entrance doors can be specified around the much heavier usage expected at apartment blocks and communal residential buildings.
Communal Entrance Door Repairs And Maintenance
Due to heavy daily use, communal doors will inevitably experience wear and tear that will need to be replaced or repaired.
We also provide professional repairs and maintenance to keep communal entrance doors safe, secure, and performing well.
Our repair services can include:
- Door closer replacement
- Hinge and pivot repairs
- Lock and cylinder replacement
- Magnetic locking repairs
- Handle replacement
- Frame realignment
- Glass replacement
- Automatic door repairs
- Access control hardware repairs
- Emergency call-outs
- Preventative maintenance
Completing regular maintenance and servicing can identify worn components before the entrance fails, reducing disruption to residents and improving health and safety.
Find out more about our commercial door maintenance and repair services.
If the entrance has been damaged and cannot immediately be secured, we can also provide emergency boarding and glass replacement services.
Why Choose Us For Your Communal Entrance Door Needs?
Perhaps you’re wondering why you should choose Sykes for your communal entrance. Our exceptional service is the foundation of everything we do. At Sykes, we know how important your business’s first impressions are, and we go the extra mile to ensure 100% customer satisfaction. From free onsite inspections to after-sales care, we endeavour to leave nothing to chance when it comes to installing shutters and shopfronts that you can be proud of.
2 Week Turnaround
At Sykes, we understand that shop security is naturally a time-sensitive issue, which is why we offer a fast two-week turnaround from the moment you place your order.
Your One-Stop-Shop
Here at Sykes, we don’t just fit doors and shutters, but we also design them by following industry guides, manufacture the products and maintain them. Our end-to-end service sets us apart.
After Sales Service
We are on hand to offer support when you need it, delivering 100% customer satisfaction. All doors include a full warranty, too.
Colour Match
Branding is important. We can manufacture your doors in any colour that you require and can match the colour to your branding.
Fire Safety And Communal Entrance Doors
The fire safety requirements for communal doors depend on where the door is located and the role it plays within the building. Not every external communal entrance door is automatically required to be a fire door. However, fire-resisting doors in communal areas or doors protecting stairways and corridors may form an important part of the building’s fire strategy.
In England, the Responsible Person must ensure that appropriate fire precautions are maintained within the common parts of a block of flats under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
For residential buildings where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, communal fire doors must be checked at least every three months under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. The government’s guidance on these requirements is available in Check Your Fire Safety Responsibilities Under The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
The required doorset, self-closing system, glazing, locking and fire resistance should be determined by the building’s fire risk assessment and fire strategy rather than applying one specification to every communal entrance.
Where additional emergency exits are required elsewhere in the building, Sykes also installs commercial fire exit doors.
EMERGENCY?
Our emergency service works around your needs to provide same-day boarding and glass replacement for your communal flat entrance doors, keeping your premises secure during all times of the day.
Call us on
01753 541 310
Contact Us Today For a Free Quote
If you’re hoping to install a commercial flat entrance door, you’ve come to the right place. At Sykes, we’re passionate about helping our clients find the perfect solution for their entryway.
Contact our friendly team today to schedule a free onsite inspection and quotation for our end-to-end service.
Communal Entrance Doors FAQs
What Are The Regulations For Communal Entrance Doors In Flats?
Unfortunately, there isn’t one regulation that provides every communal entrance door with the same specification. The requirements will depend on the door’s location, purpose, and the building itself.
Common requirements that may apply include Building Regulations covering fire safety, accessibility, glazing and means of escape, alongside the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for the common parts of occupied blocks.
Where a communal entrance door is designated as a fire door, the fire and smoke resistance should be determined by the building’s fire safety strategy and risk assessment. If the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require communal fire doors to be checked at least every three months.
What Are The Best Communal Entrance Doors For Flats?
For most apartment buildings or social housing developments, a commercial aluminium entrance door is the perfect option due to aluminium’s strength, corrosion resistance, and low maintenance.
It can also accommodate glazing, electronic access control, magnetic locks, and automatic opening systems.
What Are The Different Types Of Entrance Doors?
A wide variety of door configurations can be used depending on the property. Common options include manual hinged aluminium doors, automatic swing doors, automatic sliding doors, fully or partially glazed doors and solid or panelled doors.
Entrances can also be configured as single or double doors and combined with fixed glazed side panels where the structural opening is wider.
The right option will depend on factors including available space, resident footfall, accessibility, security, appearance and the building’s escape strategy. At Sykes, we consult on the design of the door, taking into consideration your building’s specific requirements following a free site-survey.
Who Is Usually Responsible For Communal Flat Entrance Doors?
Responsibility for a shared communal entrance will usually rest with the organisation responsible for managing or maintaining the common parts of the building. Depending on the ownership structure, this could be the freeholder, landlord, residents’ management company, Right to Manage company, housing association or local authority, with a managing agent sometimes handling the day-to-day work.
The lease or management agreement should be checked to establish responsibility for maintenance and how the costs are recovered.
This should not be confused with the entrance door to an individual flat, where responsibility can sometimes sit with the leaseholder depending on the terms of the lease.
Is Servicing Communal Entrance Doors Required By Law?
There is no single law that requires every communal entrance door to be serviced at a fixed interval. However, the Responsible Person has legal duties to maintain appropriate fire precautions and ensure that relevant fire safety measures remain in efficient working order under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Where a communal door is a fire door, it should be inspected and maintained as part of the building’s fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangements. In residential buildings where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require communal fire doors to be checked at least every three months.
Automatic doors may also be subject to manufacturer instructions, system-specific safety requirements and relevant standards. Servicing intervals should therefore be based on the door type, usage, manufacturer’s guidance, risk assessment and condition of the equipment.
As a practical approach, busy communal entrances should receive regular planned inspections, with additional checks after damage, repeated faults or changes to access control systems. Sykes can advise on a suitable maintenance schedule following an onsite inspection.
Do Communal Flat Entrance Doors Need Vision Panels?
Not every communal entrance door automatically needs a separate vision panel.
Whether visibility is required depends on the design and location of the door. Approved Document B: Fire Safety includes circumstances where vision panels may be needed, such as certain doors on escape routes and doors that swing in both directions. Accessibility guidance should also be considered for doors on accessible routes.
A fully or substantially glazed entrance may already provide the required visibility without a separate vision panel.
The final configuration should therefore be determined by the applicable Building Regulations, accessibility requirements and the building’s individual design rather than assuming every communal door requires the same vision panel arrangement.
