Who is usually responsible for managing fobs in a block of flats?

This varies by building, but it typically falls to the managing agent or freeholder, sometimes with day to day administration delegated to a concierge or facilities contact. Establishing this clearly avoids gaps when residents move.

Should communal entrance doors unlock automatically during a fire alarm?

This depends on the building's specific escape strategy and should be set out in the fire risk assessment. It is not something to assume or configure without guidance from the assessor and a competent engineer.

How often should fobs be audited?

Many management companies find a periodic review, alongside prompt action whenever a tenancy ends, keeps the register accurate without becoming a large task. The right frequency depends on how often residents change.

Can residents add their own visitors to the intercom directory?

Some systems allow limited self-service updates for a resident's own listing, but changes to shared communal settings or door behaviour should go through whoever manages the system rather than individual residents.

What should we do if a communal door lock feels loose or worn?

Report it promptly rather than waiting, since a communal entrance sees heavy daily use and a worn lock can fail without warning. An engineer can assess whether it needs adjustment or replacement.

Access Control for Blocks of Flats: What Management Companies Need to Know

Communal entry systems, fob management and fire safety considerations for residential blocks

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Access control in a block of flats does more than keep the front door locked. It manages who can enter communal areas, lets residents receive visitors safely, and often ties into intercoms, lift access and sometimes bin store or cycle store doors. For a management company juggling several sites, keeping this running smoothly while staying mindful of fire safety obligations is a recurring task.

Unlike a single office or shop, a residential block has a constantly shifting population of residents, tenants and visitors, alongside contractors, delivery drivers and postal workers who need occasional access. This turnover makes fob and code management one of the biggest practical headaches, particularly when flats change hands or tenancies end without fobs being returned.

This guide covers the areas a management company typically needs to think about, from day to day fob administration through to the more serious question of how communal entry doors interact with fire escape routes, where decisions should always be guided by a proper fire risk assessment rather than convenience.

What You Will Usually Notice

Residents reporting they cannot get past the communal entrance with their fob

A backlog of old fobs still active after tenants have moved out

Confusion over who is responsible for reporting a faulty door entry panel

Visitors unable to reach residents through the intercom system

Uncertainty about whether communal doors should lock or unlock during a fire alarm activation

Complaints about delivery access or concierge-style buzzing in of visitors

Safe Checks You Can Do Yourself

Keep a simple, up to date fob and key register

Record which fob or code is issued to which flat and when. This does not need specialist software, a basic spreadsheet is often enough, but it makes deactivating lost or unreturned fobs far quicker.

Set a clear process for when tenancies end

Agree with your letting agents or lettings team that fobs are collected, or reported lost, whenever a resident moves out. Building this into the moving out checklist avoids fobs sitting active for months afterwards.

Note down and report communal door faults promptly

If a communal entrance is not latching, buzzing intermittently, or a lock feels loose, write down what you observe and report it rather than waiting to see if it resolves itself.

Check the intercom directory is current

Review the list of names or flat numbers on the entry panel periodically, since an out of date directory means visitors and deliveries struggle to reach the right resident.

Ask your fire risk assessor about communal door behaviour

Rather than assuming how doors should behave during an alarm, ask your fire risk assessor directly and keep a note of their guidance for your records and for any managing agent handover.

What Normally Causes It

Fobs not deactivated after residents move out

Without a clear handover process between letting agents, managing agents and whoever holds the fob system, deactivation is easily missed, leaving former residents or their visitors with ongoing access long after they have left.

A large number of authorised users spread across several parties

Blocks often involve freeholders, managing agents, individual landlords and tenants, each of whom may believe someone else is responsible for updating the access system, which leads to gaps in who actually manages it.

Communal door hardware wearing faster than expected

Entrance doors used dozens of times a day by residents, visitors and deliveries see far more wear than a typical office door, so hinges, closers and lock mechanisms can need attention more frequently than owners expect.

Fire escape requirements not reviewed since installation

A system installed years ago may not reflect current thinking in the building's fire risk assessment, particularly if the building's use or occupancy has changed, making periodic review important rather than a one-off decision.

Intercom or panel faults going unreported by residents

Individual residents may assume a fault is temporary or somebody else's responsibility to report, meaning a management company can be unaware of a problem until several complaints build up.

Communal doors interacting poorly with fire alarm systems

Where a communal entrance is linked to the fire alarm to release on activation, a wiring fault or an outdated configuration can mean the door does not behave as intended, which is a serious issue needing prompt investigation.

When to Stop and Call an Engineer

Any door forming part of an escape route within the block, since how it locks, releases and interacts with the fire alarm should be assessed and configured by a competent engineer

A communal door is not releasing correctly during a fire alarm test or activation, which should be treated as urgent

You are planning to change how the entry system integrates with lifts, gates or other communal access points

The fob system needs expanding or replacing to cope with a growing number of residents

A fault report suggests a wiring or power issue with the panel rather than something a simple reset would fix

Keeping it from coming back

How communal doors behave in relation to fire escape routes and the fire alarm should always be set out in the building's fire risk assessment and confirmed with the responsible person, with any wiring or lock changes carried out by a competent engineer rather than adjusted informally by site staff.

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Access Control for Blocks of Flats: What Management Companies Need to Know: common questions

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