Repairing Standard: statutory guidance for private landlords

Annex I: Common doors

I.1 Section 13(1)(k) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 requires that where a house is in a tenement and has common doors (or is designed to have common doors), that these doors are secure and fitted with satisfactory emergency exit locks.

I.2 The definition of tenement includes other kinds of flats; see paragraph 7.3 of this guidance.

I.3 In order to be secure all common doors must be lockable, and the common front door must have a secure entry system that:

• Informs the tenant when a visitor or delivery has arrived; and
• Allows the tenant to open the common front door remotely.

I.4 A secure entry system is not required for a block of three or fewer flats where all occupiers have easy sight of or close access to the common front door.

I.5 Common front doors must have:

• Mortice locks (any number of levers);
• Rim-type deadlocks;
• Yale locks;
• Key operated multi-point locks; or
• Electronic/magnetic locks.

I.6 Common rear doors must have:

• Locks of the same type as required for common front doors; or
• One or more substantial bolts secured from the inside.

I.7 To meet the requirement for emergency exit, the landlord must ensure that the type of emergency exit locks fitted allow tenants to open them from the inside without a key, so that they do not inhibit exit in the event of a fire.

I.8 The responsibilities of landlords are limited by the need for the consent of other owners in a building, as set out in Chapter 7 of this guidance.